Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (November 2026)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana's W2 trucking market includes 278 active carriers as of November 2026. Herrington Transportation Inc. leads with an average weekly pay of $2,000. JK MOVING & STORAGE INC follows at $2,200/week. Baton Rouge sits on the Mississippi River at I-10 / I-12 / US-61, with one of the US's largest petrochemical corridors stretching downriver toward New Orleans and significant river barge traffic feeding Gulf Coast energy markets.
What changed in November 2026
SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC at #3, Mountain States L.P. Gas at #4, and TAYLOR TRUCK LINE INC at #10 are new to the top 50 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Biggest climb: Herrington Transportation Inc. (#24 → #1). Biggest falls: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#1 → #16) and REISCH TRUCKING INC (#32 → #47). AHRENS BROTHERS TRANSPORT INC (was #4) left the top 50. Elsewhere in the top 50, 4 carriers joined, 6 left, and 30 changed rank.
All changes since October 2026
Where CDL pay is strongest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this month
The top of the list is Herrington Transportation Inc. at $2,000/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1Herrington Transportation Inc. — $2,000/wk
Herrington Transportation Inc. tops the Baton Rouge, Louisiana ranking with the strongest composite score across pay, safety, benefits, and operational signals. Herrington Transportation Inc. pays above the 83rd percentile on weekly pay for the Baton Rouge, Louisiana market. Driver applications get a faster-than-median response in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
#2JK MOVING & STORAGE INC — $2,200/wk
JK MOVING & STORAGE INC's weekly pay ranks in the 93rd percentile across Baton Rouge, Louisiana. JK MOVING & STORAGE INC's top FMCSA dimension is vehicle maintenance, in the 94th percentile.
#3SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC — $2,100/wk
SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC makes its first-time appearance in Baton Rouge, Louisiana's ranking this month. SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC sits in the 90th percentile for weekly pay among Baton Rouge, Louisiana carriers. SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC's FMCSA score is strongest on driver fitness — 98th percentile. SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC responds to driver applications more reliably than the Baton Rouge, Louisiana median.
Also in the top 10: #4 Mountain States L.P. Gas at $2,000/wk, #5 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #6 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk, #7 ALBA TRANS INC at $3,000/wk, #8 South East Carriers INC at $1,600/wk, #9 G-DIAMOND TRANSPORT INC at $2,045/wk, #10 TAYLOR TRUCK LINE INC at $1,750/wk.
How drivers spend their time on the road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Of active CDL postings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this month, 16% are regional and 81% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 3%.
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 2% of Baton Rouge, Louisiana postings; dedicated routes at 27%; take-truck-home at 84%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 68% and riders-allowed at 67%.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana vs Louisiana: the numbers that diverge
| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Louisiana top 50 | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average weekly pay | $1,957 | $1,909 | +3% |
| Pet-friendly fleets | 78% | 71% | +7 pt |
| Riders-allowed policies | 73% | 78% | -5 pt |
Source: Lanefinder index, November 2026
Baton Rouge, Louisiana's biggest divergence from Louisiana is on pet-friendly fleets, 7 points above the state baseline.
Driving CDL in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge sits on I-10 / I-12 with petrochemical and energy freight dominating — the corridor between New Orleans and Lake Charles is one of the densest US petrochemical concentrations. Hurricane season is significant. Cost of living is below the national average. Mississippi River barge interchange adds intermodal volume.
Driving CDL in Louisiana
Louisiana handles some of the highest freight tonnage in the US through the Port of New Orleans and the Port of South Louisiana on the lower Mississippi. Petrochemical and energy freight on I-10 / I-20 / I-49 is the dominant industrial segment. Hurricane season (June-November) drives both shutdowns and rebound-rate spikes; insurance premiums are correspondingly elevated. Louisiana has a low flat state income tax. New Orleans bridge restrictions and Atchafalaya Basin weather can complicate route planning. Cost of living is below the national average.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- CDL driver salary in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Best trucking companies in Louisiana
The methodology behind the 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 November 2026.