Updated November 2026
Best Trucking Companies in Waterloo, Iowa (November 2026)
Waterloo, Iowa has 335 active W2 trucking carriers as of November 2026. The carriers ranked below are scored on real driver pay, FMCSA safety, benefits, and how they treat applicants. Herrington Transportation Inc. leads with an average weekly pay of $2,000. FW TRUCKING follows at $1,850/week. Iowa freight is shaped by its agricultural output — corn, soybeans, and ethanol — moving on I-80 east-west and I-35 north-south, with Des Moines serving as the primary distribution crossroads.
What changed in November 2026
MNS1 EXPRESS INC at #6, McLeod Express LLC at #7, and Mountain States L.P. Gas at #9 are new to the top 50 in Waterloo, Iowa. Biggest climbs: Herrington Transportation Inc. (#29 → #1) and FW TRUCKING (#13 → #2). Biggest falls: LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (#1 → #22) and REISCH TRUCKING INC (#37 → #50). Elsewhere in the top 50, 4 carriers joined, 7 left, and 38 changed rank.
All changes since October 2026
| Carrier | Last month | This month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herrington Transportation Inc. | #29 | #1 | Up 28 places |
| FW TRUCKING | #13 | #2 | Up 11 places |
| True Transport Inc. | #11 | #3 | Up 8 places |
| PREMIER TRANSPORTATION | #2 | #4 | Down 2 places |
| JK MOVING & STORAGE INC | #3 | #5 | Down 2 places |
| MNS1 EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #6 | New |
| McLeod Express LLC | Not ranked | #7 | New |
| Covenant Transport Inc | #4 | #8 | Down 4 places |
| Mountain States L.P. Gas | Not ranked | #9 | New |
| Great Plains Trucking Inc. | #5 | #10 | Down 5 places |
| PRAIRIE FIELD SERVICES LLC | #6 | #11 | Down 5 places |
| ARKA EXPRESS INC | Not ranked | #12 | New |
| Badger Express LLC | #8 | #13 | Down 5 places |
| SECOR LOGISTICS LLC | #7 | #14 | Down 7 places |
| Diaz Stone & Pallet Inc. | #9 | #15 | Down 6 places |
| G-DIAMOND TRANSPORT INC | #12 | #16 | Down 4 places |
| ALBA TRANS INC | #10 | #17 | Down 7 places |
| ELBERTA LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL LLC | #14 | #18 | Down 4 places |
| MC CARRIER LLC | #16 | #19 | Down 3 places |
| BRADY TRUCKING INC | #15 | #20 | Down 5 places |
| Wynne Transport Service | Not ranked | #21 | New |
| LAWRENCE TRANSPORTATION COMPANY | #1 | #22 | Down 21 places |
| A & H INC | #27 | #23 | Up 4 places |
| KAISER TRANSPORT INC | #20 | #24 | Down 4 places |
| NEIER INC | #21 | #25 | Down 4 places |
| HOLLAND ENTERPRISES INC | #22 | #26 | Down 4 places |
| PASCAL CARRIER INC | #25 | #27 | Down 2 places |
| RIVER CITY TRANSPORT INC | #23 | #28 | Down 5 places |
| M&D TRANSPORT | #24 | #29 | Down 5 places |
| HAWKS TRANSPORT LLC | Not ranked | #30 | New |
| AFC Transport, Inc | #32 | #31 | Up 1 place |
| Z TRANSPORTATION INC | #30 | #32 | Down 2 places |
| Excel Trucking LLC | #26 | #33 | Down 7 places |
| EA EXPRESS LLC | #31 | #34 | Down 3 places |
| AN ENTERPRISE INC | #28 | #35 | Down 7 places |
| LUCKY WORLD INC | Not ranked | #36 | New |
| CARGORX DRY CAPACITY | #34 | #37 | Down 3 places |
| Bertch Cabinet LLC | #33 | #38 | Down 5 places |
| CARGO PROS LLC | #36 | #39 | Down 3 places |
| HUTCHINSON TRUCKING LLC | #35 | #40 | Down 5 places |
| CJC CARRIER LLC | #40 | #41 | Down 1 place |
| TDR TRANSPORT | #38 | #42 | Down 4 places |
| CTK LOGISTICS LLC | #42 | #44 | Down 2 places |
| Bakers Express | #44 | #45 | Down 1 place |
| SEMO EXPRESS LLC | #45 | #46 | Down 1 place |
| EAGLE EYE TRUCK LINES LLC | #46 | #47 | Down 1 place |
| National Express Carriers | #47 | #48 | Down 1 place |
| S & R TRANSPORTATION LLC | #48 | #49 | Down 1 place |
| REISCH TRUCKING INC | #37 | #50 | Down 13 places |
| H & M TRUCKING INC | #17 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WILLIAMS PRESTIGE ENTERPRISE | #18 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| WESTERN MOUNTAIN TRANSPORT INC | #19 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| GT WORLDWIDE TRANSPORT INC | #39 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| Caravan Inc | #41 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| SAFEBRIDGE TRANSLOG LLC | #49 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
| 1 MTX LLC | #50 | Not ranked | Dropped out |
Where CDL pay is strongest in Waterloo, Iowa this month
The top of the list is Herrington Transportation Inc. at $2,000/week. A few names below the top earn more on a weekly-pay basis but rank lower on the composite.
