Updated May 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee (May 2026)
Lanefinder tracks 404 W2 trucking carriers hiring in Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee. 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. Tennessee is a critical national freight crossroads: Memphis hosts the FedEx global air hub and a major trucking interchange on I-40 / I-55, while Nashville-area automotive and manufacturing plants drive dense I-65 / I-24 lane activity.
What changed in May 2026
We just started tracking monthly changes for this view. Check back next month to see how rankings have shifted.
Where CDL pay is strongest in Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee 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 leads the Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee market on combined pay and ranking score this month. KEEP TRUCKING LLC sits in the 95th percentile for weekly pay among Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee carriers. On controlled-substances compliance, the carrier ranks in the 88th percentile per FMCSA SAFER data. Lanefinder's application data flags KEEP TRUCKING LLC as a responsive employer.
#2True Transport Inc. — $2,250/wk
True Transport Inc. pays above the 92nd percentile on weekly pay for the Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee market. True Transport Inc.'s FMCSA score is strongest on unsafe-driving avoidance — 99th percentile. True Transport Inc. responds to driver applications more reliably than the Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee median.
True Transport Inc. actually pays more weekly than the top-ranked carrier — $2,250/week.
#3TITANIUM AMERICAN TRUCKING INC — $2,000/wk
TITANIUM AMERICAN TRUCKING INC sits in the 91st percentile for weekly pay among Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee carriers. Strongest FMCSA dimension is hours-of-service compliance — 97th percentile. TITANIUM AMERICAN TRUCKING INC tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data.
Also in the top 10: #4 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #5 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #6 HMD TRUCKING INC at $1,800/wk, #7 Clean Recompression LLC at $2,000/wk, #8 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk, #9 GATEWAY DISTRIBUTION at $1,750/wk, #10 JS HELWIG & SON LLC at $1,850/wk.
Lane mix and benefits across Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
The route mix in Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee this month tilts OTR: 19% regional, 74% OTR, 5% local, 1% semi-local — drawn from active postings, not historical surveys.
Across Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee CDL postings: 2% with guaranteed pay, 26% dedicated, 80% take-truck-home, 66% pet-friendly, 67% riders-allowed.
How Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee compares to Tennessee
| Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee | Tennessee top 50 | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riders-allowed policies | 82% | 69% | +13 pt |
| Pet-friendly fleets | 76% | 69% | +7 pt |
Source: Lanefinder index, May 2026
The largest gap is on riders-allowed policies: Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee sits 13 points above the Tennessee baseline.
Driving CDL in Tennessee
Tennessee is a critical national freight crossroads: Memphis hosts the FedEx Express World Hub — one of the world's largest air cargo hubs by tonnage — and a major trucking interchange on I-40 / I-55, with the nightly sort cycle generating enormous regional dispatch demand. Nashville-area automotive (Nissan Smyrna) and manufacturing drive dense I-65 / I-24 lane activity. Cost of living is below the national average; Tennessee has no state income tax on wages. East TN (Chattanooga, Knoxville) is mountain-adjacent — I-40 east through the Smokies and I-24 across Monteagle pass have real winter weight.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
- CDL driver salary in Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
- Best trucking companies in Tennessee
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.