When you’re looking for a trucking company to work for in Virginia, there are a lot of things to consider. We’ve made your search a little easier by narrowing it down to the companies that have the best pay, benefits, and workplace culture, among other key factors.
Best Trucking Companies To Work for in VA
Here are our picks for the top-tier Virginia trucking companies to work for:
Why You Can Trust FreightWaves
There’s a reason we’re one of the world’s leading authorities on the global freight market. Our expert team has an in-depth understanding of the industry and is up-to-date on employment trends, regulations, and other insights into the trucking workforce.
We conduct thorough research and data analysis to develop our recommendations for the best trucking companies in Virginia. Every Virginia trucking firm is closely scrutinized based on its service range and capabilities. Our team also verifies companies’ safety records and regulatory compliance and looks at what real users have to say about their experience.
From there, we narrow our focus to select only those top-performing and highest-rated firms to give you an informed and up-to-date list of the best trucking companies to work for in Virginia.
Food City
26331 Hillman Highway, Abingdon, VA, 24210- Salary range: $45,000-$65,000
- Routes: interstate
- Paid CDL training: true
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Tuition reimbursement: true
- Power units: 119
- Drivers: 191
- Revenue: $11,767
- Miles driven: 12,800,000 (2023)
Food City (DOT: 754074), operated by K Va T Food Stores Inc, is nestled in Virginia and has been actively serving since its establishment. The company prides itself on transporting diverse cargo such as beverages, fresh produce, meat, paper products, and refrigerated food, primarily relying on their fleet of dry vans and tankers. They hire a variety of drivers, including hazmat, more-than-truckload (OTR), and local drivers, ensuring flexibility and comprehensive service coverage.
Food City offers several attractive benefits for its drivers, including dental, life, and vision insurance, tuition reimbursement, gym membership, and ongoing training programs. They also provide driver referral bonuses, sign-on bonuses, safety bonuses, and guaranteed home time. Employees appreciate the supportive benefits and compensation; however, they noted that the work-life balance and sometimes disorganized route assignments could use improvement, according to reviews on Indeed and Glassdoor.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Local
- Dedicated
- Tanker
- Reefer
- HAZMAT
- LTL
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- Health screenings
- Gym membership
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Dedicated routes
- Paid CDL training
- Ongoing training
- Tuition reimbursement
- Deadhead compensation
- Rider & pet allowances
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
- Crashes: 15
- Unsafe driving: 0.26
- Driver fitness: 0.0
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.0
- Vehicle maintenance: 1.55
- Controlled substances: 0.0
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
Thompson Trucking, Inc.
11939 Richmond Hwy, Concord, VA, 24538- Salary range: $60,000-$80,000
- Routes: interstate
- Paid CDL training: true
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Power units: 441
- Drivers: 321
- Revenue: $15,959
- Miles driven: 20,400,000 (2024)
Thompson Trucking, Inc. (DOT: 263863) is based in Virginia and has been serving the industry since its inception several years ago. The company provides a wide range of freight services, including transportation of agricultural supplies, construction materials, garbage/refuse, intermodal containers, and more. They hire various types of drivers, such as regional, hazmat, specialized, LTL, flatbed, and reefer drivers, while also offering opportunities for owner-operators and team drivers.
Thompson Trucking, Inc. offers numerous benefits to its drivers, including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, along with paid time off, direct deposit, a truck lease-purchase program, and guaranteed home time. They also provide ongoing training and development programs, pay advances, and driver referral bonuses. Employee feedback on Glassdoor and Indeed highlights competitive salaries and solid benefits packages as major pros, while some areas of improvement include workload management and scheduling complexities.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Regional
- Local
- Dedicated
- Flatbed
- Tanker
- Reefer
- HAZMAT
- Specialized
- Owner/operator
- Intermodal
- LTL
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- Health screenings
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Dedicated routes
- Truck lease-to-purchase program
- Paid CDL training
- Ongoing training
- Deadhead compensation
- Rider & pet allowances
- Sign-on bonus
Safety
CSA safety score: Satisfactory
- Crashes: 50
- Unsafe driving: 0.6
- Driver fitness: 0.09
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.26
- Vehicle maintenance: 5.49
- Controlled substances: 0.0
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
Sysco Hampton Roads, Inc.
