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Stability, freight consistency, strong relationships, consistent home time, routine, pride and safety — these are just a few of the benefits of dedicated truck driving.
Dedicated trucking is a great career path and a lot of drivers love it. Dedicated trucking provides the schedule and routine many drivers crave — whether they’re driving a local, regional or over-the-road (OTR) route.
Now all that’s left to do is find a dedicated trucking company that has everything else you need and want out of a company.
You’ll notice most of the companies on this list are large carriers. That’s because the way we define best, for the purpose of this article, is a carrier that provides the most opportunity for a driver to find a dedicated job. The size doesn’t make them better carriers, but they’ll be able to provide more dedicated lanes.
While there are multiple great small carriers to choose from, they may only have one dedicated lane for drivers to choose from. They don’t offer drivers as many options as larger carriers do.
Without further ado, here are the best dedicated trucking companies to drive for this year.
The 6 Best Dedicated Trucking Companies to Drive For
J.B. Hunt
Founded: 1961
Headquarters: Lowell, Arkansas
Insight: J.B. Hunt is a Fortune 500 company with more than 21,000 trucks in their fleet. They have a ton of options for drivers. From intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, temperature-controlled and more, they have a little bit of everything.
But, J.B. Hunt is on this list for their dedicated options. The large carrier has a good reputation — both in the industry and among drivers. Because they’re such a large carrier, they have dedicated trucking jobs all around the country.
If that driver decides to move, chances are they’d still be able to find a dedicated lane with J.B. Hunt. They have more than 10,500 dedicated trucks in almost 600 locations. This makes them the largest dedicated provider in the U.S.
The wide range of dedicated lanes means J.B. Hunt can offer drivers flexibility both with home time and shift options. Some dedicated jobs even allow you to be home daily or weekly. You’ll serve a single customer and have the chance to get familiar with your routes and customers.
As part of their commitment to safety, they have strict hiring guidelines and drivers have to meet strict background check requirements.
Related: ATS vs J.B. Hunt
Schneider
Founded: 1935
Headquarters: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Insight: Schneider is one of the largest dedicated carriers in the country. They offer tons of opportunities for drivers and they have a great reputation of being fair. They’re known for going out of their way to take care of their drivers.
Because they’re one of the largest dedicated carriers in the country, they have a wide selection of dedicated accounts and a lot of options for drivers to choose from. Not only do they have a lot of routes, but you can also find options as a solo driver, team driver, tanker driver, OTR driver, local driver, regional driver or part-time driver.
Solo drivers have the most options for dedicated accounts. Dedicated team drivers haul time-sensitive, high-demand freight. They primarily haul valuable drop-and-hook freight on premium lanes, which means they tend to stay out on the road longer. Tanker drivers primarily haul non-hazmat liquids. Part-time driving is a unique offering from Schneider. Drivers can haul freight on their own time.
Drivers at Schneider can choose from dry van, reefer, flatbed, home delivery or other freight.
Top-earning solo, team and regional drivers on dedicated accounts are averaging over six figures per year.
Werner Enterprises
Founded: 1956
Headquarters: Omaha, Nebraska
Insight: Werner Enterprises is another large dedicated carrier and it’s even larger than Schneider. In fact, it’s one of the five largest truckload carriers in the country. They have a fleet of more than 8,500 trucks and 23,000 trailers. Werner focuses on supplying its drivers with industry-leading equipment.
Depending on what suits you and your lifestyle, there are local, regional and OTR options for you. This also gives you control over your career path and should your needs or life circumstances change, Werner provides the support and opportunities you need to adjust your path.
In addition to dedicated jobs, they offer one-way truckload, intermodal, temperature-controlled, expedited, logistics and cross-border jobs.
Ruan Transportation
Founded: 1932
Headquarters: Des Moines, Iowa
Insight: Ruan Transportation is a family-owned dedicated logistics provider. The company was founded by a driver, John Ruan, in 1932. Ruan is still family-owned and locally managed. This provides the stability many drivers crave.
Ruan was founded on and takes pride in driver respect. Those ideals are reflected in predictable schedules and home time and great benefits. That might be why Ruan has a retention rate that is notably much higher than the industry’s average (an estimated four times higher).
94 percent of Ruan’s jobs are dedicated jobs. This provides drivers with more home time and consistency. It also allows drivers to travel on familiar routes and build strong relationships with their customers.
You can haul freight with a dry van, flatbed trailer, tanker trailer or refrigerated van. Ruan offers home daily trucking jobs and regional trucking jobs. Freight includes liquid food (like milk, liquid sweetener and liquid eggs), non-perishable items, steel, pipe and building materials.
Related: Why stability matters when looking for a trucking company to drive for.
Cardinal Logistics
Founded: 1981
Headquarters: Concord, North Carolina
Insight: Cardinal is an award-winning contract carrier and logistics provider. By focusing on people, not trucks, they’ve built long-standing customer relationships and received customer awards for it. They see drivers as people first and drivers second.
Cardinal has options for employee drivers, independent contractors and owner-operators. They have 100 percent dedicated regional and local runs, so drivers can get home weekly or daily.
Cardinal also provides last-mile and home-delivery services to Fortune 100 companies. The last-mile opportunities are available to independent contractors and require a two-person team. There are options for non-CDL driving jobs in this division.
C.R. England Trucking
Founded: 1920
Headquarters: Salt Lake City, UT
Insight: C.R. England Trucking is a family-owned business that’s been around since 1920, so they have more than a century of experience. If you’re looking for a reliable, stable carrier, C.R. England is a great option.
C.R. England is known for having a great training school for new drivers (drivers with and without a CDL), but they’re also known for offering drivers great dedicated jobs. They’re one of the most prominent temperature-controlled carriers in the country.
As a driver for C.R. England, you’ll get to enjoy all the benefits of dedicated routes — including a stable income, regular home time and great customer relationships
Related: Learn more about great companies for new truck drivers.
Choosing the Best Dedicated Company for You
We’re certainly biased, but we think we’ve provided you with some great options to get started here. Now it’s your turn to get behind the wheel and steer in the direction that suits you.
Each of these carriers has abundant dedicated lanes, so you’ll be able to find a couple of options on this list no matter where you reside in the country.
Carefully research the programs at each company to find what suits your needs. Maybe there’s a particular type of freight you’d like to haul, a home time schedule you’d like to stick to or specific pay requirements.
This checklist of questions to ask your recruiter will help you learn more about your carrier than you’ve probably ever thought to ask — from when they were founded to whether they’re debt-free. It’ll help you hone in on which company has exactly what you’re looking for. And the best part? The tool is free!
