Updated July 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Rochester, Minnesota (July 2026)
Lanefinder tracks 307 W2 trucking carriers hiring in Rochester, 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. 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 July 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 Rochester, 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 Rochester, Minnesota ranking with the strongest composite score across pay, safety, benefits, and operational signals. LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY ranks in the 91st percentile for driver fitness on FMCSA SAFER data. LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data.
#2True Transport Inc. — $2,250/wk
True Transport Inc. pays above the 91st percentile on weekly pay for the Rochester, Minnesota market. Strongest FMCSA dimension is unsafe-driving avoidance — 99th percentile.
Despite ranking below #1, True Transport Inc. outpays the leader on weekly average — $2,250/week.
#3Forest Brook Trucking LLC — $1,600/wk
Forest Brook Trucking LLC's FMCSA score is strongest on hours-of-service compliance — 97th percentile. Forest Brook Trucking LLC tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data.
Also in the top 10: #4 PREMIER TRANSPORTATION at $1,950/wk, #5 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #6 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #7 PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC at $1,750/wk, #8 Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. at $1,750/wk, #9 Badger Express LLC at $1,700/wk, #10 JS HELWIG & SON LLC at $1,850/wk.
Lane mix and benefits across Rochester, Minnesota
15% of Rochester, Minnesota's active CDL postings are regional and 81% are OTR; local plus semi-local accounts for the rest (4%).
Guaranteed pay is on offer at 2% of Rochester, Minnesota postings; dedicated routes at 26%; take-truck-home at 79%. Pet-friendly policies appear at 67% and riders-allowed at 66%.
How Rochester, Minnesota compares to Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota's biggest divergence from Minnesota is on sign-on bonus availability, 8 points above the state baseline.
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 Rochester, Minnesota
- CDL driver salary in Rochester, Minnesota
- Best trucking companies in Minnesota
Where this data comes from
Compensation (30%): pay percentile + sign-on bonus + guaranteed pay + settlement frequency. FMCSA safety (25%): weighted percentile across vehicle maintenance, unsafe driving, hours-of-service, driver fitness, and controlled substances. Benefits (25%): hiring-type-aware. Operational (20%): driver-application responsiveness, modulated by fleet scale. Updated July 2026.