7000 Harbour View BLVD, Suffolk, VA, 23435- Salary range: $100,000 – $150,000 in just the first year
- Routes: interstate
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Tuition reimbursement: true
- Power units: 71
- Drivers: 86
- Revenue: $320,612,000
- Miles driven: 1,846,512 (2023)
Sysco Hampton Roads, Inc. (DOT: 134515) was founded in 1952 and operates out of Suffolk, Virginia. This company specializes in distributing a wide range of goods, including beverages, chemicals, dry bulk commodities, fresh produce, meat, paper products, and refrigerated foods. Sysco Hampton Roads primarily hires local and regional drivers as well as those specialized in reefer driving and full truckload operations.
Employees at Sysco Hampton Roads benefit from competitive salaries ranging from $100,000 to $150,000 in the first year, as well as comprehensive benefit packages that include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance. The company also offers direct deposit, pay advances, tuition reimbursement, gym memberships, safety bonuses, guaranteed home time, flexible scheduling, and driver referral bonuses. Additionally, they have an employee stock ownership plan and ongoing training and development programs.
On Glassdoor, Sysco has a rating of 3.3, while on Indeed, it has a score of 3.2. Employees often praise Sysco Hampton Roads for offering excellent salaries, benefits, and job security, as well as opportunities for advancement. However, common negative feedback includes concerns about work-life balance and long hours, with some employees feeling that route assignments can be disorganized.
Driver Options
- Regional
- Local
- Dedicated
- Reefer
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- Health screenings
- Gym membership
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Dedicated routes
- Ongoing training
- Tuition reimbursement
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
- Crashes: 6
- Unsafe driving: 0.39
- Driver fitness: 0.62
- Hours-of-service compliance: 2.12
- Vehicle maintenance: 3.16
- Controlled substances: 0.0
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
J R Tharpe Trucking Company
401 Pisgah Church Road, Rice, VA, 23966- Salary range: $60,000-$80,000
- Routes: interstate
- Paid CDL training: true
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Tuition reimbursement: true
- Power units: 133
- Drivers: 118
- Revenue: $5,360
- Miles driven: 6,394,087 (2024)
J R Tharpe Trucking Company (DOT: 270972) was founded in Virginia and carries a variety of freight including dry bulk commodities, general freight, intermodal containers, hay, and other specialized cargo. They hire a diverse range of drivers such as regional, intermodal, flatbed, hazmat, and reefer drivers, as well as offering opportunities for owner-operators and dedicated routes.
J R Tharpe Trucking Company offers numerous benefits including dental, vision, and health insurance, life insurance, gym membership, PTO, guaranteed home time, and safety bonuses. They also provide a $60,000-$80,000 general driver salary range, truck lease purchase programs, and rider or pet allowances. Employees can take part in an employee stock ownership plan and have access to flexible scheduling and ongoing training and development programs.
Positive feedback from employees often highlights the comprehensive benefits package, competitive pay, and supportive work culture. Common negative feedback includes concerns about dispatching issues and occasional inconsistencies in home time scheduling.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Regional
- Local
- Dedicated
- Flatbed
- Tanker
- Reefer
- HAZMAT
- Specialized
- Owner/operator
- Intermodal
- LTL
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- Health screenings
- Gym membership
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Dedicated routes
- Truck lease-to-purchase program
- Paid CDL training
- Ongoing training
- Tuition reimbursement
- Deadhead compensation
- Rider & pet allowances
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
CSA safety score: Satisfactory
- Crashes: 16
- Unsafe driving: 0.76
- Driver fitness: 0.12
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.14
- Vehicle maintenance: 3.41
- Controlled substances: 0.09
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
Crosby Trucking Service, Inc.
