Updated May 2026
Best Owner-Operator Companies in New York (May 2026)
In New York as of May 2026, 641 carriers are actively hiring owner-operators. YANKEE FREIGHT SYSTEMS LLC leads with an average gross weekly revenue of $5,491 and an average $2,000 sign-on bonus. AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC follows at $2,416/week gross. New York freight is anchored by the Port of New York and New Jersey complex, the busiest on the East Coast, with I-87 / I-95 truck corridors and dense last-mile delivery demand across the New York City metro.
What changed in May 2026
We just started tracking monthly changes for this view. Check back next month to see how rankings have shifted.
New York's top owner-operator carriers right now
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 leads the New York market on combined gross revenue and ranking score this month. YANKEE FREIGHT SYSTEMS LLC ranks in the 98th percentile for hours-of-service compliance on FMCSA SAFER data. YANKEE FREIGHT SYSTEMS LLC tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data.
#2AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC — $2,416/wk
Lanefinder's application data flags AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC as a responsive employer. AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC runs a guaranteed-pay structure on the comp package.
Among New York's top 10, only AD EXPRESS TRUCKING LLC pays guaranteed weekly wages — useful if route variance matters.
#3B & T EXPRESS INC — $6,750/wk
B & T EXPRESS INC sits in the 85th percentile for gross weekly revenue among New York carriers. Strongest FMCSA dimension is driver fitness — 86th percentile.
Also in the top 10: #4 D-LINE TRUCKING INC at $5,750/wk, #5 WIDER GROUP INC at $6,250/wk, #6 Zmile Inc at $2,175/wk, #7 INLAND EMPIRE LLC at $7,875/wk, #8 BLUE LIGHTNING LOGISTICS at $7,000/wk, #9 Red Diamond Freight, LLC at $7,050/wk, #10 M&D TRANSPORT at $7,000/wk.
What New York drivers actually run
Of active CDL postings in New York this month, 11% are regional and 85% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 4%.
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 2% of New York postings; dedicated routes at 30%; take-truck-home at 90%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 71% and riders-allowed at 67%.
Driving CDL in New York
New York CDL work is mostly upstate or NYC-metro last-mile — almost no through-driver wants to deal with the Five Boroughs more than necessary. The patchwork of bridge tolls (MTA Bridges & Tunnels, Port Authority, Thruway Authority), the truck-route restrictions in Manhattan and on the parkways, and the weight-on-bridge rules add real planning overhead. Long Island delivery work pays a premium for drivers who can actually navigate it. Upstate freight on I-90 / I-87 looks much more like normal interstate driving, with the addition of real winter — lake-effect snow off Erie and Ontario can shut runs down. State income tax is high; many drivers based here run out-of-state lanes to keep the math working.
Related guides
- Best trucking companies in New York
- CDL driver salary in New York
- Best owner-operator companies in the United States
How we compile these rankings
Pay carriers in the same market against each other (30% of the score). Add a five-dimension FMCSA safety percentile from SAFER (25%). Score benefits based on whether the carrier hires W2 drivers or contractors (25%). Layer on employer responsiveness and fleet scale (20%). The weights are fixed and public. Updated May 2026.