Mullen Group buys customs broker Wilson International

Mullen Group, one of Canada's largest trucking and logistics groups, is buying Toronto-based customs brokerage Wilson International, the Toronto Star reports. The deal pulls a cross-border trade services firm into a fleet operator's portfolio — and that pairing says plenty about where Canadian freight margins live now.

The transaction pairs Mullen's trucking network with Wilson's customs clearance and trade compliance business. No purchase price has been disclosed so far, which is common for deals of this size in the Canadian mid-market. What's clear is the logic: customs brokerage revenue doesn't swing with spot freight rates the way truckload does.

Why does a trucking company want a customs broker?

Because the money has moved. Brokerage and logistics services carry steadier, higher margins than asset-based trucking, where carriers chase rates that rise and fall with diesel and demand. Owning the customs desk means capturing fees on the same shipments Mullen already touches.

There's also the trade-war angle. With US–Canada tariff policy in flux under the current Washington administration, shippers want partners who can handle duty engineering, origin rules and clearance without drama. A brokerage in-house turns that anxiety into a revenue line.

The acquisition fits Mullen's long-standing pattern: buy strong regional operators, keep their brands, bolt them onto the group's back office. Wilson International brings border expertise; Mullen brings scale and customer depth across Western Canada and beyond.

What does this change for shippers and forwarders?

For Mullen's existing customers, expect bundled trucking-plus-clearance offers — one invoice, one accountable party, fewer demurrage surprises at the border. For forwarders and third-party brokers, it means another asset-backed competitor now sells the compliance piece they used to own outright.

Wilson's clients get a deeper balance sheet behind the brand. Independent brokerages watching this should note the direction of travel: consolidation is rewarding firms that combine freight movement with trade paperwork.

Watch for the closing details and price disclosure as regulatory filings land — and for more such deals, because border friction isn't getting cheaper.