If you’re still checking the ticker for Yellow Roadway stock prices, you’re likely looking at a ghost. The company once known as YRC Worldwide, and more recently just Yellow Corporation, isn't the trucking titan it used to be. It’s a carcass. It’s a cautionary tale of debt, labor disputes, and a bankruptcy that has left the "YELLQ" ticker flickering in the dark corners of the over-the-counter (OTC) markets.
Kinda crazy when you think about it. This was a company that literally helped build the American supply chain for nearly a century. Now? It’s a series of court dates in Delaware.
As of January 2026, the situation for anyone holding those shares is, honestly, pretty grim. We are deep into the final liquidation phase. If you've got money in this, you’ve likely seen the price hover around a few pennies—$0.02, maybe $0.08 on a "good" day—but those numbers don't reflect a company coming back to life. They reflect a slow-motion car crash that is finally coming to a halt.
The Reality of YELLQ in 2026
The ticker changed from YELL to YELLQ after the company was delisted from the Nasdaq in August 2023. That "Q" at the end is the scarlet letter of the stock market. It means the company is in bankruptcy. Usually, when a company hits this stage, the common stock is eventually canceled and becomes worthless.
You might see weird price spikes. Don't be fooled.
Speculators sometimes jump in, hoping for a "Hertz-style" recovery where shareholders actually get a piece of the pie. But Yellow’s pile of debt was a mountain. We’re talking billions. While they did a decent job selling off their terminals—fetching about $2.4 billion for real estate and another $176 million for trucks and trailers—most of that money was already spoken for.
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Who got paid first?
The government and the big banks.
- The U.S. Treasury got their $700 million pandemic loan back.
- Secured lenders were cleared out.
- Bankruptcy financing (DIP loans) of about $213 million was settled.
After that? The table gets very crowded. You have pension funds, former employees with PTO claims, and unsecured creditors all fighting for the scraps.
The Pension Settlement and the Shareholder Fight
Back in late 2025, there was a massive settlement with 14 different pension plans. They were looking for $7.4 billion. Obviously, Yellow didn't have that much cash under the mattress. The settlement essentially capped what the estate would pay out, but it also confirmed that there likely won't be much—if anything—left for the people at the bottom of the list.
That brings us to MFN Partners. They are Yellow’s largest shareholder, holding about 42.5% of the equity. They’ve been fighting tooth and nail in the Delaware bankruptcy court, headed by Judge Craig Goldblatt.
MFN’s whole argument was basically: "Hey, the assets are worth more than the debt! If you sell everything right, there will be money for us!"
But the court hasn't exactly been doing them many favors lately. In November 2025, Judge Goldblatt overruled many of MFN's objections and cleared the path for the final liquidation plan. As of early 2026, the estate estimates they have between $600 million and $700 million left to satisfy all remaining claims.
When you consider the billions still owed in unsecured claims and pension liabilities, the math for common shareholders simply doesn't add up.
Why Yellow Roadway Stock Prices Still Fluctuate
You might look at the chart and see a 300% jump in a single day. Sounds impressive until you realize it moved from $0.02 to $0.08. This is what's known as a "dead cat bounce."
Volume is incredibly low. Often, just a few hundred or thousand dollars in trading volume can swing the price wildly. It’s mostly day traders gambling or people who don't realize the company is literally being dissolved.
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The terminals are gone. Major competitors like XPO Logistics and Estes Express Lines have already snapped up the best facilities to expand their own networks. Yellow’s 35-door facility in West Sacramento sold for $3.4 million recently. A few more small ones in Georgia and Louisiana went for under $300k each. The cupboard is almost bare.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Bankruptcy
There’s this idea that because Yellow was "Too Big to Fail" or had a government loan, it'll somehow reorganize and come back. Sorta like a phoenix.
That isn't happening here.
This is a Chapter 11 liquidation. They aren't trying to fix the business; they are trying to turn every chair, truck, and loading dock into cash to pay off creditors. Once that process is over, the company will cease to exist. Period.
Actionable Insights for Investors
If you are still holding YELLQ, or thinking about "buying the dip," here is the cold, hard truth:
- Tax Loss Harvesting: Many investors are better off selling for the pennies it’s worth now just to lock in the capital loss for tax purposes. Talk to a CPA, but waiting for a miracle is usually a bad strategy.
- The "Q" is a Warning: Never assume an OTC stock with a bankruptcy suffix has any intrinsic value. The underlying business is dead.
- Watch the Dockets: If you’re truly committed to following this, don't look at the stock chart. Look at the Epiq 11 bankruptcy dockets. That’s where the real news happens—like the hearings scheduled for March 2026 regarding final compensation and distributions.
- Ignore the Hype: Social media "gurus" love to pump bankrupt stocks because they are cheap and easy to move. They usually exit while leaving everyone else holding the bag.
The story of Yellow Roadway is basically a 99-year-old giant that tripped over its own feet. Between the $5 billion in pension liabilities and the inability to modernize its "One Yellow" network because of labor disputes, it was a house of cards. The stock price today is just the last few cards hitting the floor.
Don't expect a comeback. The "Yellow" trucks you see on the road now are likely being repainted with someone else's logo.