Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Council Bluffs, Iowa (November 2026)
Council Bluffs, Iowa's W2 trucking market includes 330 active carriers as of November 2026. Herrington Transportation Inc. leads with an average weekly pay of $2,000. FW TRUCKING follows at $1,800/week. Iowa freight is shaped by its agricultural output — corn, soybeans, and ethanol — moving on I-80 east-west and I-35 north-south, with Des Moines serving as the primary distribution crossroads.
What changed in November 2026
MNS1 EXPRESS INC at #6 and Mountain States L.P. Gas at #7 are new to the top 50 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Biggest climbs: Herrington Transportation Inc. (#28 → #1) and FW TRUCKING (#17 → #2). Biggest falls: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#1 → #21) and REISCH TRUCKING INC (#38 → #50). Elsewhere in the top 50, 3 carriers joined, 4 left, 32 changed rank, and 1 changed pay or benefits.
All changes since October 2026
| Carrier | Last month | This month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herrington Transportation Inc. | #28 | #1 | Up 27 places |
| FW TRUCKING | #17 | #2 | Up 15 places |
| True Transport Inc. | #12 | #3 | Up 9 places |
| PREMIER TRANSPORTATION | #2 | #4 | Down 2 places |
| JK MOVING & STORAGE INC | #3 | #5 | Down 2 places |
| MNS1 EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #6 | New |
| Mountain States L.P. Gas | Not ranked | #7 | New |
| Covenant Transport Inc | #4 | #8 | Down 4 places |
| OMAHA TRACK INC | #5 | #9 | Down 4 places |
| Great Plains Trucking Inc. | #6 | #10 | Down 4 places |
| PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC | #7 | #11 | Down 4 places |
| Badger Express LLC | #9 | #12 | Down 3 places |
| SECOR LOGISTICS LLC | #8 | #13 | Down 5 places |
| G-DIAMOND TRANSPORT INC | #13 | #14 | Down 1 place |
| Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. | #10 | #15 | Down 5 places |
| ALBA TRANS INC | #11 | #16 | Down 5 places |
| ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC | #14 | #17 | Down 3 places |
| Wynne Transport Service | Not ranked | #19 | New |
| BRADY TRUCKING INC | #15 | #20 | Down 5 places |
| LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY | #1 | #21 | Down 20 places |
| KAISER TRANSPORT INC | #20 | #22 | Down 2 places |
| TAYLOR TRUCK LINE INC | #29 | #23 | Up 6 placesweekly pay up 4.7% ($1,600 → $1,675) |
| HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC | #23 | #24 | Down 1 place |
| NEIER INC | #21 | #25 | Down 4 places |
| PASCAL CARRIER INC | #25 | #26 | Down 1 place |
| M&D TRANSPORT | #24 | #27 | Down 3 places |
| RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC | #22 | #28 | Down 6 places |
| HAWKS TRANSPORT LLC | Not ranked | #29 | New |
| AFC Transport, Inc | #32 | #30 | Up 2 places |
| Z TRANSPORTATION INC | #30 | #31 | Down 1 place |
| Excel Trucking LLC | #26 | #32 | Down 6 places |
| LUCKY WORLD INC | Not ranked | #33 | New |
| AN ENTERPRISE INC | #27 | #34 | Down 7 places |
| EA EXPRESS LLC | #31 | #35 | Down 4 places |
| CARGORX DRY CAPACITY | #34 | #36 | Down 2 places |
| Bertch Cabinet LLC | #33 | #37 | Down 4 places |
| CARGO PROS LLC | #36 | #38 | Down 2 places |
| HUTCHINSON TRUCKING LLC | #35 | #39 | Down 4 places |
| RAPID RESPONSE, INC. | #37 | #40 | Down 3 places |
| TDR TRANSPORT | #39 | #42 | Down 3 places |
| REISCH TRUCKING INC | #38 | #50 | Down 12 places |
| H & M TRUCKING INC | #16 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WILLIAMS PRESTIGE ENTERPRISE | #19 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| GT WORLDWIDE TRANSPORT INC | #40 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Caravan Inc | #42 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
Council Bluffs, Iowa's top trucking carriers right now
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 Council Bluffs, Iowa ranking with the strongest composite score across pay, safety, benefits, and operational signals. Herrington Transportation Inc. pays above the 85th percentile on weekly pay for the Council Bluffs, Iowa market. Herrington Transportation Inc. responds to driver applications more reliably than the Council Bluffs, Iowa median.
#2FW TRUCKING — $1,800/wk
FW TRUCKING is up from #17 last month, one of the largest jumps in the Council Bluffs, Iowa ranking. Top FMCSA dimension here is unsafe-driving avoidance, in the 90th percentile.
#3True Transport Inc. — $2,250/wk
True Transport Inc. rose 9 positions month-over-month, from #12 to #3. Weekly pay here lands in the 96th percentile across Council Bluffs, Iowa. True Transport Inc. ranks in the 98th percentile for unsafe-driving avoidance on FMCSA SAFER data.
For pure pay maximization, True Transport Inc. beats the #1-ranked carrier weekly at $2,250.
Also in the top 10: #4 PREMIER TRANSPORTATION at $1,950/wk, #5 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #6 MNS1 EXPRESS INC at $2,050/wk, #7 Mountain States L.P. Gas at $2,000/wk, #8 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #9 OMAHA TRACK INC at $2,000/wk, #10 Great Plains Trucking Inc. at $1,750/wk.
Lane mix and benefits across Council Bluffs, Iowa
Of active CDL postings in Council Bluffs, Iowa this month, 16% are regional and 80% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 4%.
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 2% of Council Bluffs, Iowa postings; dedicated routes at 24%; take-truck-home at 83%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 65% and riders-allowed at 66%.
Council Bluffs, Iowa vs Iowa: the numbers that diverge
| Council Bluffs, Iowa | Iowa top 50 | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated routes | 26% | 37% | -11 pt |
| Pet-friendly fleets | 74% | 63% | +11 pt |
| Take-truck-home | 94% | 84% | +10 pt |
| Riders-allowed policies | 82% | 73% | +9 pt |
| Guaranteed pay | 6% | 12% | -6 pt |
Source: Lanefinder index, November 2026
Council Bluffs, Iowa's biggest divergence from Iowa is on dedicated routes, 11 points below the state baseline.
Driving CDL in Iowa
Iowa freight is shaped by the state's agricultural output — corn, soybeans, ethanol, pork — moving on the I-80 east-west and I-35 north-south corridors. Des Moines serves as the primary distribution crossroads. Cedar Rapids and Davenport (Quad Cities) add manufacturing and food-processing freight. Iowa runs a moderate flat state income tax; living costs are among the lowest in the Midwest. Winter is severe — wind off the prairie plus drifting snow plus black ice on I-80 makes route timing genuinely consequential from December through March.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Council Bluffs, Iowa
- CDL driver salary in Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Best trucking companies in Iowa
The methodology behind the 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 November 2026.