The Truckload Carriers Association and CarriersEdge have announced the 20 Best Fleets to Drive For in 2018, recognizing these fleets for providing exemplary work environments for their truck drivers and independent contractors.

Three companies – Bison Transport, Central Oregon Truck Company, and TransPro Freight Systems – have achieved the milestone of five consecutive years on the Best Fleets list.

“It's not easy to be named one of the Best Fleets to Drive For," said John Lyboldt, TCA president. "It simultaneously requires commitment to an individual carrier's operations and a vision for the future of the industry as a whole."

Truckload companies operating 10 or more trucks had to receive a nomination from at least one of their company drivers or owner-operators. CarriersEdge then interviewed human resources representatives and executives of the nominated fleets regarding their corporate directions, policies, and programs.

The fleets were evaluated in a variety of categories, such as total compensation package, health benefits, pension plans, professional development opportunities, and career path/advancement opportunities, among other criteria. Driver feedback was compared with management’s comments and incorporated into the final score, resulting in the selection of this year’s winners and honorable mentions.

"Creative new programs from the Top 20 companies received high marks from drivers," said Jane Jazrawy, co-founder of CarriersEdge. "The average satisfaction level among the Top 20 companies was over 90%, and the average turnover among these companies was under 40%."

Here are the 2018 Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For:

American Central Transport Kansas City, Mo. Halvor Lines Superior, Wis. Bison Transport Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Keller Logistics Group Defiance, Ohio Boyle Transportation Billerica, Mass. Maverick Transportation North Little Rock, Ark. Central Oregon Truck Company Redmond, Ore. Motor Carrier Service Northwood, Ohio Challenger Motor Freight Cambridge, Ontario, Canada Nussbaum Transportation Hudson, Ill. Erb Group New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada Prime Inc. Springfield, Mo. Fremont Contract Carriers Fremont, Neb. Smokey Point Distributing Arlington, Wash.  FTC Transportation  Oklahoma City, Okla. TLD Logistics Services Marinette, Wis. Garner Trucking Findlay, Ohio TransPro Freight Systems Milton, Ontario, Canada Grand Island Express Grand Island, Neb. Veriha Trucking Marinette, Wis.

Five companies have also been identified as “Fleets to Watch” — honorable mentions for demonstrating innovation in their driver programs:

Bennett Motor Express McDonough, Ga. Hoekstra Transportation   Grand Rapids, Mich. Larway Transportation Barrie, Ontario, Canada LoadOne Taylor, Mich. Werner Enterprises Omaha, Neb.

Phase two of the contest will divide the highest-scoring fleets into small and large fleet categories, from which two overall winners will be selected. These awards will be sponsored by EpicVue of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Northbridge Insurance of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The overall winners’ names will be announced during TCA’s Annual Convention, March 25-28, 2018, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida.