Updated September 2026
Best Owner-Operator Companies in New York (September 2026)
In New York as of September 2026, 642 carriers are actively hiring owner-operators. RAY'S TRANSPORT INC leads with an average gross weekly revenue of $8,500 and an average $2,000 sign-on bonus. WINNERS TRANSPORTATION LLC follows at $2,657/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 September 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 RAY'S TRANSPORT INC at $8,500/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1RAY'S TRANSPORT INC — $8,500/wk
RAY'S TRANSPORT INC leads the New York market on combined gross revenue and ranking score this month. Gross weekly revenue here lands in the 95th percentile across New York. Top FMCSA dimension here is driver fitness, in the 87th percentile. RAY'S TRANSPORT INC tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data.
#2WINNERS TRANSPORTATION LLC — $2,657/wk
WINNERS TRANSPORTATION LLC ranks in the 92nd percentile for driver fitness on FMCSA SAFER data. Driver applications get a faster-than-median response in New York.
#3LOAD MONSTER INC — $5,125/wk
LOAD MONSTER INC ranks in the 96th percentile for hours-of-service compliance on FMCSA SAFER data. Lanefinder's application data flags LOAD MONSTER INC as a responsive employer.
Also in the top 10: #4 WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC at $8,750/wk, #5 B & T EXPRESS INC at $6,750/wk, #6 TITANIUM AMERICAN TRUCKING INC at $6,250/wk, #7 WIDER GROUP INC at $6,250/wk, #8 BLUE LIGHTNING LOGISTICS at $7,000/wk, #9 KILO METER LOGISTIC INC at $7,500/wk, #10 COMMONWEALTH TRANSPORTATION LLC at $4,780/wk.
What New York drivers actually run
Of active CDL postings in New York this month, 11% are regional and 86% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 3%.
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 3% of New York postings; dedicated routes at 31%; take-truck-home at 89%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 70% 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 September 2026.