Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Des Moines, Iowa (November 2026)
Lanefinder's index counts 334 active W2 trucking carriers in Des Moines, Iowa this November 2026. Herrington Transportation Inc. leads with an average weekly pay of $2,000. FW TRUCKING follows at $1,800/week. Des Moines sits at the I-80 / I-35 junction in central Iowa, serving as a distribution hub for regional agricultural, manufacturing, and retail freight.
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 Des Moines, Iowa. Biggest climbs: Herrington Transportation Inc. (#31 → #1) and FW TRUCKING (#15 → #2). Biggest falls: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#1 → #21) and REISCH TRUCKING INC (#38 → #50). Elsewhere in the top 50, 5 carriers joined, 7 left, and 33 changed rank.
All changes since October 2026
| Carrier | Last month | This month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herrington Transportation Inc. | #31 | #1 | Up 30 places |
| FW TRUCKING | #15 | #2 | Up 13 places |
| True Transport Inc. | #11 | #3 | Up 8 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 |
| Great Plains Trucking Inc. | #5 | #9 | Down 4 places |
| PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC | #6 | #10 | Down 4 places |
| ARKA EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #11 | New |
| Badger Express LLC | #8 | #12 | Down 4 places |
| SECOR LOGISTICS LLC | #7 | #13 | Down 6 places |
| G-DIAMOND TRANSPORT INC | #12 | #14 | Down 2 places |
| Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. | #9 | #15 | Down 6 places |
| ALBA TRANS INC | #10 | #16 | Down 6 places |
| ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC | #13 | #17 | Down 4 places |
| MC CARRIER LLC | #17 | #18 | Down 1 place |
| Wynne Transport Service | Not ranked | #19 | New |
| BRADY TRUCKING INC | #14 | #20 | Down 6 places |
| LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY | #1 | #21 | Down 20 places |
| KAISER TRANSPORT INC | #19 | #22 | Down 3 places |
| A & H INC | #27 | #23 | Up 4 places |
| HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC | #22 | #24 | Down 2 places |
| NEIER INC | #20 | #25 | Down 5 places |
| PASCAL CARRIER INC | #25 | #26 | Down 1 place |
| M&D TRANSPORT | #24 | #27 | Down 3 places |
| RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC | #23 | #28 | Down 5 places |
| Z TRANSPORTATION INC | #28 | #29 | Down 1 place |
| Excel Trucking LLC | #26 | #30 | Down 4 places |
| HAWKS TRANSPORT LLC | Not ranked | #31 | New |
| EA EXPRESS LLC | #30 | #33 | Down 3 places |
| LUCKY WORLD INC | Not ranked | #34 | New |
| AN ENTERPRISE INC | #29 | #35 | Down 6 places |
| CARGORX DRY CAPACITY | #34 | #36 | Down 2 places |
| CENTENNIAL WAREHOUSING | Not ranked | #37 | New |
| Bertch Cabinet LLC | #33 | #38 | Down 5 places |
| CARGO PROS LLC | #36 | #39 | Down 3 places |
| HUTCHINSON TRUCKING LLC | #35 | #40 | Down 5 places |
| RAPID RESPONSE, INC. | #37 | #41 | Down 4 places |
| CJC CARRIER LLC | #41 | #42 | Down 1 place |
| TDR TRANSPORT | #39 | #43 | Down 4 places |
| CTK LOGISTICS LLC | #43 | #44 | Down 1 place |
| REISCH TRUCKING INC | #38 | #50 | Down 12 places |
| H & M TRUCKING INC | #16 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WILLIAMS PRESTIGE ENTERPRISE | #18 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC | #21 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| GT WORLDWIDE TRANSPORT INC | #40 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Caravan Inc | #42 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| JL LOGISTICS INC | #44 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| 1 MTX LLC | #50 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
Des Moines, 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. is number-one in Des Moines, Iowa this month on the composite ranking. Herrington Transportation Inc. sits in the 90th percentile for weekly pay among Des Moines, Iowa carriers. Herrington Transportation Inc. responds to driver applications more reliably than the Des Moines, Iowa median.
#2FW TRUCKING — $1,800/wk
FW TRUCKING climbed from #15 to #2 this month — one of the biggest moves in Des Moines, Iowa. FW TRUCKING ranks in the 90th percentile for unsafe-driving avoidance on FMCSA SAFER data.
#3True Transport Inc. — $2,250/wk
True Transport Inc. rose 8 positions month-over-month, from #11 to #3. True Transport Inc.'s weekly pay ranks in the 96th percentile across Des Moines, Iowa. Top FMCSA dimension here is unsafe-driving avoidance, in the 98th percentile.
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 Great Plains Trucking Inc. at $1,750/wk, #10 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk.
What Des Moines, Iowa drivers actually run
17% of Des Moines, Iowa's active CDL postings are regional and 81% are OTR; local plus semi-local accounts for the rest (2%).
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 2% of Des Moines, Iowa postings; dedicated routes at 25%; take-truck-home at 83%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 67% and riders-allowed at 70%.
Des Moines, Iowa vs Iowa: the numbers that diverge
| Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa top 50 | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riders-allowed policies | 84% | 73% | +11 pt |
| Dedicated routes | 28% | 37% | -9 pt |
| Pet-friendly fleets | 72% | 63% | +9 pt |
| Take-truck-home | 92% | 84% | +8 pt |
| Guaranteed pay | 6% | 12% | -6 pt |
Source: Lanefinder index, November 2026
The largest gap is on riders-allowed policies: Des Moines, Iowa sits 11 points above the Iowa baseline.
Driving CDL in Des Moines
Des Moines anchors central Iowa at the I-80 / I-35 cross — one of Iowa's main distribution hubs. Outbound corn, soybean, and ethanol freight is substantial; insurance and financial-sector supply chains add steady distribution. Housing is affordable relative to comparable Midwest hubs. Winter is severe (drifting snow, prairie wind).
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 Des Moines, Iowa
- CDL driver salary in Des Moines, Iowa
- Best trucking companies in Iowa
The methodology behind the rankings
Rankings combine four signals: compensation (30%) including pay percentile, sign-on bonuses, guaranteed pay, and settlement frequency; FMCSA safety (25%); benefits (25%) scored differently for W2 vs owner-operator carriers; and operational performance (20%) measuring employer responsiveness and fleet scale. Recomputed monthly from real active job postings. Updated November 2026.