270 Keezletown Road, Mt Sidney, VA, 24467- Salary range: $50,000-$60,000
- Routes: interstate
- Paid CDL training: true
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Power units: 96
- Drivers: 95
- Revenue: $18,722,000
- Miles driven: 7,052,617 (2024)
Crosby Trucking Service, Inc. (DOT: 32052) is a seasoned trucking company based in Virginia with a robust fleet and diverse cargo capabilities. The company handles a variety of materials including beverages, building materials, commodities dry bulk, fresh produce, general freight, meat, paper products, and refrigerated food. They hire a range of drivers including regional, local, owner-operators, dedicated, and otr drivers, with a particular emphasis on flatbed and dry van driving.
Crosby Trucking provides an appealing array of driver benefits such as dental and vision insurance, disability insurance, direct deposit, flexible scheduling, safety bonuses, paid time off, guaranteed home time, and ongoing training and development programs. Employee feedback on Indeed and Glassdoor reveals mixed reviews, with positive comments often highlighting the benefits package and flexibility, whereas negative comments point to issues with work-life balance and management organization.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Regional
- Local
- Dedicated
- Flatbed
- Owner/operator
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- Health screenings
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Dedicated routes
- Paid CDL training
- Ongoing training
- Deadhead compensation
- Rider & pet allowances
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
CSA safety score: Satisfactory
- Crashes: 14
- Unsafe driving: 3.61
- Driver fitness: 0.19
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.37
- Vehicle maintenance: 5.37
- Controlled substances: 0.06
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
Abilene Motor Express
1700 Willis Rd, North Chesterfield, VA, 23237- Salary range: $50,000 – $70,000
- Routes: interstate
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Tuition reimbursement: true
- Power units: 469
- Drivers: 403
- Revenue: $41,324,000
- Miles driven: 41,100,000 (2024)
Abilene Motor Express (DOT: 335555) is a well-established freight trucking company founded in 1986 and located in Virginia. They transport a wide range of cargo, including general freight, refrigerated foods, beverages, building materials, and hazardous materials. Abilene Motor Express hires hazmat, reefer, dry van, tanker, OTR, and local drivers, offering a variety of employment opportunities.
Abilene Motor Express provides generous benefits for their drivers, including dental and vision insurance, life insurance, direct deposit, PTO, sign-on bonuses, guaranteed home time, and various compensation for layovers and deadhead detention. Employee feedback on Glassdoor and Indeed indicates an average rating of 3.1 and 3.4, respectively. Employees often highlight the company’s comprehensive benefits and modern fleet as positives, while some mention challenges with work-life balance and management communication.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Local
- Dedicated
- Tanker
- Reefer
- HAZMAT
- Owner/operator
- LTL
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- Life insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Ongoing training
- Tuition reimbursement
- Deadhead compensation
- Rider & pet allowances
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
CSA safety score: Satisfactory
- Crashes: 25
- Unsafe driving: 2.18
- Driver fitness: 0.1
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.43
- Vehicle maintenance: 2.81
- Controlled substances: 0.0
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
TNT Transportation Lc
515 N Commerce Ave, Front Royal, VA, 22630- Salary range: $70,000-$80,000
- Routes: interstate
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Tuition reimbursement: true
- Power units: 34
- Drivers: 19
- Revenue: $378
- Miles driven: 1,176,684 (2023)
TNT Transportation Lc (DOT: 803275) is a well-established freight trucking company operating out of Virginia. Specializing in transporting a variety of cargo including building materials, construction equipment, fresh produce, general freight, logs, machinery, metals, motor vehicles, and refrigerated food, TNT hires a diverse fleet of drivers, including regional, hazmat, LTL, OTR, flatbed, specialized, tanker, and more.
Among the benefits offered to their drivers, TNT provides dental and health insurance, life insurance, direct deposit, paid time off, guaranteed home time, tuition reimbursement, driver referral bonuses, sign-on bonuses, safety bonuses, and deadhead detention pay. Additionally, the company supports flexible scheduling and ongoing training and development programs.
