What is the best trucking company to work for in 2026?

Based on our analysis of 722 carriers in Illinois, PREMIER TRANSPORTATION ranks #1 overall with a composite score of 77.4 out of 100, combining pay, safety record, employer responsiveness, and driver benefits.

Which trucking company pays the most in Illinois?

ALBA TRANS INC offers the highest average weekly pay at $3,000/week (approximately $156,000/year) based on their current active job listings in Illinois. Top earners there make up to $3,000/week (90th percentile).

Can a truck driver make $100,000 a year in Illinois?

Yes — 15 of the 48 ranked trucking companies in Illinois advertise average weekly pay that works out to $100,000+ per year. PREMIER TRANSPORTATION leads at $101,400/year.

What is the safest trucking company in Illinois?

Great Plains Trucking Inc. has the highest FMCSA safety percentile at the 95th among ranked carriers in Illinois. Safety scores are based on federal inspection and violation data across vehicle maintenance, unsafe driving, and hours-of-service categories.

Which trucking companies offer the best driver benefits in Illinois?

Among the top 48 carriers in Illinois: 48 offer medical insurance, 43 offer 401(k), 35 allow pets, 34 allow riders, 3 offer guaranteed pay, 16 offer dedicated routes. KLLM Transport Services leads with 9 of 9 tracked benefit categories.

Which trucking company responds fastest to driver applications?

Tradewinds Logistics has the highest responsiveness score of 99/100 and carries the Responsive Employer badge, meaning they consistently review and respond to driver applications quickly. Overall, 2 of the 48 ranked companies carry the Responsive Employer badge, meaning they review and respond to applications within 24 hours.

How many trucking jobs are open in Illinois right now?

There are currently 58 open positions across the top 48 carriers in Illinois. KLLM Transport Services has the most openings with 3 active listings.

How do you rank trucking companies and how often are rankings updated?

Our rankings use four weighted factors: driver pay at 30% (average weekly earnings from active job listings with outlier removal), safety record at 25% (FMCSA violation percentiles), driver benefits at 25% (medical, 401k, paid time off, dedicated routes, pets/riders policy), and operational quality at 20% (employer responsiveness and fleet size). Rankings are updated continuously as new job listings are posted, reflecting 722 carriers in Illinois.

2026 Rankings

Best Trucking Companies in Illinois

Ranked by pay, safety, responsiveness, and driver benefits from 722 carriers with active job listings.

#1 PREMIER TRANSPORTATION

$1,950/week avg View Profile

Avg Weekly Pay

$1,871

across top 48 carriers

Safety Score

75th

avg FMCSA percentile

Responsive

of 48 respond within 24h

Open Positions

across top 48 carriers

How We Rank Companies

Our rankings are based on real data from active job listings and public safety records. Each company is scored across four categories weighted by driver priority research.

Compensation

30%

Pay percentile from active job listings, plus sign-on bonus, guaranteed pay, and settlement frequency.

Safety Record

25%

Weighted FMCSA safety score — unsafe driving and HOS compliance count double vs other categories.

Benefits

25%

Tiered benefits scoring: medical, 401k, dental, vision, paid time off, and driver lifestyle perks.

Operational

20%

Carrier responsiveness to applications and fleet size relative to other companies in this ranking.

Compensation and safety carry more weight. Rankings update automatically as new jobs are posted.

Safety data sourced from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Safety Measurement System. Our composite scores are independently calculated and may differ from FMCSA's internal percentiles. This ranking is not endorsed or certified by the FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Top 48 Carriers

Sorted by overall

PREMIER TRANSPORTATION

801 drivers DOT 282577

Weekly Pay

$1,950

Safety

85th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

Covenant Transport Inc

1,094 drivers DOT 273818

Weekly Pay

$1,762

Avg. +$2,500 sign-on

Safety

87th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

JK MOVING & STORAGE INC

265 drivers DOT 1065394

Weekly Pay

$2,200

Safety

88th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Riders OK

OTR

Regional

View Company 2 Jobs

South East Carriers INC

Responsive

172 drivers DOT 272134

Weekly Pay

$1,600

Safety

70th pctl

Response

88/100

Open Jobs

Medical

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 2 Jobs

Great Plains Trucking Inc.

