Key Takeaways
- • Centre Partners and Altivare Capital Partners have acquired Navajo Expedited, a Florida-based truckload broker with eight years of operating history and a vetted carrier network of 8,000 operators, though financial terms were not disclosed.
- • Navajo Expedited specializes in dry van and temperature-controlled transportation for time-sensitive and specialized lanes across food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, and industrial verticals, operating with a proprietary technology platform featuring agentic AI for driver vetting and load execution.
- • The PE investment, partially funded through Centre Strategic Solutions I (a dedicated lower middle-market fund), will accelerate expansion of the company's technology platform and fund strategic acquisitions as part of the growth strategy.
- • Brandon Bodine, a 15-year logistics industry veteran and founder/CEO, will lead the combined entity; management continuity has been maintained from prior partnerships.
- • Centre Partners' investment reflects growing PE interest in logistics consolidation, targeting fragmented 3PL markets where proprietary technology and automation capabilities differentiate operators and drive operational efficiency.
Summary
Centre Partners and Altivare Capital Partners have completed an acquisition of Navajo Expedited, a Lakeland, Florida-based third-party logistics broker specializing in expedited truckload services. The deal underscores ongoing private equity appetite for logistics consolidation, particularly in segments where technology automation and carrier relationship management create defensible competitive advantages. Navajo Expedited was spun from Navajo Express, a Denver-based carrier with 300 over-the-road and dedicated units, and has operated as an independent broker for eight years with a focus on time-sensitive and specialized transportation.
The acquired company operates a differentiated platform centered on dry van and temperature-controlled transportation for food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, and industrial shippers. Its competitive positioning rests on a proprietary technology infrastructure and a vetted network of 8,000 carriers. According to Centre Partners' managing partner Bruce Pollack, the platform is "underpinned by longstanding customer relationships, exceptional service and proprietary agentic AI technology that is already improving driver vetting and load execution"—capabilities that resonate with shipper demands for reliability and carrier-side ease of use.
The investment was partially funded through Centre Strategic Solutions I, a dedicated fund established by Centre Partners to support independent sponsor transactions in the lower middle market. The capital will support two primary initiatives: expansion and enhancement of Navajo Expedited's technology platform and funding for complementary acquisitions. Brandon Bodine, who founded Navajo Expedited and brings 15 years of logistics industry experience, will continue as CEO with existing management intact—a structural decision that suggests Centre and Altivare view the incumbent team's automation-first operational model as central to the investment thesis.
Bodine stated that the partnership provides "the capital and resources to accelerate what this team has spent years building," signaling strategic intent to pursue bolt-on acquisitions and technology development. The absence of disclosed financial terms limits visibility into valuation benchmarks for expedited 3PL platforms with proprietary AI capabilities, though the deal's structure through Centre's lower middle-market fund and focus on growth-stage logistics technology suggests a meaningful entry valuation. The transaction reflects broader consolidation trends in logistics, where private equity continues to target fragmented service providers with differentiated technology platforms and demonstrated customer stickiness.
The acquired company operates a differentiated platform centered on dry van and temperature-controlled transportation for food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, and industrial shippers. Its competitive positioning rests on a proprietary technology infrastructure and a vetted network of 8,000 carriers. According to Centre Partners' managing partner Bruce Pollack, the platform is "underpinned by longstanding customer relationships, exceptional service and proprietary agentic AI technology that is already improving driver vetting and load execution"—capabilities that resonate with shipper demands for reliability and carrier-side ease of use.
The investment was partially funded through Centre Strategic Solutions I, a dedicated fund established by Centre Partners to support independent sponsor transactions in the lower middle market. The capital will support two primary initiatives: expansion and enhancement of Navajo Expedited's technology platform and funding for complementary acquisitions. Brandon Bodine, who founded Navajo Expedited and brings 15 years of logistics industry experience, will continue as CEO with existing management intact—a structural decision that suggests Centre and Altivare view the incumbent team's automation-first operational model as central to the investment thesis.
Bodine stated that the partnership provides "the capital and resources to accelerate what this team has spent years building," signaling strategic intent to pursue bolt-on acquisitions and technology development. The absence of disclosed financial terms limits visibility into valuation benchmarks for expedited 3PL platforms with proprietary AI capabilities, though the deal's structure through Centre's lower middle-market fund and focus on growth-stage logistics technology suggests a meaningful entry valuation. The transaction reflects broader consolidation trends in logistics, where private equity continues to target fragmented service providers with differentiated technology platforms and demonstrated customer stickiness.
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