On Indeed, TNT Transportation has garnered mixed reviews from its employees. Positive feedback often highlights the company’s competitive salary range ($70,000-$80,000), robust benefits, and supportive work culture. However, some employees have noted challenges with work-life balance, particularly regarding home time and route assignments.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Regional
- Local
- Dedicated
- Flatbed
- Tanker
- HAZMAT
- Specialized
- Owner/operator
- Intermodal
- LTL
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Health screenings
- Life insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Dedicated routes
- Ongoing training
- Tuition reimbursement
- Deadhead compensation
- Rider & pet allowances
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
CSA safety score: Satisfactory
- Crashes: 4
- Unsafe driving: 0.32
- Driver fitness: 0.0
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.15
- Vehicle maintenance: 2.4
- Controlled substances: 0.0
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
Estes Dedicated
1501 N Hamilton St, Richmond, VA, 23230- Salary range: $50,000-$70,000
- Routes: interstate
- Paid CDL training: true
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Power units: 535
- Drivers: 430
- Revenue: $1,639,000
- Miles driven: 19,000,000 (2024)
Estes Dedicated (DOT: 3330935) is a well-established trucking company based in Virginia. Founded in 1810, they specialize in transporting a diverse range of cargo, including building materials, general freight, logs, machinery, metal sheets, and paper products. They primarily employ over-the-road (OTR) and dedicated route drivers, with opportunities for both single and team drivers.
Estes Dedicated offers a competitive benefits package, including dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, along with a 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off, direct deposit, and fuel cards. Additional perks include safety and driver referral bonuses, guaranteed home time, and ongoing training and development programs. Employees on Indeed rate the company 4.0, praising its compensation, benefits, and job security, though some note challenges with work-life balance and management.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Dedicated
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- Health screenings
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Dedicated routes
- Paid CDL training
- Ongoing training
- Deadhead compensation
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
- Crashes: 35
- Unsafe driving: 2.31
- Driver fitness: 0.13
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.02
- Vehicle maintenance: 5.21
- Controlled substances: 0.03
- Hazardous materials violations: 1
Houff Transfer, Inc.
46 Houff Road Sr 256, Weyers Cave, VA, 24486- Salary range: $55,000-$70,000
- Routes: interstate
- Paid CDL training: true
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Power units: 136
- Drivers: 125
- Revenue: $46,803,000
- Miles driven: 7,029,608 (2024)
Houff Transfer, Inc. (DOT: 84328) is a well-established freight trucking company founded in 1993, located in Virginia. The company specializes in transporting a variety of cargo, including agricultural supplies, beverages, building materials, chemicals, dry bulk commodities, construction materials, general freight, intermodal containers, metal sheets and rolls, and paper products. They hire a diverse range of drivers, including regional, OTR, LTL, local, dedicated route, tanker, dry van, and parcel drivers.
Houff Transfer offers competitive benefits to its drivers, such as sign-on bonuses, safety bonuses, paid time off, and ongoing training and development programs. Their compensation package includes a general driver salary range of $55,000-$70,000, health insurance, dental insurance, vision coverage, and a retirement plan 401(k). Employees appreciate the company’s flexible scheduling and guaranteed home time, although some negative feedback highlights issues with work-life balance and route assignments.
On Glassdoor, Houff Transfer holds a rating of 3.0, while on Indeed, it has a rating of 2.8. Positive feedback from employees often mentions the robust benefits and supportive work environment. However, common negative feedback includes concerns about the disorganized route assignments and occasional unmet promises regarding home time.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Regional
- Local
- Dedicated
- Tanker
- Owner/operator
- LTL
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Paid CDL training
- Ongoing training
- Deadhead compensation
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
CSA safety score: Satisfactory
- Crashes: 10
- Unsafe driving: 0.52
- Driver fitness: 0.0
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.09
- Vehicle maintenance: 2.63
- Controlled substances: 0.0
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
Direct Services, Inc.-Va
7425 Boston BLVD, Springfield, VA, 22153- Salary range: $55,000-$65,000
- Routes: interstate
- Paid CDL training: true
- Ongoing training: Paid CDL training
- Power units: 18
- Drivers: 86
- Miles driven: 1,051,982 (2024)
Direct Services, Inc.-Va (DOT: 45636) is a trucking company established in Virginia. This company specializes in transporting temperature and environmentally sensitive commodities, as well as biomedical and pharmaceutical research materials. They carry a variety of cargo, including chemicals, fresh produce, general freight, intermodal containers, livestock, meat, refrigerated food, and other miscellaneous items. Direct Services, Inc.-Va primarily hires regional, hazmat, and OTR drivers, as well as dedicated and expedited drivers.
