Updated May 2026
Best Owner-Operator Companies in Chelsea, Massachusetts (May 2026)
496 carriers are hiring owner-operators in Chelsea, Massachusetts right now, per Lanefinder's May 2026 snapshot. YANKEE FREIGHT SYSTEMS LLC leads with an average gross weekly revenue of $5,491 and an average $2,000 sign-on bonus. Zmile Inc follows at $3,750/week gross. Massachusetts freight runs on the I-90 / I-93 / I-95 metro grid through Boston, with Port of Boston handling bulk and container cargo and a major concentration of biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing requiring cold-chain and hazmat lanes.
What changed in May 2026
We just started tracking monthly changes for this view. Check back next month to see how rankings have shifted.
The owner-operator carriers leading Chelsea, Massachusetts this month
The top of the list is YANKEE FREIGHT SYSTEMS LLC at $5,491/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1YANKEE FREIGHT SYSTEMS LLC — $5,491/wk
YANKEE FREIGHT SYSTEMS LLC tops the Chelsea, Massachusetts ranking with the strongest composite score across pay, safety, benefits, and operational signals. Strongest FMCSA dimension is hours-of-service compliance — 98th percentile. Application-response data flags this carrier as a responsive employer.
#2Zmile Inc — $3,750/wk
Zmile Inc ranks in the 98th percentile for hours-of-service compliance on FMCSA SAFER data. Driver applications get a faster-than-median response in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
#3AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC — $2,416/wk
AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC responds to driver applications more reliably than the Chelsea, Massachusetts median. AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC runs a guaranteed-pay structure on the comp package.
For guaranteed weekly pay, AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC is the only top-10 Chelsea, Massachusetts carrier offering it.
Also in the top 10: #4 TAZ TRUCKING INC at $10,999/wk, #5 D-LINE TRUCKING INC at $5,750/wk, #6 INLAND EMPIRE LLC at $7,875/wk, #7 Rickman Transport, LLC at $9,250/wk, #8 Ali Star Inc at $10,000/wk, #9 BLUE LIGHTNING LOGISTICS at $7,000/wk, #10 TITAN FREIGHT LINES INC at $8,500/wk.
What Chelsea, Massachusetts drivers actually run
Of active CDL postings in Chelsea, Massachusetts this month, 8% are regional and 91% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 1%.
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 1% of Chelsea, Massachusetts postings; dedicated routes at 28%; take-truck-home at 93%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 74% and riders-allowed at 71%.
Chelsea, Massachusetts vs Massachusetts: the numbers that diverge
The largest gap is on average weekly pay: Chelsea, Massachusetts sits 6% above the Massachusetts baseline.
Driving CDL in Massachusetts
Massachusetts freight runs on the I-90 / I-93 / I-95 grid through Boston, with the Port of Boston handling bulk and container cargo. A dense biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster around Cambridge / Boston / Worcester requires cold-chain and hazmat-eligible lanes. The Big Dig tunnels have truck-height and hazmat restrictions worth checking before routing. Boston congestion is consistently in the worst US tier. Cost of living is among the highest nationally. Massachusetts has a moderate flat state income tax with an added surtax on very high incomes (not relevant for most drivers).
Related guides
- Best trucking companies in Chelsea, Massachusetts
- CDL driver salary in Chelsea, Massachusetts
- Best owner-operator companies in Massachusetts
How we compile these rankings
Composite-score formula: compensation × 0.30, FMCSA safety × 0.25, benefits × 0.25, operational performance × 0.20. Compensation is anchored on pay percentile and lifted by sign-on bonus tier and guaranteed-pay availability. Operational performance is built mostly from driver-application response data in Lanefinder's platform, with fleet-scale percentile contributing a smaller portion. Updated May 2026.