Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Kentucky (November 2026)
Kentucky has 658 active W2 trucking carriers as of November 2026. The carriers ranked below are scored on real driver pay, FMCSA safety, benefits, and how they treat applicants. HandledNow LLC leads with an average weekly pay of $1,550 and an average $7,500 sign-on bonus. Herrington Transportation Inc. follows at $2,000/week. Kentucky is home to UPS Worldport in Louisville, the world's largest automated package handling facility, with I-65 / I-71 / I-75 truck corridors feeding automotive assembly plants and a major bourbon-export manufacturing cluster.
What changed in November 2026
McLeod Express LLC at #3, True Transport Inc. at #6, and SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC at #9 are new to the top 50 in Kentucky. Biggest climbs: Herrington Transportation Inc. (#39 → #2) and FW TRUCKING (#25 → #4). Biggest falls: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#3 → #28), South East Carriers INC (#7 → #20), and KOCH CARRIERS INC (#22 → #34). GRAMMER LOGISTICS (was #2) left the top 50. Elsewhere in the top 50, 8 carriers joined, 10 left, and 32 changed rank.
All changes since October 2026
| Carrier | Last month | This month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herrington Transportation Inc. | #39 | #2 | Up 37 places |
| McLeod Express LLC | Not ranked | #3 | New |
| FW TRUCKING | #25 | #4 | Up 21 places |
| HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC | #4 | #5 | Down 1 place |
| True Transport Inc. | Not ranked | #6 | New |
| Covenant Transport Inc | #5 | #7 | Down 2 places |
| JK MOVING & STORAGE INC | #6 | #8 | Down 2 places |
| SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC | Not ranked | #9 | New |
| MNS1 EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #10 | New |
| CAR TRANSPORT INC | Not ranked | #11 | New |
| Mountain States L.P. Gas | Not ranked | #12 | New |
| PREMIER TRANSPORTATION | #8 | #13 | Down 5 places |
| Great Plains Trucking Inc. | #9 | #14 | Down 5 places |
| DICK LAVY TRUCKING | Not ranked | #15 | New |
| MCK TRUCKING INC | #10 | #16 | Down 6 places |
| ARKA EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #17 | New |
| Clean Recompression LLC | #13 | #18 | Down 5 places |
| PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC | #11 | #19 | Down 8 places |
| South East Carriers INC | #7 | #20 | Down 13 places |
| GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION | #15 | #21 | Down 6 places |
| Maumee Express, Inc. | #14 | #22 | Down 8 places |
| Badger Express LLC | #12 | #23 | Down 11 places |
| CUSTOM COMMODITIES TRANSPORT | #18 | #24 | Down 6 places |
| TAYLOR TRUCK LINE INC | Not ranked | #25 | New |
| JS HELWIG & SON LLC | #20 | #26 | Down 6 places |
| SECOR LOGISTICS LLC | #16 | #27 | Down 11 places |
| LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY | #3 | #28 | Down 25 places |
| MC CARRIER LLC | #21 | #29 | Down 8 places |
| HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC | #28 | #30 | Down 2 places |
| ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC | #24 | #31 | Down 7 places |
| ALBA TRANS INC | #26 | #32 | Down 6 places |
| CYCLE LOGISTICS INC | #23 | #33 | Down 10 places |
| KOCH CARRIERS INC | #22 | #34 | Down 12 places |
| A & H INC | #34 | #35 | Down 1 place |
| Wynne Transport Service | Not ranked | #36 | New |
| CUSTOM TRANSPORT INC | #29 | #37 | Down 8 places |
| KAISER TRANSPORT INC | #31 | #38 | Down 7 places |
| R B HUMPHREYS INC | Not ranked | #39 | New |
| BARTELS TRUCK LINE INC | #37 | #40 | Down 3 places |
| EA EXPRESS LLC | #38 | #41 | Down 3 places |
| TRIUS TRUCKING INC | #35 | #42 | Down 7 places |
| StaffWorthy | #45 | #43 | Up 2 places |
| Bertch Cabinet LLC | #40 | #44 | Down 4 places |
| COWEN TRUCK LINE INC | #42 | #45 | Down 3 places |
| GURTLER INDUSTRIES INC | #43 | #46 | Down 3 places |
| REVV TRANSPORT | #44 | #47 | Down 3 places |
| SEMO EXPRESS LLC | #46 | #48 | Down 2 places |
| Southland Transportation | #47 | #49 | Down 2 places |
| GRAMMER LOGISTICS | #2 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| KEYSTONE TRANSPORT SERVICES LLC | #17 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. | #19 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC | #27 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WILLIAMS PRESTIGE ENTERPRISE | #30 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| ARCTIC EXPRESS | #32 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| PASCAL CARRIER INC | #33 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| AFC Transport, Inc | #36 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| CARGORX DRY CAPACITY | #41 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| DRAKE FARMS TRUCKING INC | #48 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Bakers Express | #49 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
Kentucky's top trucking carriers right now
The top of the list is HandledNow LLC at $1,550/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1HandledNow LLC — $1,550/wk
HandledNow LLC is number-one in Kentucky this month on the composite ranking. HandledNow LLC ranks in the 99th percentile for driver fitness on FMCSA SAFER data. HandledNow LLC tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data. HandledNow LLC offers a guaranteed weekly minimum.
#2Herrington Transportation Inc. — $2,000/wk
Herrington Transportation Inc. climbed from #39 to #2 this month — one of the biggest moves in Kentucky. Herrington Transportation Inc.'s weekly pay ranks in the 93rd percentile across Kentucky. The carrier tracks as a responsive employer on Lanefinder's data.
#3McLeod Express LLC — $1,520/wk
McLeod Express LLC is new to the Kentucky top 50 this month — first appearance in this ranking. On unsafe-driving avoidance, the carrier ranks in the 94th percentile per FMCSA SAFER data. Pay is guaranteed on a weekly minimum.
For stable long-haul work, McLeod Express LLC is the only top-10 Kentucky carrier pairing OTR routes with guaranteed pay.
Also in the top 10: #4 FW TRUCKING at $1,800/wk, #5 HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC at $2,100/wk, #6 True Transport Inc. at $2,250/wk, #7 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #8 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #9 SAFE WAY CARRIER LLC at $2,100/wk, #10 MNS1 EXPRESS INC at $2,050/wk.
How drivers spend their time on the road in Kentucky
The route mix in Kentucky this month tilts OTR: 31% regional, 57% OTR, 10% local, 3% semi-local — drawn from active postings, not historical surveys.
Across Kentucky CDL postings: 3% with guaranteed pay, 29% dedicated, 70% take-truck-home, 57% pet-friendly, 59% riders-allowed.
Driving CDL in Kentucky
Kentucky is home to UPS Worldport in Louisville, the world's largest automated package handling facility, which generates enormous regional trucking demand around the nightly sort cycle. The I-65 / I-71 / I-75 corridors feed automotive assembly (Toyota Georgetown, Ford Louisville) and bourbon distillery distribution. Coal freight from eastern KY mines moves by rail and truck to power plants. Cost of living is below the national average. Kentucky has a low flat state income tax. I-75 through the eastern KY mountains in winter is no joke.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Kentucky
- CDL driver salary in Kentucky
- Best trucking companies in the United States
How we compile these rankings
Lanefinder's ranking algorithm weights compensation at 30%, FMCSA SAFER safety at 25%, benefits at 25%, and operational performance at 20%. Compensation reflects pay percentile plus sign-on bonus, guaranteed pay, and settlement-frequency adjustments. Benefits scoring is hiring-type-aware. Operational performance comes mostly from how carriers handle real driver applications. Updated November 2026.