National Road Logistics, LLC, a Signal Hill, California-based freight carrier and logistics company, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 6, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California (Case No. 26-13324). The petition lists ~$1.6 million in total assets against ~$43.7 million in liabilities. The filing states that no funds are expected to be available for distribution to unsecured creditors after payment of administrative expenses. Counsel for the debtor is Anerio Ventura Altman of Lake Forest Bankruptcy.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California
Case Number
26-13324
Petition Date
April 6, 2026
Total Assets
~$1.6 million
Total Liabilities
~$43.7 million
President
Paul Dukesherer
Debtor's Counsel
Anerio Ventura Altman, Lake Forest Bankruptcy
Case Snapshot
Southern California Drayage Operator With Multi-Location Footprint
National Road Logistics operates as an interstate for-hire carrier headquartered at 2651 Walnut Avenue in Signal Hill, minutes from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The company provides bonded and non-bonded drayage, transload, warehousing, and truckload services, with additional operations in Newark, Savannah, and Houston. National Road also offers cross-border service into Mexico and Canada.
Fleet and chassis assets. FMCSA records list 27 power units and 35 drivers under USDOT No. 3062272 (MC-55966). The carrier hauls general freight, intermodal containers, and motor vehicles. National Road maintains a privately owned chassis pool of over 700 units, including 600-plus standard 20-foot and 40-foot chassis and over 100 triaxle chassis, providing equipment availability across multiple markets. Despite the multi-location footprint and chassis inventory, the debtor's physical assets at filing are limited: two Freightliner Cascadia tractors valued at ~$31,000, cash of $411,000 and accounts receivable of $655,790. Retirement accounts of ~$354,000 account for most of the remaining asset value.
The petition reflects a 27-to-1 liability-to-asset ratio. The debtor listed ~$7.5 million in secured claims, including equipment liens and financing arrangements. Unsecured claims account for the bulk of the $43.7 million in total liabilities.
Creditor composition. Nordstrom's claim arises from a lease deficiency, and Prologis holds a vendor claim. Milestone Equipment and McKinney Trailer are equipment lessors. A prepetition breach-of-contract lawsuit by Sunshine Distribution preceded the bankruptcy filing.
Asset-liability gap. The $43.7 million liability total against $1.6 million in assets produces a 27-to-1 ratio. The debtor's two Freightliner Cascadia tractors carry a combined value of approximately $31,000, while the company's over 700 chassis do not appear as owned assets on the petition schedules, consistent with the lease obligations owed to Milestone Equipment and McKinney Trailer.
Carrier exit data. FMCSA operating authority data showed a net contraction of nearly 10,000 motor carriers in the first half of 2024, on top of approximately 88,000 trucking authorities revoked in 2023. Carrier shutdowns continued at a rate of 1,000 to 1,500 carriers per week in early 2025. By late 2024, half of all carrier exits involved operators older than three years, up from 37% in 2023, indicating that the downturn had begun reaching established fleets rather than only pandemic-era entrants.
Trade composition shifts. Containerized exports from the Port of Los Angeles to China declined 26% in 2025, and specific commodity categories saw larger drops, including an 80% reduction in soybean shipments. Iron and steel imports through Long Beach fell 32% in January 2026, and synthetic fiber imports dropped 43%.
California Regulatory and Cost Environment
California-based trucking operators face state-specific cost pressures beyond the national freight downturn.
National Road Logistics is an interstate freight carrier and logistics company based in Signal Hill, California. The company provides drayage, transload, warehousing, and truckload services, operating 361,000 square feet of bonded warehouse space near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, with additional locations in Newark, Savannah, and Houston.
filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/california-drayage-carrier-enters-bankruptcy-114500160.html
no funds are expected to be available https://bondoro.com/national-road-logistics-filing-alert/
headquartered at 2651 Walnut Avenue in Signal Hill https://nationalroadlogistics.com/
Newark, Savannah, and Houston https://nationalroadlogistics.com/?page_id=437
over 6 acres of surrounding storage yards https://nationalroadlogistics.com/?page_id=14
27 power units and 35 drivers https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp?searchtype=ANY&query_type=queryCarrierSnapshot&query_param=USDOT&query_string=3062272
registered with FMCSA since October 25, 2017 https://carriernetwork.ai/carrier-profile/3062272/national-road-logistics-llc/
Milestone Equipment Company ($6.5 million) and McKinney Trailer Rentals ($1.1 million) https://www.thestreet.com/retail/national-trucking-and-logistics-firm-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy
prepetition breach-of-contract lawsuit by Sunshine Distribution https://unicourt.com/case/ca-la23-casearbc55c529f08b-1238092?init_S=ch_ltst
net contraction of nearly 10,000 motor carriers in the first half of 2024 https://magazine.factoring.org/magazine-articles/carrier-amp-broker-failures-in-20242025-and-why-2026-may-bring-one-last-wave
fourth-largest asset-based intermodal marketing company in the U.S. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stg-logistics-files-chapter-11-charts-path-forward
risen 2 to 3% annually while freight rate gains have lagged https://www.thetrucker.com/trucking-news/truckload-authority/trends-in-trucking/sliding-into-2026-light-at-the-end-of-the-freight-recession-tunnel-may-be-too-late-for-some
812,000 TEUs in January 2026, a 12% year-over-year decline https://gcaptain.com/port-of-los-angeles-volumes-fall-12-as-tariff-uncertainty-clouds-outlook/
847,765 containers in January 2026, an 11% decrease https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/port-of-long-beach-cargo-volumes-tariffs-national-retail-federation/805182/
ABC classification test https://www.freightamigo.com/en/blog/logistics/ab5-trucking-update-implications-for-californias-trucking-industry-and-supply-chains/
80% of the 16,000 trucks operating at Southern California ports are independently operated https://www.freightwaves.com/news/costs-of-california-drayage-expected-to-rise-under-ab5
only zero-emission drayage trucks could register in the CARB system beginning January 1, 2024 https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-sheets/advanced-clean-fleets-regulation-detailed-drayage-truck-requirements
voted in October 2025 to repeal the drayage fleet provisions https://ca-rta.org/carb-to-repeal-high-priority-and-drayage-fleet-provisions-in-acf/
This article was researched and written with AI assistance, using court filings, public records, and news sources. AI-generated content can contain errors. Verify all information against primary sources before relying on it. This is not legal or financial advice. See the disclaimer.