Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Hickory, North Carolina (November 2026)
Hickory, North Carolina, November 2026: 342 active W2 trucking carriers. Herrington Transportation Inc. leads with an average weekly pay of $2,000. True Transport Inc. follows at $2,250/week. North Carolina freight moves on I-85 and I-40 through the Charlotte-to-Raleigh-Durham manufacturing corridor and I-95 north-south, with Port of Wilmington handling containerized exports and a large furniture and textiles production base.
What changed in November 2026
Mountain States L.P. Gas at #5, DICK LAVY TRUCKING at #6, and ARKA EXPRESS INC at #9 are new to the top 50 in Hickory, North Carolina. Biggest climb: Herrington Transportation Inc. (#35 → #1). Biggest falls: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#1 → #19) and REISCH TRUCKING INC (#38 → #50). Average weekly pay moved most at LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (down 5.4% from $1,680 to $1,590). Elsewhere in the top 50, 3 carriers joined, 6 left, and 32 changed rank.
All changes since October 2026
| Carrier | Last month | This month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herrington Transportation Inc. | #35 | #1 | Up 34 places |
| True Transport Inc. | #8 | #2 | Up 6 places |
| JK MOVING & STORAGE INC | #2 | #3 | Down 1 place |
| Covenant Transport Inc | #3 | #4 | Down 1 place |
| Mountain States L.P. Gas | Not ranked | #5 | New |
| DICK LAVY TRUCKING | Not ranked | #6 | New |
| PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC | #4 | #7 | Down 3 places |
| Maumee Express, Inc. | #5 | #8 | Down 3 places |
| ARKA EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #9 | New |
| JS HELWIG & SON LLC | #6 | #10 | Down 4 places |
| Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. | #7 | #11 | Down 4 places |
| ALBA TRANS INC | #9 | #12 | Down 3 places |
| G-DIAMOND TRANSPORT INC | #10 | #13 | Down 3 places |
| ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC | #12 | #14 | Down 2 places |
| MC CARRIER LLC | #14 | #15 | Down 1 place |
| BRADY TRUCKING INC | #13 | #16 | Down 3 places |
| CUSTOM TRANSPORT INC | #11 | #17 | Down 6 places |
| Best Logistics Group | #16 | #18 | Down 2 places |
| LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY | #1 | #19 | Down 18 placesweekly pay down 5.4% ($1,680 → $1,590); added dedicated routes |
| HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC | #19 | #20 | Down 1 place |
| SUMMERFORD TRUCK LINE INC | #22 | #21 | Up 1 place |
| A & H INC | #28 | #22 | Up 6 places |
| R B HUMPHREYS INC | Not ranked | #24 | New |
| RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC | #17 | #25 | Down 8 places |
| AFC Transport, Inc | #27 | #26 | Up 1 place |
| NEIER INC | #20 | #27 | Down 7 places |
| Justus Truck Lines Inc | #26 | #28 | Down 2 places |
| M&D TRANSPORT | #24 | #29 | Down 5 places |
| Z TRANSPORTATION INC | #29 | #30 | Down 1 place |
| ARCTIC EXPRESS | #25 | #31 | Down 6 places |
| AN ENTERPRISE INC | #30 | #33 | Down 3 places |
| Excel Trucking LLC | #31 | #34 | Down 3 places |
| LUCKY WORLD INC | Not ranked | #35 | New |
| BARTELS TRUCK LINE INC | #34 | #37 | Down 3 places |
| HUTCHINSON TRUCKING LLC | #37 | #38 | Down 1 place |
| COYOTE XPRESS LLC | Not ranked | #41 | New |
| JL LOGISTICS INC | #43 | #42 | Up 1 place |
| CTK LOGISTICS LLC | #42 | #43 | Down 1 place |
| S & R TRANSPORTATION LLC | #49 | #48 | Up 1 place |
| National Express Carriers | #48 | #49 | Down 1 place |
| REISCH TRUCKING INC | #38 | #50 | Down 12 places |
| H & M TRUCKING INC | #15 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WILLIAMS PRESTIGE ENTERPRISE | #18 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| G & C FOOD DISTRIBUTORS & BROKERS INC | #21 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| A.D. Transport Express, Inc. | #33 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Caravan Inc | #41 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Parks Motor Group Inc | #50 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
Where CDL pay is strongest in Hickory, North Carolina 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. leads the Hickory, North Carolina market on combined pay and ranking score this month. Herrington Transportation Inc. pays above the 85th percentile on weekly pay for the Hickory, North Carolina market. Lanefinder's application data flags Herrington Transportation Inc. as a responsive employer.
#2True Transport Inc. — $2,250/wk
True Transport Inc. climbed from #8 to #2 this month — one of the biggest moves in Hickory, North Carolina. The carrier ranks in the 96th percentile for weekly pay in Hickory, North Carolina. Strongest FMCSA dimension is unsafe-driving avoidance — 98th percentile.
Despite ranking below #1, True Transport Inc. outpays the leader on weekly average — $2,250/week.
#3JK MOVING & STORAGE INC — $2,200/wk
JK MOVING & STORAGE INC sits in the 94th percentile for weekly pay among Hickory, North Carolina carriers. On vehicle maintenance, the carrier ranks in the 94th percentile per FMCSA SAFER data.
Also in the top 10: #4 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #5 Mountain States L.P. Gas at $2,000/wk, #6 DICK LAVY TRUCKING at $1,950/wk, #7 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk, #8 Maumee Express, Inc. at $1,925/wk, #9 ARKA EXPRESS INC at $1,750/wk, #10 JS HELWIG & SON LLC at $1,850/wk.
How drivers spend their time on the road in Hickory, North Carolina
Of active CDL postings in Hickory, North Carolina this month, 23% are regional and 71% are OTR (long-haul). Local and semi-local routes account for the remaining 6%.
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 3% of Hickory, North Carolina postings; dedicated routes at 26%; take-truck-home at 76%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 65% and riders-allowed at 66%.
How Hickory, North Carolina compares to North Carolina
| Hickory, North Carolina | North Carolina top 50 | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated routes | 28% | 38% | -10 pt |
| Riders-allowed policies | 86% | 78% | +8 pt |
| Pet-friendly fleets | 78% | 72% | +6 pt |
Source: Lanefinder index, November 2026
Hickory, North Carolina's biggest divergence from North Carolina is on dedicated routes, 10 points below the state baseline.
Driving CDL in North Carolina
North Carolina CDL work spans a broad mix — port-and-container out of Wilmington and Morehead City, manufacturing in the Triangle (Raleigh-Durham), distribution and textile freight around Charlotte, and tobacco / agricultural loads from the eastern half of the state. The driver-experience profile is generally favorable: moderate winters, no significant mountain work outside the western tip, and a cost of living a bit below the national average. State income tax is flat and moderate. I-85 between Greensboro and Charlotte is one of the busier Southeast freight lanes. NC is one of the better states for a new CDL driver to build experience without immediately running mountains or severe weather.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Hickory, North Carolina
- CDL driver salary in Hickory, North Carolina
- Best trucking companies in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
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.