– The Best Trucking Companies Near Me –
Locating the best trucking companies close to you is not easy, however, this article is the best guide for you.
Whether you need local, regional, or long-distance transport—is quite challenging, but becomes more challenging if you’ve never done it before.
For one, most of the larger freight carriers are national trucking companies or regional operations.
Thankfully, there are a fairly clear series of steps you can take to make sure that you not only find a trucking company in the but that you also find the one that is the best fit for your needs.
When you’re hiring a transport service or truck driver to help you with moving, it’s best to take a slow and steady approach, which will require a minor time investment on your part.
Even if you’re just looking for jobs in the trucking industry, this same approach can still be beneficial.
For example, you probably wouldn’t seek truck driving jobs with a carrier that you didn’t feel offered great service and benefits.
Furthermore
Regardless of whether you’re looking for help hauling something, or are seeking one of the many available jobs, doing your research first is an important step.
The best approach is to take your time and find an operation with trucks in your area that can provide the exact services you need, while still being close enough that you can contact them with no issue.
Here are some things you can do to increase your chances of finding the best company and truck drivers in your local area.
Finding Trucking Companies In Your Local Area
There are a variety of resources, both online and in daily life, that you can use to help you find local and national trucking companies near you.
While there’s no magic formula for finding trucking companies, there are some simple things you can do to drastically increase your chances of finding the one that makes sense for you.
1. Google Maps
Google Maps is one of the simplest and easiest ways to find any kind of local business, and that goes for the as well.
Just like any other service, the transportation industry has countless professional drivers and a fleet of trucks at their disposal in just about every major city or metro area across the United States.
In order to find the options available in your area, all you have to do is go to Google Maps and type in the service you’re seeking (trucking companies, truck drivers.
Also, trucking companies, transport carriers, trucking companies near me, movers, etc.) and you’ll be presented with a variety of options.
One benefit of this approach is that you’re more likely to find the more established trucking companies in your proximity since they have a higher profile in search results.
2. Online Reviews
Reviews that you find online can be another useful resource when you’re assessing the quality, professionalism, and expertise of any establishment. As with other online reviews; however, approach online reviews for truck drivers and their companies with a healthy dose of scepticism.
It’s easy for truck driving companies or even one individual to create an account and post a review—either negative or positive—about a specific trucking company.
With that said, online reviews can still be a valuable tool to use if you’re trying to gauge the overall quality and performance of a company that you’re considering hiring.
Just make sure that you supplement this research with the other tips mentioned here to make sure you don’t get bamboozled by a flood of suspect reviews that may or may not be reliable.
3. Previous Customer Testimonials
Customers who have previously used a trucking company are another good option to look to if you’re researching your options. Testimonials are basically another type of online review that you’ll mainly find on the website of trucking companies.
Since this is the case, it’s again best to temper the results you find with some healthy scepticism as most companies put up reviews of their services at their own discretion.
Just like with online reviews, it’s best to supplement any testimonials you find with other information about a company before deciding which one to go with.
4. People You Know
If you’re lucky enough to know someone who has used a national trucking company before, they can be a very valuable point of input.
Unlike testimonials and online reviews from relatively anonymous customers, someone that you know personally is more likely to give you honest feedback regarding their experience with a company and the company drivers.
However, if you find yourself in a position where you need some input regarding a trucking company. Therefore, you can post something on social media asking if anyone has used a similar service before.
Whether it’s moving, car shipping, or simply delivering an item using a .
Choosing The Right Freight Carrier Or Transport Company
Finding the best company to work with is no easy task, especially with the number of options you’ll have in the .
A lot of how your search unfolds (and the ultimate results you’ll get) depends on the type of service you’re looking for.
If you need a couple of items transported across town, you’ll probably want to look for a local option in your area.
If you need a household full of items moved from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Des Moines, Iowa, you’ll want to seek out truck drivers that operate as nationwide or regional carriers.
Here are the things you should look for in a reliable transport company.
1. Proper Licensing
There are laws and regulations that govern the transport industry just like any other type of consumer service.
They must properly license professional drivers that work for a regional or national trucking company in order to operate.
This means that all commercial drivers and OTR drivers (over-the-road drivers) must have a valid CDL driver license (commercial driver license) in order to legally carry out transport services.
2. Insurance Coverage
Insurance coverage is mandatory for anyone operating a commercial transport vehicle and any company you contract should be able to provide evidence of their insurance coverage.
Trucking companies have different levels of insurance coverage so it’s something you’ll want to be familiar with before agreeing to work with a specific company, especially if you’re having them transport any items of high value.
3. Their Own Trucks
Ideally, you want to work with trucking companies that have their own fleet of transport trucks, as well as their own company drivers.
Meanwhile, this may seem like an easy decision too many, but the fact of the matter is that many of the companies in the industry (especially online) are brokers rather than freight carriers.
