Updated May 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Minnesota (May 2026)
Lanefinder tracks 454 W2 trucking carriers hiring in Minnesota. Rankings below reflect May 2026 data: pay percentiles, FMCSA safety, benefit prevalence, and operational performance. KEEP TRUCKING LLC leads with an average weekly pay of $2,200. True Transport Inc. follows at $2,250/week. Minnesota freight moves on the I-35 / I-94 Twin Cities metro grid and reaches the Great Lakes at Duluth, with large agricultural export volumes — soybeans, corn, and wheat — and a significant medical-device manufacturing sector.
What changed in May 2026
We just started tracking monthly changes for this view. Check back next month to see how rankings have shifted.
The trucking companies leading Minnesota this month
The top of the list is KEEP TRUCKING LLC at $2,200/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1KEEP TRUCKING LLC — $2,200/wk
KEEP TRUCKING LLC tops the Minnesota ranking with the strongest composite score across pay, safety, benefits, and operational signals. Pay sits above the 91st percentile in the Minnesota market. KEEP TRUCKING LLC's top FMCSA dimension is controlled-substances compliance, in the 88th percentile. Driver applications get a faster-than-median response in Minnesota.
#2True Transport Inc. — $2,250/wk
True Transport Inc. pays above the 92nd percentile on weekly pay for the Minnesota market. True Transport Inc.'s top FMCSA dimension is unsafe-driving avoidance, in the 99th percentile. True Transport Inc. responds to driver applications more reliably than the Minnesota median.
True Transport Inc. actually pays more weekly than the top-ranked carrier — $2,250/week.
#3JK MOVING & STORAGE INC — $2,200/wk
JK MOVING & STORAGE INC's weekly pay ranks in the 96th percentile across Minnesota. JK MOVING & STORAGE INC ranks in the 94th percentile for unsafe-driving avoidance on FMCSA SAFER data.
Also in the top 10: #4 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #5 HMD TRUCKING INC at $1,800/wk, #6 Great Plains Trucking Inc. at $1,750/wk, #7 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk, #8 PREMIER TRANSPORTATION at $1,700/wk, #9 Badger Express LLC at $1,700/wk, #10 DIVINE ENTERPRISES at $1,375/wk.
Lane mix and benefits across Minnesota
19% of Minnesota's active CDL postings are regional and 69% are OTR; local plus semi-local accounts for the rest (12%).
Across Minnesota CDL postings: 1% with guaranteed pay, 26% dedicated, 74% take-truck-home, 61% pet-friendly, 62% riders-allowed.
Driving CDL in Minnesota
Minnesota freight moves on the I-35 / I-94 Twin Cities grid and reaches the Great Lakes at Duluth, a significant Lake Superior port. Agricultural exports — soybeans, corn, wheat — drive heavy outbound volume. A significant medical-device manufacturing sector (Medtronic and others) generates high-value freight. Winter is the dominant operational variable: sub-zero stretches affect equipment, idle-time policy, and HOS realism. Minnesota has a high graduated state income tax — among the higher rates in the country. The Twin Cities have unusually-designed truck-restricted bridges; first-time runs should consult routing notes carefully.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Minnesota
- CDL driver salary in Minnesota
- Best trucking companies in the United States
How we compile these rankings
Compensation is the largest single weight at 30% — pay percentile, sign-on bonus, guaranteed-pay availability, and settlement cadence. FMCSA safety contributes 25%, built from five SAFER dimensions with unsafe-driving and hours-of-service weighted 2× heavier. Benefits contribute 25%, scored separately for W2 versus owner-operator and 1099 carriers. Operational performance — application responsiveness and fleet scale — contributes 20%. Updated May 2026.