Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Illinois (November 2026)
Lanefinder tracks 720 W2 trucking carriers hiring in Illinois. Rankings below reflect November 2026 data: pay percentiles, FMCSA safety, benefit prevalence, and operational performance. Herrington Transportation Inc. leads with an average weekly pay of $2,000. HandledNow LLC follows at $1,550/week. Illinois anchors the US rail and truck network through Chicago, the largest intermodal hub in North America, with I-80 / I-90 / I-55 feeding a dense concentration of manufacturing, warehousing, and cold-chain freight.
What changed in November 2026
Herrington Transportation Inc. at #1, True Transport Inc. at #5, and McLeod Express LLC at #7 are new to the top 50 in Illinois. Biggest falls: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#1 → #26), SCHMUHL BROTHERS INC (#16 → #29), and South East Carriers INC (#6 → #17). Elsewhere in the top 50, 7 carriers joined, 10 left, and 33 changed rank.
All changes since October 2026
| Carrier | Last month | This month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herrington Transportation Inc. | Not ranked | #1 | New |
| True Transport Inc. | Not ranked | #5 | New |
| Covenant Transport Inc | #5 | #6 | Down 1 place |
| McLeod Express LLC | Not ranked | #7 | New |
| SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC | Not ranked | #8 | New |
| JK MOVING & STORAGE INC | #7 | #9 | Down 2 places |
| MNS1 EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #10 | New |
| Mountain States L.P. Gas | Not ranked | #11 | New |
| Great Plains Trucking Inc. | #8 | #12 | Down 4 places |
| DICK LAVY TRUCKING | Not ranked | #13 | New |
| MCK TRUCKING INC | #9 | #14 | Down 5 places |
| OMAHA TRACK INC | #10 | #15 | Down 5 places |
| PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC | #11 | #16 | Down 5 places |
| South East Carriers INC | #6 | #17 | Down 11 places |
| GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION | #13 | #18 | Down 5 places |
| Badger Express LLC | #12 | #19 | Down 7 places |
| CUSTOM COMMODITIES TRANSPORT | #14 | #20 | Down 6 places |
| FW TRUCKING | Not ranked | #21 | New |
| G & C FOOD DISTRIBUTORS & BROKERS INC | #18 | #22 | Down 4 places |
| JS HELWIG & SON LLC | #19 | #23 | Down 4 places |
| Nationwide Rail Services | #23 | #24 | Down 1 place |
| SECOR LOGISTICS LLC | #15 | #25 | Down 10 places |
| LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY | #1 | #26 | Down 25 places |
| MC CARRIER LLC | #21 | #27 | Down 6 places |
| ZELLER TRANSPORTATION LLC | #20 | #28 | Down 8 places |
| SCHMUHL BROTHERS INC | #16 | #29 | Down 13 places |
| Wynne Transport Service | Not ranked | #30 | New |
| HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC | #25 | #31 | Down 6 places |
| C & G TRANSPORTATION INC | #26 | #32 | Down 6 places |
| RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC | #24 | #33 | Down 9 places |
| ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC | #28 | #34 | Down 6 places |
| ALBA TRANS INC | #27 | #35 | Down 8 places |
| KEN GRAHAM TRUCKING INC | #29 | #36 | Down 7 places |
| A & H INC | #34 | #37 | Down 3 places |
| KAISER TRANSPORT INC | #30 | #38 | Down 8 places |
| ARCTIC EXPRESS | #33 | #39 | Down 6 places |
| BARTELS TRUCK LINE INC | #36 | #40 | Down 4 places |
| R B HUMPHREYS INC | Not ranked | #41 | New |
| EA EXPRESS LLC | #37 | #42 | Down 5 places |
| Bertch Cabinet LLC | #39 | #43 | Down 4 places |
| TRANSPORT HOLDINGS LLC | #49 | #44 | Up 5 places |
| GURTLER INDUSTRIES INC | #40 | #45 | Down 5 places |
| REVV TRANSPORT | #41 | #46 | Down 5 places |
| StaffWorthy | #42 | #47 | Down 5 places |
| SEMO EXPRESS LLC | #43 | #48 | Down 5 places |
| KRUPP TRUCKING LLC | #45 | #49 | Down 4 places |
| Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. | #17 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Best Logistics Group | #22 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WILLIAMS PRESTIGE ENTERPRISE | #31 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| PASCAL CARRIER INC | #32 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| AFC Transport, Inc | #35 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| CARGORX DRY CAPACITY | #38 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| KENNEDY TRANSPORTATION INC | #44 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| EAGLE EYE TRUCK LINES LLC | #46 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Bakers Express | #47 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| SILVER EAGLE LOGISTICS LLC | #48 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
The trucking companies leading Illinois 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. is number-one in Illinois this month on the composite ranking. Pay sits above the 88th percentile in the Illinois market. Herrington Transportation Inc. responds to driver applications more reliably than the Illinois median.
#2HandledNow LLC — $1,550/wk
HandledNow LLC's FMCSA score is strongest on driver fitness — 99th percentile. Lanefinder's application data flags HandledNow LLC as a responsive employer. HandledNow LLC guarantees weekly pay — useful when freight slows down.
#3HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC — $1,975/wk
HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC's weekly pay ranks in the 91st percentile across Illinois. HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC's FMCSA score is strongest on hours-of-service compliance — 99th percentile.
The top sign-on bonus in Illinois's top 10 is HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC's — $6,000.
Also in the top 10: #4 PREMIER TRANSPORTATION at $1,950/wk, #5 True Transport Inc. at $2,250/wk, #6 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #7 McLeod Express LLC at $1,385/wk, #8 SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC at $2,100/wk, #9 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #10 MNS1 EXPRESS INC at $2,050/wk.
How drivers spend their time on the road in Illinois
28% of Illinois's active CDL postings are regional and 52% are OTR; local plus semi-local accounts for the rest (20%).
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 3% of Illinois postings; dedicated routes at 29%; take-truck-home at 65%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 54% and riders-allowed at 53%.
Driving CDL in Illinois
Illinois is one of the most strategically located CDL states — Chicago is the largest US intermodal rail hub, so a huge percentage of national freight passes through. The metro lanes pay well but congestion on I-80, I-90, and I-294 is consistent enough to be a real income variable. Outside the Chicago metro, downstate Illinois looks much more like Iowa or Indiana — agricultural freight, less density, easier driving. State income tax is moderate. The winter operational profile is severe: lake-effect snow, road salt, and the freezing-thawing cycle eat equipment faster than most southern states.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Illinois
- CDL driver salary in Illinois
- Best trucking companies in the United States
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.