What this means is that they are not the ones that actually are owner-operators of the equipment that will be used, but act as a go-between from the customer to the truck driving services you need.
While this is not necessarily a sign that you should avoid a company altogether. Therefore, the vast majority of customers prefer to deal directly with the people that will do the work.
Also, they’re contracted for, which means finding a company with their own fleet of trucks and quality team drivers.
4. Getting An Estimate
Once you’ve narrowed your search down to a few options that fit your criteria, it’s time to contact the best trucking companies you’ve found to get a price quote.
Every company you contract with should offer you a free cost estimate, regardless of where you’re going and what you need to be hauled.
If you encounter
a company that is unwilling to provide a free quote, then it’s time to move on to your other options.
Free estimates are an industry-wide standard and those companies that don’t adhere to these norms are typically a sign of a company that’s not being as transparent or honest as it should be.
When you contact a company to get an estimate, be sure to come prepared with as much information as possible so that you can get the most accurate price quote.
Truck Drivers Looking For Truck Driving Jobs Near You
If you are looking for trucking companies near you because you’re looking for a truck , you’ll no doubt have some different criteria than someone on the consumer side looking to transport goods.
As with all truck driving jobs, you want to do the appropriate research to make sure they’re a good fit for you.
That typically means they offer things like fair driver pay, paid vacation or paid time off, dedicated freight hauling, , compensation plans, and good job benefits.
If you have other requirements such as weekly pay, working for a private carrier, new equipment great benefits, or daily home time, be sure to keep that in mind as you search.
1. Local Trucking Jobs
Local truck driving jobs can be difficult to find at times because most of the opportunities available are for national or regional truck drivers.
As a matter of course, most truck driving jobs within the involves driving long distances to haul goods from one place to another, but that doesn’t mean there are no opportunities available for a truck driving career, even those that offer CDL training.
If you’re searching job boards for local truck driving jobs, use the tool’s filter to limit your search to the areas you’re looking to work. Also, be sure to keep in mind that the routes you’ll need to run may, take you out of your local area.
There are other factors to keep in mind as well, but if you want to work in a specific area, you’ll want to focus your search there.
2. Regional Driving Jobs
If you’re a truck driver searching for regional truck driving jobs, you want to take a similar approach to the local search mentioned above, but with a larger scope.
While there are not a ton of local truck driving jobs out there, there should be plenty of job openings if you’re looking for regional or nationwide trucking jobs.
As most truckers know, the best trucking companies that offer truck driving jobs fall under this category.
Therefore, this means you should have ample opportunity to find an OTR driving job or CDL training program that will fit with your skillset and the area in which you wish to work.
Finding A Truck Driving Job In the Trucking Industry
We’ve mentioned a few of the important things to look for when you’re looking for a local or regional trucking job, but there are some things that apply to both types of jobs.
One of the most important aspects of any potential truck driver job is the driver pay, especially if you want to enjoy your driving career.
As with any other professional, how much you get paid for trucking jobs is one of the most enticing incentives to become one of their company drivers.
Weigh your offers carefully before deciding and be sure that any business you consider uses certified CDL drivers and allows solo drivers.
1. Qualities of The Best Trucking Companies
Whether you’re looking for a company to haul heavy equipment for you, or you’re looking for a trucking job, there are a few markers of the companies that will serve you best.
In this section, we’ll go over some qualities that show a company has the best fleet, best service, and best trucking jobs.
2. How Long Have They Been In Business?
While it may seem like a trivial question on the surface, how long a company has been in business is a good indicator of its success.
What this essentially means is that you should choose a more established company such as ABF Freight or YRC Freight, rather than a relatively newer truck driving outfit, all else being equal.
There are no doubt some good trucking companies, but the less established operations that offer OTR jobs are not only harder to find information about, but you may also risk getting scammed.
An unfortunate reality of the trucking industry is that there are a handful of bad actors in the space, so the job or transport quote you received that sounds too good to be true probably is.
If a company has been around for 10 or more years, that’s usually a good indicator that you’re dealing with a reputable company with great equipment and a strong team behind them, as opposed to some of the other companies out there.
3. Do They Allow Owner Operators?
This mainly applies if you’re a licensed truck driver looking for truck driving jobs.
For the consumer end of things, most people don’t care if a company allows or uses owner-operators.
If, however, you have an eye toward establishing your own freight hauling business, you’ll want to wait on an option that allows for owner-operators.
The reason for this is that you’ll get experience in all aspects of the business if you work as an owner-operator, not to mention you’ll be better positioned to branch out on your own should the time come.
4. Reputation
Reputation means everything in business, regardless of whether you’re a truck driver looking for trucking jobs, or simply a consumer looking for a company to transport something.
This piece of advice goes hand in hand with some of the other tips mentioned here—a company that’s been in business for a while should have a recognisable name and a reputation that goes right along with it.
