Updated May 2026
Best Owner-Operator Companies in Missoula, Montana (May 2026)
Lanefinder tracks 436 owner-operator carriers hiring in Missoula, Montana. Rankings below reflect May 2026 data: pay percentiles, FMCSA safety, benefit prevalence, 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 Missoula, 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 is number-one in Missoula, Montana this month on the composite ranking. Top FMCSA dimension here is hours-of-service compliance, in the 98th percentile. Zmile Inc tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data.
#2TAZ TRUCKING INC — $10,999/wk
TAZ TRUCKING INC sits in the 97th percentile for gross weekly revenue among Missoula, Montana carriers. On driver fitness, the carrier ranks in the 83rd percentile per FMCSA SAFER data.
TAZ TRUCKING INC actually pays more weekly than the top-ranked carrier — $10,999/week.
#3D-LINE TRUCKING INC — $5,750/wk
D-LINE TRUCKING INC responds to driver applications more reliably than the Missoula, Montana median.
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.
How drivers spend their time on the road in Missoula, Montana
Of active CDL postings in Missoula, Montana this month, 6% are regional and 92% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 2%.
Across Missoula, Montana CDL postings: 1% with guaranteed pay, 27% dedicated, 93% take-truck-home, 76% pet-friendly, 73% riders-allowed.
Missoula, Montana vs Montana: the numbers that diverge
Missoula, Montana's biggest divergence from Montana is on average weekly pay, 9% above the state baseline.
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 Missoula, Montana
- CDL driver salary in Missoula, Montana
- Best owner-operator companies in Montana
How we compile these rankings
Compensation is the largest single weight at 30% — pay percentile, sign-on bonus, guaranteed-pay availability, and settlement cadence. FMCSA safety contributes 25%, built from five SAFER dimensions with unsafe-driving and hours-of-service weighted 2× heavier. Benefits contribute 25%, scored separately for W2 versus owner-operator and 1099 carriers. Operational performance — application responsiveness and fleet scale — contributes 20%. Updated May 2026.