Updated July 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Minnesota (July 2026)
Lanefinder tracks 452 W2 trucking carriers hiring in Minnesota. Rankings below reflect July 2026 data: pay percentiles, FMCSA safety, benefit prevalence, and operational performance. LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY leads with an average weekly pay of $1,680. Forest Brook Trucking LLC follows at $1,600/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 July 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 LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY at $1,680/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY — $1,680/wk
LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY tops the Minnesota ranking with the strongest composite score across pay, safety, benefits, and operational signals. LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY's FMCSA score is strongest on driver fitness — 91st percentile. Driver applications get a faster-than-median response in Minnesota.
#2Forest Brook Trucking LLC — $1,600/wk
Forest Brook Trucking LLC's top FMCSA dimension is hours-of-service compliance, in the 97th percentile. Lanefinder's application data flags Forest Brook Trucking LLC as a responsive employer.
#3True 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. actually pays more weekly than the top-ranked carrier — $2,250/week.
Also in the top 10: #4 PREMIER TRANSPORTATION at $1,950/wk, #5 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #6 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #7 South East Carriers INC at $1,600/wk, #8 Great Plains Trucking Inc. at $1,750/wk, #9 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk, #10 Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. at $1,750/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: 2% with guaranteed pay, 26% dedicated, 73% take-truck-home, 60% pet-friendly, 61% 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 July 2026.