#1Herrington Transportation Inc. — $2,000/wk
Herrington Transportation Inc. leads the Waterloo, Iowa market on combined pay and ranking score this month. Herrington Transportation Inc.'s weekly pay ranks in the 90th percentile across Waterloo, Iowa. Herrington Transportation Inc. tracks as a responsive employer on application-response data.
#2FW TRUCKING — $1,850/wk
FW TRUCKING climbed from #13 to #2 this month — one of the biggest moves in Waterloo, Iowa. FW TRUCKING's FMCSA score is strongest on unsafe-driving avoidance — 90th percentile.
#3True Transport Inc. — $2,250/wk
True Transport Inc. climbed from #11 to #3 this month — one of the biggest moves in Waterloo, Iowa. True Transport Inc. sits in the 96th percentile for weekly pay among Waterloo, Iowa carriers. True Transport Inc.'s top FMCSA dimension is unsafe-driving avoidance, in the 98th percentile.
True Transport Inc. doesn't top the ranking but offers higher weekly pay than #1 — $2,250/week.
Also in the top 10: #4 PREMIER TRANSPORTATION at $1,950/wk, #5 JK MOVING & STORAGE INC at $2,200/wk, #6 MNS1 EXPRESS INC at $2,050/wk, #7 McLeod Express LLC at $1,500/wk, #8 Covenant Transport Inc at $1,762/wk, #9 Mountain States L.P. Gas at $2,000/wk, #10 Great Plains Trucking Inc. at $1,750/wk.
Lane mix and benefits across Waterloo, Iowa
18% of Waterloo, Iowa's active CDL postings are regional and 81% are OTR; local plus semi-local accounts for the rest (1%).
Across Waterloo, Iowa CDL postings: 2% with guaranteed pay, 25% dedicated, 84% take-truck-home, 67% pet-friendly, 69% riders-allowed.
How Waterloo, Iowa compares to Iowa
| Waterloo, Iowa | Iowa top 50 | Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riders-allowed policies | 84% | 73% | +11 pt |
| Take-truck-home | 94% | 84% | +10 pt |
| Pet-friendly fleets | 72% | 63% | +9 pt |
| Dedicated routes | 30% | 37% | -7 pt |
Source: Lanefinder index, November 2026
Waterloo, Iowa's biggest divergence from Iowa is on riders-allowed policies, 11 points above the state baseline.
Driving CDL in Iowa
Iowa freight is shaped by the state's agricultural output — corn, soybeans, ethanol, pork — moving on the I-80 east-west and I-35 north-south corridors. Des Moines serves as the primary distribution crossroads. Cedar Rapids and Davenport (Quad Cities) add manufacturing and food-processing freight. Iowa runs a moderate flat state income tax; living costs are among the lowest in the Midwest. Winter is severe — wind off the prairie plus drifting snow plus black ice on I-80 makes route timing genuinely consequential from December through March.
Related guides
- Best owner-operator companies in Waterloo, Iowa
- CDL driver salary in Waterloo, Iowa
- Best trucking companies in Iowa
The methodology behind the rankings
Pay carriers against each other within the same market (30%). Layer a weighted FMCSA SAFER safety percentile on top (25%). Score the benefits package against what actually matters for the hiring type — W2 health/financial benefits or owner-op operational perks (25%). Finish with operational performance: responsiveness to driver applications plus fleet scale (20%). All percentiles are recomputed monthly. Updated November 2026.