Therefore, If a web search doesn’t bring up much information (or the reviews are all negative), that’s usually a sign that a company doesn’t have the greatest reputation.
5. Transparency
An important aspect of any business is trust. Trust is borne out of transparency, which means any freight carrier you contact should be completely open about how their business is run, and be able to answer any of the questions you may have during the process.
If a company is hesitant to answer your questions, or worse, they are unable to, that’s typically an indication that you should keep looking for an option that can.
6. A Verifiable Physical Address
Any trucking outfit that is truly transparent should have an easy-to-find and verifiable physical address.
This may seem like an obvious thing to most readers as any freight hauler should have a base of operations.
What may surprise you is that there are many out there that claim to haul freight, but truly only operate as a broker.
A broker is a company that operates as a conduit between the hauler and the customer—in other words, they don’t do the actual work themselves.
Instead, they take your request and farm out the job to another company that actually handles the transport end of things.
While this isn’t inherently a bad thing (many companies rely on brokers to get business), a lot of customers prefer to deal only with the company that will be doing the job, which is an understandable request.
Additional Information
If you’re intent on finding a transporter that is handling every aspect of the business, you’ll want to find one with a physical address that can be verified.
Brokers don’t always have a physical office location since much of the work they do can be accomplished remotely, or even with just a computer.
Probably not the image you have in mind when you’re looking for a company to haul something a long distance.
Be sure to check for an office location if you want to deal with a carrier rather than a broker, and make sure you’re dealing with a licensed trucking company if you happen to be looking for long-distance, regional, or local
truck driving jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are frequently asked questions about the best trucking companies in USA:
1. What are the Best Trucking Companies to Start With?
The best trucking companies to start with are:
Estes – A good starting company for new truckers. They have a large freight base.
TMC – A good starter company for the new driver. The pay is decent and yes they have Peterbilts if that appeals to you.
Schneider – A financially sound company (which is pretty important), no team driver training, 3 weeks very structured training, less time with a mentor on the road than most.
FedEx Ground – This is not well known, but certainly worth checking out. FedEx Ground Contractors will take new and train them.
Most of the jobs are team, but there are also many single runs and day runs.
We’ve discovered the pay range for these drivers – $85,000 to $98,000 per year. This is out of Columbus, OHIO.
2. What are the Worst Trucking Companies to Work for?
If you are a truck driver seeking employment or contract in USA, please, kindly avoid the following trucking companies:
1. G & S Trucking
2. Greenfield, Mo
3. Riverdale Environmental Services
5. Sal Son Trucking Sucks
3. What is the Best Trucking Company to Work For?
According to a report by our research team, the best trucking company to work for is 1-800-Got-Junk.
1-800-GOT-JUNK? is a large franchised junk removal service with approximately 175 locations throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia.
It aims at helping people “reclaim the space at their homes and businesses.”
When possible, items are recycled or donated to charity with current landfill diversion rates at 61.3%. It was founded: in1989.
More FAQs About Truck Driver
4. How Do I Get a Truck Driver Visa for the USA?
First, make sure you will fulfill the requirements to be a truck driver in the US.
You’ll need a heavy vehicle driving license, and many companies will also want you to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
Also, which you can get from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and which your employer can give you information about.
Many trucking schools in the United States offer training for the CDL. The minimum age for a truck driver is 18 (21 if your work will require you to cross state lines).
You will also need to already have relevant work experience, and a clean driving record is ideal.
5. How does a Trucking Business Work in the US?
A trucking business can be one truck with one owner, or thousands of trucks owned by one company but driven by many different drivers.
It’s estimated by the United States Labor Department that a truck hauls about 70% of everything you wear, eat, use or enjoy around your home, in your school, or at your job.
6. What is the greatest challenge for a truck driver?
Challenges in the Life of a Truck Driver
1. Irregular Schedules. One of the toughest challenges that a truck driver can face is not knowing what their schedule is from one week to the next. …
2. Lack of Home Time. …
3. Irregular Pay. …
4. Health. …
5. Regulations.
More Question and Answers on Truck Driver
7. Who is the highest paid trucking company?
Sysco
Best Paying Trucking Companies
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8. Is a trucking company a good investment?
Although the trucking business can be extremely profitable, it can also be one of the most competitive industries out there.
Aware of the potential for profit, several would-be entrepreneurs try to get their foot into the industry, and year after year, they end up failing.
9. What problems do truckers face?
Some of them are the lack of qualified drivers, over 26% of truckers are aged 55 years and older, unsatisfactory working conditions.
However, low pay, new and tougher driver regulations, drug tests and policy, not enough home time etc. The driver shortage affects the entire economy.
10. What problems do truck drivers have?
Health problems: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted a survey among truck drivers.
Also, which found that truckers are more likely than other workers to smoke. Be overweight, be physically inactive, and have diabetes.
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StudentsandScholarship Team.
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