The company offers several driver benefits, including dental and vision insurance, flexible scheduling, direct deposit, paid time off, life insurance, and a retirement plan (401k). They also provide guaranteed home time, ongoing training and development programs, a sign-on bonus, safety bonuses, and a rider/pet policy. Employees appreciate the competitive salary range of $55,000 – $65,000 and the supportive company culture, reflected in an Indeed rating of 5.0 and a Glassdoor rating of 3.6. Positive feedback commonly highlights the supportive environment and benefits, while some negative comments focus on the need for better route organization and work-life balance improvements.
Driver Options
- OTR
- Regional
- Local
- Dedicated
- Reefer
- HAZMAT
- Specialized
- Owner/operator
- Expedited
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision coverage
- Life insurance
- 401(k)
- PTO
- Guaranteed home time
- Flexible scheduling
- Dedicated routes
- Paid CDL training
- Ongoing training
- Rider & pet allowances
- Sign-on bonus
- Safety bonus
Safety
CSA safety score: Satisfactory
- Crashes: 2
- Unsafe driving: 1.06
- Driver fitness: 0.08
- Hours-of-service compliance: 0.39
- Vehicle maintenance: 2.1
- Controlled substances: 0.0
- Hazardous materials violations: 0
Local Trucking Companies In Virginia
Looking for a local company to work with? Check out these resources:
What To Look for in Virginia Trucking Companies
Choosing the right trucking company is crucial for your career satisfaction and growth. Here are key factors to consider when evaluating potential employers in Virginia:
- Pay and benefits: Competitive salaries, health insurance, retirement plans, and bonuses.
- Work-life balance: Flexible scheduling and the ability to choose routes that fit your lifestyle.
- Company reputation: A strong reputation for treating drivers well and providing a supportive work environment.
- Career growth opportunities: Availability of training, mentorship, and pathways for advancement within the company.
Types of Driving Jobs Available
Trucking companies in Virginia offer a variety of driving positions to suit different preferences and experiences:
- Long-haul driving: Ideal for those who enjoy cross-country routes and extended time on the road.
- Regional driving: Perfect for drivers who want to stay closer to home while still covering significant distances.
- Local driving: Best for those who prefer daily routes and the ability to return home each night.
- Specialized driving: Opportunities to drive tankers, flatbeds, refrigerated trucks, and more.
How To Choose the Right Company for Your Career Goals
Selecting the best trucking company for your career goals requires careful consideration:
- Assess your priorities. Determine what’s most important to you — whether it’s pay, benefits, route type, or company culture.
- Research companies. Look into each company’s reputation, employee reviews, and the benefits they offer.
- Talk to current employees. Get insights from current or former drivers about their experiences.
- Consider long-term growth. Choose a company that offers opportunities for career development and advancement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions truckers have when considering employment with trucking companies in Virginia.
Is a truck driving career worth it in Virginia?
Truck driving may be a good career to pursue in Virginia. While trucking can be a stressful and sometimes dangerous occupation, drivers can earn an income in line with those demands. Trucking offers a high degree of job security, as well, since the industry is an essential component of the overall economy. And truck driving careers offer flexibility in scheduling and the ability to grow through ongoing training.
Which company in Virginia offers the best benefits for long-haul drivers?
Food City is known for offering outstanding benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and bonuses
What type of driving jobs are most available in Virginia?
Most companies in Virginia are hiring for long-haul and regional positions, with some offering specialized roles as well.
What is the best trucking company for new drivers in Virginia?
Food City is known for paid CDL training, as well as ongoing training programs, and offers competitive starting salaries.
How To Apply
Ready to take the next step in your trucking career? Here’s how to apply to the top trucking companies in Virginia:
- Prepare your resume. Highlight your driving experience, certifications, and any specialized skills.
- Research the companies. Visit their career pages to learn more about the job openings and company culture.
- Submit your application. Apply online through the company’s website or job boards like Indeed or Glassdoor.
- Follow up. After applying, follow up with the company to express your continued interest and inquire about the next steps.