Best Trucking Companies in Kentucky
Ranked by pay, safety, responsiveness, and driver benefits from 658 carriers with active job listings.
across top 49 carriers
avg FMCSA percentile
of 49 respond within 24h
across top 49 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.
Pay percentile from active job listings, plus sign-on bonus, guaranteed pay, and settlement frequency.
Weighted FMCSA safety score — unsafe driving and HOS compliance count double vs other categories.
Tiered benefits scoring: medical, 401k, dental, vision, paid time off, and driver lifestyle perks.
Carrier responsiveness to applications and fleet size relative to other companies in this ranking.
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 49 Carriers
Sorted by overall
CAST TRANSPORTATION
$2,100
Avg. +$5,000 sign-on98th pctl
92/100
2
FW TRUCKING
$1,800
81th pctl
84/100
2
JS HELWIG & SON LLC
$1,850
83th pctl
69/100
1
KEYSTONE TRANSPORT SERVICES LLC
$1,965
85th pctl
53/100
1
HandledNow LLC
$1,550
Avg. +$7,500 sign-on90th pctl
58/100
1
R B HUMPHREYS INC
$2,300
Avg. +$1,000 sign-on68th pctl
86/100
1
HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC
$2,100
Avg. +$10,000 sign-on95th pctl
—
1
LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY
$1,680
82th pctl
79/100
1
Covenant Transport Inc
$1,762
Avg. +$2,500 sign-on87th pctl
—
1
JK MOVING & STORAGE INC
$2,200
86th pctl
—
2
Mountain States L.P. Gas
$2,000
95th pctl
—
1
PREMIER TRANSPORTATION
$1,750
85th pctl
—
2
DICK LAVY TRUCKING
$1,950
Avg. +$1,500 sign-on85th pctl
—
1
MCK TRUCKING INC
$1,700
Avg. +$5,000 sign-on84th pctl
—
1
PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC
$1,750
Avg. +$2,000 sign-on89th pctl
—
1
Clean Recompression LLC
$2,000
96th pctl
—
2
ARKA EXPRESS INC
$1,750
90th pctl
—
2
Maumee Express, Inc.
$1,925
Avg. +$4,000 sign-on97th pctl
—
1
MNS1 EXPRESS INC
$1,825
76th pctl
—
1
GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION
$1,750
Avg. +$2,000 sign-on83th pctl
—
1
South East Carriers INC
$1,600
69th pctl
79/100
1
CUSTOM COMMODITIES TRANSPORT
$1,750
93th pctl
—
1
SECOR LOGISTICS LLC
$1,835
78th pctl
—
2
TAYLOR TRUCK LINE INC
$1,670
84th pctl
—
4
MC CARRIER LLC
$1,700
85th pctl
—
1
HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC
$1,650
85th pctl
—
1
CYCLE LOGISTICS INC
$2,050
83th pctl
—
1
SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC
$2,100
Avg. +$150 sign-on78th pctl
33/100
1
ALBA TRANS INC
$3,000
Avg. +$10,000 sign-on69th pctl
—
1
KOCH CARRIERS INC
$1,800
Avg. +$2,000 sign-on75th pctl
—
1
KAISER TRANSPORT INC
$1,855
77th pctl
—
1
A & H INC
$1,750
Avg. +$3,000 sign-on78th pctl
—
1
CUSTOM TRANSPORT INC
$2,500
66th pctl
—
1
JAROGROUP TRANSPORT COMPANY
$2,550
58th pctl
99/100
1
BARTELS TRUCK LINE INC
$1,750
Avg. +$3,000 sign-on68th pctl
—
1
CARGORX DRY CAPACITY
$1,900
74th pctl
—
1
EA EXPRESS LLC
$1,900
Avg. +$2,000 sign-on50th pctl
—
1
COYOTE XPRESS LLC
$2,150
71th pctl
97/100
1
Bertch Cabinet LLC
$2,000
Avg. +$5,000 sign-on50th pctl
—
1
COWEN TRUCK LINE INC
$1,790
Avg. +$5,000 sign-on50th pctl
—
1
GURTLER INDUSTRIES INC
$2,250
50th pctl
—
1
ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC
$2,000
Avg. +$1,000 sign-on50th pctl
—
1
REVV TRANSPORT
$1,750
Avg. +$2,500 sign-on50th pctl
—
1
TDR TRANSPORT
$2,600
61th pctl
—
1
Great Plains Trucking Inc.
$1,750
50th pctl
—
1
Badger Express LLC
$1,700
Avg. +$5,000 sign-on50th pctl
—
1
SEMO EXPRESS LLC
$1,700
50th pctl
—
1
Southland Transportation
$2,050
46th pctl
—
2
Bakers Express
$1,950
50th pctl
—
1
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on our analysis of 658 carriers in Kentucky, CAST TRANSPORTATION ranks #1 overall with a composite score of 95.1 out of 100, combining pay, safety record, employer responsiveness, and driver benefits.
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 Kentucky. Top earners there make up to $3,000/week (90th percentile).
Yes — 21 of the 49 ranked trucking companies in Kentucky advertise average weekly pay that works out to $100,000+ per year. CAST TRANSPORTATION leads at $109,200/year.
CAST TRANSPORTATION has the highest FMCSA safety percentile at the 98th among ranked carriers in Kentucky. Safety scores are based on federal inspection and violation data across vehicle maintenance, unsafe driving, and hours-of-service categories.
Among the top 49 carriers in Kentucky: 47 offer medical insurance, 38 offer 401(k), 33 allow pets, 39 allow riders, 2 offer guaranteed pay, 22 offer dedicated routes. Covenant Transport Inc leads with 8 of 9 tracked benefit categories.
JAROGROUP TRANSPORT COMPANY 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, 8 of the 49 ranked companies carry the Responsive Employer badge, meaning they review and respond to applications within 24 hours.
There are currently 60 open positions across the top 49 carriers in Kentucky. TAYLOR TRUCK LINE INC has the most openings with 4 active listings.
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 658 carriers in Kentucky.