Updated September 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Minnesota (September 2026)
Lanefinder tracks 447 W2 trucking carriers hiring in Minnesota. Rankings below reflect September 2026 data: pay percentiles, FMCSA safety, benefit prevalence, and operational performance. WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC leads with an average weekly pay of $1,700 and an average $5,000 sign-on bonus. HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC follows at $2,100/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 September 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 WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC at $1,700/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC — $1,700/wk
WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC leads the Minnesota market on combined pay and ranking score this month. On driver fitness, the carrier ranks in the 93rd percentile per FMCSA SAFER data. WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC responds to driver applications more reliably than the Minnesota median.
#2HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC — $2,100/wk
HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC's weekly pay ranks in the 94th percentile across Minnesota. HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC ranks in the 99th percentile for hours-of-service compliance on FMCSA SAFER data.
HAZMAT ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP INC offers the highest sign-on bonus among Minnesota's top 10 — $10,000.
#3PREMIER TRANSPORTATION — $1,950/wk
PREMIER TRANSPORTATION's weekly pay ranks in the 89th percentile across Minnesota. PREMIER TRANSPORTATION's FMCSA score is strongest on driver fitness — 98th percentile.
Also in the top 10: #4 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #5 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #6 TDR TRANSPORT at $2,200/wk, #7 Great Plains Trucking Inc. at $1,750/wk, #8 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk, #9 Badger Express LLC at $1,700/wk, #10 Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. at $1,750/wk.
Lane mix and benefits across Minnesota
20% of Minnesota's active CDL postings are regional and 68% are OTR; local plus semi-local accounts for the rest (12%).
Across Minnesota CDL postings: 2% with guaranteed pay, 27% dedicated, 73% take-truck-home, 60% 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 September 2026.