CarriersEdge has named Fortigo Freight Services and Crawford Trucking as the 2026 Best Fleets to Drive For overall winners in the large and small carrier categories. The awards were presented March 17 at the Best Fleets to Drive For Education & Awards Conference in Charlotte, N.C.
Fortigo, based in Etobicoke, Ont., took home the top honors in the large carrier category after seven consecutive years in the Top 20. This makes the fleet eligible to enter the Hall of Fame if they qualify next year. Meanwhile, Crawford Trucking of Des Moines, Iowa, claimed its first overall win in the small carrier segment in its third year on the list.
The annual program, now in its 18th year, recognizes the Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For — the highest-scoring carriers based on driver surveys and evaluations of compensation, culture, safety, and support — from which overall winners are selected.
“Our winning fleets this year exemplified the hard work and commitment needed to find a way to make a difference for drivers in a continuing difficult market,” said CarriersEdge CEO Jane Jazrawy in a related news release. “While all of our Top 20 winners are leaders in the industry, these two fleets stand out with great programs, and exceptional safety and retention scores.”
Fortigo tops large fleet category
In comments and feedback cited during the ceremony, drivers describe Fortigo as a company built on honesty, fairness, equality, and respect. Jazrawy added that drivers appreciate its commitment to excellence, the opportunities to grow professionally, and the way it looks out for drivers with strong policies.
She further highlighted the fleet’s progression from a “Fleet to Watch” in 2019 to this year’s overall winner, saying this reflects a broader pattern of continuous improvement among the program’s top performers.
Accepting the award, Ted Brown, chief operating officer at Fortigo, said, “As a proud Canadian, I’m thrilled, as always, to be here [and] appreciate the hospitality of our American friends and everybody associated with this program… I thank everybody at Fortigo who engages with our people every day, and great drivers who make everything we do worth it. And again, very proud just to be in this industry.”
Crawford Trucking leads small carrier category
Crawford Trucking’s win in the small carrier category reflects its consistent use of program reports and driver feedback to refine operations, Jazrawy said. She pointed to driver survey responses highlighting a strong internal culture, with one driver noting: “No door is locked at our company except the restroom. Everyone is always available for the drivers, and that’s from the maintenance crew all the way up to — and including — the owner of the company.” Another described the company as a family, filled with lots of love and appreciation.
Accepting the award, the company driver Tony Smith said, “this company is giving me everything,” adding he is appreciative of his colleagues and management for their support.
FTC Transportation earns Stratosphere Award
FTC Transportation also took home an award, being named the 2026 Stratosphere Award winner. The award recognizes the highest-scoring fleet among Hall of Fame members. Fleets qualify for the Hall of Fame after 10 consecutive years as a Best Fleet or seven years with at least one overall win.
The Oklahoma City-based carrier has been a Best Fleets winner for 14 consecutive years and a Hall of Fame member since 2022.
Julia Williams, safety and driver manager, accepted the award on the company’s behalf. “This is amazing. If you don’t know, we only have 25 trucks. We do have super close relationships with every one of our drivers, and they mean the world to me and to everyone in the office, the shop,” she said. “Every team member is super important. Every team member got us here, so I want to thank them all.”
2026 winners, Hall of Fame carriers, Fleets to Watch
Excluding overall winners, the remaining Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For included Ippolito Transportation, Joseph Transportation Group, Kriska Holdings (all based in Ontario, Canada), as well as America’s Service Line, American Central Transport, Brenny Specialized, Chief Carriers, Continental Express, Decker Truck Line, Fremont Contract Carriers, K&J Trucking, Leonard’s Express, Peninsula Truck Lines, PGT Trucking, S&H Express, Thomas E. Keller Trucking, TransLand, and Williams Dedicated.
This year’s Hall of Fame class included Bison Transport, Boyle Transportation, FTC Transportation, Garner Trucking, Halvor Lines, Nussbaum Transportation, Prime Inc, TransPro Freight Systems, and Challenger Motor Freight.
A 2015 Fleet to Watch, Challenger has since logged seven consecutive years as a Best Fleet, with overall wins in 2022 and 2024, and is the newest addition to the Hall of Fame in 2026.
CarriersEdge also named Erb Transport, Quality Carriers, Arlo G Lott Trucking, GP Transco, and USXL as the five Fleets to Watch, highlighting the carriers’ potential to contend for Top 20 honors in the coming years.
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