86 drivers DOT 205160

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Safety

95th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

OMAHA TRACK INC

81 drivers DOT 306966

Weekly Pay

$2,000

Safety

91th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

MCK TRUCKING INC

150 drivers DOT 528760

Weekly Pay

$1,700

Avg. +$5,000 sign-on

Safety

83th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC

110 drivers DOT 2170456

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Avg. +$2,000 sign-on

Safety

88th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

Badger Express LLC

50 drivers DOT 451877

Weekly Pay

$1,700

Avg. +$5,000 sign-on

Safety

91th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#10

KLLM Transport Services

2,000 drivers DOT 154237

Weekly Pay

$1,770

Safety

86th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Guaranteed Pay

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

Regional

Semi-Local

View Company 3 Jobs

#11

CUSTOM COMMODITIES TRANSPORT

200 drivers DOT 293238

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Safety

92th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#12

Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc.

25 drivers DOT 1185121

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Avg. +$5,000 sign-on

Safety

94th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#13

GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION

49 drivers DOT 3395433

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Avg. +$2,000 sign-on

Safety

79th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

#14

SCHMUHL BROTHERS INC

85 drivers DOT 599145

Weekly Pay

$2,437

Avg. +$2,000 sign-on

Safety

86th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Pets OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#15

G & C FOOD DISTRIBUTORS & BROKERS INC

171 drivers DOT 328883

Weekly Pay

$1,650

Avg. +$7,000 sign-on

Safety

87th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

#16

JS HELWIG & SON LLC

477 drivers DOT 185183

Weekly Pay

$1,850

Safety

83th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#17

KEN GRAHAM TRUCKING INC

76 drivers DOT 71976

Weekly Pay

$2,000

Safety

78th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

#18

Best Logistics Group

500 drivers DOT 2568210

Weekly Pay

$1,625

Safety

91th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#19

Forest Brook Trucking LLC

10 drivers DOT 3214704

Weekly Pay

$1,600

Safety

90th pctl

Response

32/100

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

OTR

View Company 2 Jobs

#20

ZELLER TRANSPORTATION LLC

55 drivers DOT 1017769

Weekly Pay

$1,900

Safety

79th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

#21

MC CARRIER LLC

120 drivers DOT 2400167

Weekly Pay

$1,700

Safety

84th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#22

RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC

15 drivers DOT 3437344

Weekly Pay

$1,652

Safety

79th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Guaranteed Pay

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#23

HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC

322 drivers DOT 507308

Weekly Pay

$1,650

Safety

84th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#24

Nationwide Rail Services

32 drivers DOT 1309810

Weekly Pay

$1,989

Safety

80th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Local

View Company 1 Jobs

#25

C & G TRANSPORTATION INC

53 drivers DOT 683537

Weekly Pay

$1,875

Safety

84th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

OTR

Regional

View Company 2 Jobs

#26

ALBA TRANS INC

22 drivers DOT 2843762

Weekly Pay

$3,000

Avg. +$10,000 sign-on

Safety

73th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Guaranteed Pay

Medical

401k

Dental

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#27

ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC

80 drivers DOT 2817441

Weekly Pay

$2,000

Avg. +$1,000 sign-on

Safety

70th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#28

SOUTH STAR LOGISTICS INC

63 drivers DOT 2071213

Weekly Pay

$1,825

Avg. +$500 sign-on

Safety

84th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#29

Tradewinds Logistics

Responsive

20 drivers DOT 2266216

Weekly Pay

$1,350

Safety

75th pctl

Response

99/100

Open Jobs

Medical

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 2 Jobs

#30

KAISER TRANSPORT INC

42 drivers DOT 637350

Weekly Pay

$1,855

Safety

75th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#31

ARCTIC EXPRESS

55 drivers DOT 193073

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Avg. +$5,000 sign-on

Safety

73th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

#32

PASCAL CARRIER INC

25 drivers DOT 2250349

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Avg. +$2,000 sign-on

Safety

78th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#33

