Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Houston, Texas (November 2026)
Lanefinder is tracking 356 W2 trucking carriers in Houston, Texas (November 2026). Herrington Transportation Inc. leads with an average weekly pay of $2,000. True Transport Inc. follows at $2,250/week. Houston is a major Gulf Coast freight hub anchored by the Port of Houston, with significant energy-sector trucking and chemical-corridor traffic along the Houston Ship Channel and I-10 / I-45 / I-69 connecting the metro to national lanes.
What changed in November 2026
Mountain States L.P. Gas at #4, DICK LAVY TRUCKING at #6, and CAR TRANSPORT INC at #7 are new to the top 50 in Houston, Texas. Biggest climb: Herrington Transportation Inc. (#28 → #1). Biggest falls: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#1 → #19) and REISCH TRUCKING INC (#37 → #48). AHRENS BROTHERS TRANSPORT INC (was #5) left the top 50. Elsewhere in the top 50, 3 carriers joined, 5 left, and 29 changed rank.
All changes since October 2026
Houston, Texas'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. leads the Houston, Texas market on combined pay and ranking score this month. Pay sits above the 84th percentile in the Houston, Texas market. Herrington Transportation Inc. responds to driver applications more reliably than the Houston, Texas median.
#2True Transport Inc. — $2,250/wk
True Transport Inc. rose 8 positions month-over-month, from #10 to #2. The carrier ranks in the 96th percentile for weekly pay in Houston, Texas. Strongest FMCSA dimension is unsafe-driving avoidance — 98th percentile.
For pure pay maximization, True Transport Inc. beats the #1-ranked carrier weekly at $2,250.
#3JK MOVING & STORAGE INC — $2,200/wk
JK MOVING & STORAGE INC pays above the 88th percentile on weekly pay for the Houston, Texas market. On vehicle maintenance, the carrier ranks in the 94th percentile per FMCSA SAFER data.
Also in the top 10: #4 Mountain States L.P. Gas at $2,000/wk, #5 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #6 DICK LAVY TRUCKING at $1,950/wk, #7 CAR TRANSPORT INC at $1,650/wk, #8 HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC at $1,850/wk, #9 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk, #10 South East Carriers INC at $1,600/wk.
How drivers spend their time on the road in Houston, Texas
18% of Houston, Texas's active CDL postings are regional and 75% are OTR; local plus semi-local accounts for the rest (7%).
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 3% of Houston, Texas postings; dedicated routes at 25%; take-truck-home at 74%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 62% and riders-allowed at 60%.
Houston, Texas vs Texas: the numbers that diverge
| Houston, Texas | Texas top 50 | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated routes | 24% | 35% | -11 pt |
| Take-truck-home | 88% | 82% | +6 pt |
Source: Lanefinder index, November 2026
Among the figures above, dedicated routes is where Houston, Texas differs most from Texas — 11 points below statewide.
Driving CDL in Houston
Houston CDL work is dominated by Port of Houston drayage (the largest US port by foreign tonnage), the petrochemical complex along the Ship Channel, and oil-and-gas service freight. I-10 / I-45 / I-69 / Beltway 8. Summer heat and humidity are intense. Hurricane season is a major operational variable.
Driving CDL in Texas
Texas is one of the largest CDL markets in the country and the deepest mix of lane types. Cross-border work out of Laredo and El Paso, oil-field service in the Permian Basin, dedicated retail out of Dallas and Houston, and reefer pulling produce out of the Rio Grande Valley all run from different parts of the state — and they pay very differently. Texas has no state income tax, which is real money on the back end. The summer heat is the operational variable most newcomers underestimate; equipment, hours, and load-securing all behave differently when ambient temps hit 110°F.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Houston, Texas
- CDL driver salary in Houston, Texas
- Best trucking companies in Texas
Where this data comes from
Carriers are scored against carriers in their own market. The composite is 30% compensation (pay + bonus + guaranteed pay + settlement cadence), 25% FMCSA safety, 25% benefits (W2 vs owner-op scoring), and 20% operational performance (responsiveness + fleet scale). No paid placement — the weights are the same for every carrier in the index. Updated November 2026.