Updated May 2026
Best Owner-Operator Companies in Great Falls, Montana (May 2026)
436 carriers in Great Falls, Montana are actively recruiting owner-operators as of May 2026. Each is scored on a composite of compensation, FMCSA safety, benefits, and operational performance. Zmile Inc leads with an average gross weekly revenue of $3,233. TAZ TRUCKING INC follows at $10,999/week gross. Montana freight is defined by long haul on the Northern Tier I-90 / I-94 corridors, with agricultural shipments of wheat and cattle, coal export volumes from the Powder River Basin, and oil-field service routes in the Bakken region.
What changed in May 2026
We just started tracking monthly changes for this view. Check back next month to see how rankings have shifted.
Where owner-operator pay is strongest in Great Falls, Montana this month
The top of the list is Zmile Inc at $3,233/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1Zmile Inc — $3,233/wk
Zmile Inc tops the Great Falls, Montana ranking with the strongest composite score across pay, safety, benefits, and operational signals. On hours-of-service compliance, the carrier ranks in the 98th percentile per FMCSA SAFER data. Lanefinder's application data flags Zmile Inc as a responsive employer.
#2TAZ TRUCKING INC — $10,999/wk
TAZ TRUCKING INC sits in the 97th percentile for gross weekly revenue among Great Falls, Montana carriers. TAZ TRUCKING INC ranks in the 83rd percentile for driver fitness on FMCSA SAFER data.
For pure pay maximization, TAZ TRUCKING INC beats the #1-ranked carrier weekly at $10,999.
#3D-LINE TRUCKING INC — $5,750/wk
D-LINE TRUCKING INC tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data.
Also in the top 10: #4 AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC at $2,300/wk, #5 INLAND EMPIRE LLC at $7,875/wk, #6 Rickman Transport, LLC at $9,250/wk, #7 Ali Star Inc at $10,000/wk, #8 GNS TRUCKING INC at $9,000/wk, #9 BLUE LIGHTNING LOGISTICS at $7,000/wk, #10 TITAN FREIGHT LINES INC at $8,500/wk.
Lane mix and benefits across Great Falls, Montana
6% of Great Falls, Montana's active CDL postings are regional and 92% are OTR; local plus semi-local accounts for the rest (2%).
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 1% of Great Falls, Montana postings; dedicated routes at 27%; take-truck-home at 93%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 76% and riders-allowed at 73%.
How Great Falls, Montana compares to Montana
Among the figures above, average weekly pay is where Great Falls, Montana differs most from Montana — 9% above statewide.
Driving CDL in Montana
Montana freight runs the Northern Tier I-90 / I-94 corridors — long, lightly-trafficked, often beautiful, and operationally serious. Wheat and cattle freight dominate outbound; coal from the Powder River Basin generates significant rail-to-truck transfers. Oil-field service in the eastern Bakken corner of the state adds energy-sector loads. Winter is severe and long. Cost of living is moderate, with the Bozeman and Missoula corridors notably more expensive than the rest of the state. Montana has a moderate graduated state income tax. Distances are real: "long-haul" here means a different scale than the Northeast.
Related guides
- Best trucking companies in Great Falls, Montana
- CDL driver salary in Great Falls, Montana
- Best owner-operator companies in Montana
Where this data comes from
Carriers are scored against carriers in their own market. The composite is 30% compensation (pay + bonus + guaranteed pay + settlement cadence), 25% FMCSA safety, 25% benefits (W2 vs owner-op scoring), and 20% operational performance (responsiveness + fleet scale). No paid placement — the weights are the same for every carrier in the index. Updated May 2026.