BARTELS TRUCK LINE INC

50 drivers DOT 522095

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Avg. +$3,000 sign-on

Safety

73th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#34

A & H INC

35 drivers DOT 46339

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Avg. +$3,000 sign-on

Safety

73th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#35

SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC

10 drivers DOT 2192974

Weekly Pay

$2,100

Avg. +$150 sign-on

Safety

77th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#36

AFC Transport, Inc

140 drivers DOT 2405573

Weekly Pay

$1,825

Safety

76th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 2 Jobs

#37

EA EXPRESS LLC

18 drivers DOT 3079580

Weekly Pay

$1,900

Avg. +$2,000 sign-on

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

#38

CARGORX DRY CAPACITY

27 drivers DOT 2562901

Weekly Pay

$1,900

Safety

71th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#39

Bertch Cabinet LLC

15 drivers DOT 230549

Weekly Pay

$2,000

Avg. +$5,000 sign-on

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#40

TRANSPORT HOLDINGS LLC

22 drivers DOT 1671330

Weekly Pay

$2,383

Safety

70th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Regional

OTR

Local

View Company 3 Jobs

#41

GURTLER INDUSTRIES INC

5 drivers DOT 3724761

Weekly Pay

$2,250

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Pets OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#42

REVV TRANSPORT

5 drivers DOT 3682903

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Avg. +$2,500 sign-on

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#43

SEMO EXPRESS LLC

73 drivers DOT 1651615

Weekly Pay

$1,700

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#44

KENNEDY TRANSPORTATION INC

40 drivers DOT 213011

Weekly Pay

$2,000

Avg. +$3,000 sign-on

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Dedicated

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#45

KRUPP TRUCKING LLC

30 drivers DOT 946423

Weekly Pay

$2,200

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Pets OK

Riders OK

Regional

View Company 1 Jobs

#46

EAGLE EYE TRUCK LINES LLC

60 drivers DOT 2254336

Weekly Pay

$1,732

Avg. +$2,000 sign-on

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#47

Bakers Express

60 drivers DOT 2575270

Weekly Pay

$1,950

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Riders OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

#48

SILVER EAGLE LOGISTICS LLC

10 drivers DOT 3655251

Weekly Pay

$1,750

Safety

50th pctl

Response

—

Open Jobs

Medical

401k + Match

Dental

Vision

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Take Truck Home

Pets OK

OTR

View Company 1 Jobs

Frequently Asked Questions

Best Trucking Companies by City in Illinois

Best Owner Operator Companies in Illinois CDL Salary Insights in Illinois Browse CDL Jobs in Illinois

Best Trucking Companies in Illinois

How We Rank Companies

Top 48 Carriers

PREMIER TRANSPORTATION

Covenant Transport Inc

JK MOVING & STORAGE INC

South East Carriers INC

Great Plains Trucking Inc.

OMAHA TRACK INC

MCK TRUCKING INC

PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC

Badger Express LLC

KLLM Transport Services

CUSTOM COMMODITIES TRANSPORT

Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc.

GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION

SCHMUHL BROTHERS INC

G & C FOOD DISTRIBUTORS & BROKERS INC

JS HELWIG & SON LLC

KEN GRAHAM TRUCKING INC

Best Logistics Group

Forest Brook Trucking LLC

ZELLER TRANSPORTATION LLC

MC CARRIER LLC

RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC

HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC

Nationwide Rail Services

C & G TRANSPORTATION INC

ALBA TRANS INC

ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC

SOUTH STAR LOGISTICS INC

Tradewinds Logistics

KAISER TRANSPORT INC

ARCTIC EXPRESS

PASCAL CARRIER INC

BARTELS TRUCK LINE INC

A & H INC

SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC

AFC Transport, Inc

EA EXPRESS LLC

CARGORX DRY CAPACITY

Bertch Cabinet LLC

TRANSPORT HOLDINGS LLC

GURTLER INDUSTRIES INC

REVV TRANSPORT

SEMO EXPRESS LLC

KENNEDY TRANSPORTATION INC

KRUPP TRUCKING LLC

EAGLE EYE TRUCK LINES LLC

Bakers Express

SILVER EAGLE LOGISTICS LLC

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best trucking company to work for in 2026?

Which trucking company pays the most in Illinois?

Can a truck driver make $100,000 a year in Illinois?

What is the safest trucking company in Illinois?

Which trucking companies offer the best driver benefits in Illinois?

Which trucking company responds fastest to driver applications?

How many trucking jobs are open in Illinois right now?

How do you rank trucking companies and how often are rankings updated?

Best Trucking Companies by City in Illinois

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