Leonard’s Express named one of North America’s ‘Best Fleets to Drive For’

Leonard’s Express — a leading transportation services provider offering refrigerated trucking, dry van, warehousing, and freight brokerage services — has been named one of North America’s Top 20 Fleets to Drive For by CarriersEdge. It’s the fifth consecutive year that Leonard’s Express has been recognized as one of the best workplaces for company drivers and independent contractors.

This year’s Best Fleets winners stood out in a challenging operating environment, demonstrating that operational clarity, consistency and practical engagement strategies remain critical to sustaining strong fleet cultures. To be considered for the Best Fleets program, for-hire companies operating 10 or more tractor-trailers must be nominated by a company driver or owner-operator currently working with them. The fleets are then evaluated across a range of categories, including compensation, benefits, HR strategies, professional development, operations, and work/life balance, among other criteria. Surveys are also conducted to collect input from drivers and independent contractors working with the fleets.

“This was a demanding year for fleets across the industry,” said Jane Jazrawy, CEO of CarriersEdge, a leading provider of online driver training and safety management tools for the North American trucking industry. “The fleets recognized in the 18th Annual Best Fleets program distinguish themselves not by avoiding challenges, but by responding thoughtfully to them. Through clear communication and cost-conscious, driver-focused approaches, this year’s Top 20 and Hall of Fame fleets showed that strong cultures can be sustained even in difficult conditions.”

Keys to Leonard’s Express Success

Over the past year, Leonard’s Express has reduced driver turnover by nearly 20 percent with a renewed focus on employee satisfaction and engagement. The company has a Driver Advisory Board and they host driver engagement calls to facilitate communication between frontline workers and senior management. Leonard’s Express is also investing more time and resources in their onboarding and orientation process, especially for new drivers during their first 90 days on the job.

Driver feedback has led to meaningful policy changes. Now, pets and spouses are allowed to ride along with drivers, making life on the road more comfortable and supportive. Most of Leonard’s Express terminals have dog parks to accommodate drivers traveling with their pets.

Input from female drivers prompted Leonard’s Express to change its truck and trailer specifications for easier, safer entry and egress. Driver feedback on paid parking led to Leonard’s covering the costs for safe, well-lit, secure parking locations. And driver input led to the installation of new and improved trailer clean-out facilities. These are just a few of the programs and policies that differentiate Leonard’s Express as a Best Fleet to Drive For.

“Drivers are the beating heart of our industry,” said Leonard’s Express CEO Kyle Johnson. “Soliciting their feedback, using drivers’ ideas to help shape their work experience, has been a game changer for employee motivation and satisfaction. We look forward to building on this success in 2026 and beyond.”