CarriersEdge announces 2026 Best Fleets to Drive for winners. CarriersEdge has released its list of the 2026 Best Fleets to Drive For, recognizing for-hire trucking companies across North America that continue to deliver strong workplace experiences for company drivers and independent contractors during a challenging operating year. The annual program highlights fleets that demonstrate consistency, transparency, and meaningful driver engagement, even as carriers navigate rising costs, shifting freight volumes, and ongoing workforce pressures. "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," CarriersEdge said. Fleets recognized for driver-focused operations. The Best Fleets to Drive For award honors trucking companies operating 10 or more tractor-trailers that are nominated by a current company driver or owner-operator. Once nominated, fleets are evaluated across multiple operational and workplace categories, including compensation, benefits, human resources practices, professional development, operations, and work-life balance. Driver and independent contractor surveys are also used as part of the evaluation process, giving working drivers a direct voice in how fleets are assessed. Industry challenges shaped the 2026 results. CarriersEdge said the 2026 program reflected a year of change across the trucking industry, with new fleets entering the Top 20 and others maintaining long-term recognition. Four fleets earned Top 20 status for the first time, while one carrier was newly inducted into the Hall of Fame. Eight fleets that previously achieved Hall of Fame status successfully re-qualified in 2026. "This was a demanding year for fleets across the industry," said Jane Jazrawy, CarriersEdge CEO. "The fleets recognized in the 2026 Best Fleets programs 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." Hall of Fame criteria remains selective. The Best Fleets Hall of Fame was introduced in 2022 to recognize carriers that demonstrate sustained excellence over time. To qualify, fleets must be named a Best Fleet for 10 consecutive years, or for seven years with at least one overall award. Hall of Fame fleets must re-qualify each year to maintain their status. For 2026, Challenger Motor Freight Inc. of Cambridge, Ontario, was named as a new Hall of Fame fleet. * Bison Transport Inc., Winnipeg, Manitoba * Boyle Transportation, a UPS Healthcare Company, Billerica, Mass. * FTC Transportation Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla. * Garner Trucking Inc., Findlay, Ohio * Halvor Lines Inc., Superior, Wis. * Nussbaum Transportation Services Inc., Hudson, Ill. * Prime Inc., Springfield, Mo. * TransPro Freight Systems Limited, Milton, Ontario 2026 Best Fleets to Drive For Top 20. The following fleets were named to the 2026 Best Fleets to Drive For Top 20 list: * America's Service Line, Green Bay, Wis. * American Central Transport, Kansas City, Mo. * Brenny Specialized Inc., St. Joseph, Minn. * Chief Carriers Inc., Grand Island, Neb. * Continental Express Inc., Sidney, Ohio * Crawford Trucking, Des Moines, Iowa * Decker Truck Line Inc., Fort Dodge, Iowa * Fortigo Freight Services Inc., Etobicoke, Ontario * Fremont Contract Carriers, Fremont, Neb. * Ippolito Transportation Inc., Burlington, Ontario * Joseph Transportation Group, Stoney Creek, Ontario * K&J Trucking Inc., Sioux Falls, S.D. * Kriska Holdings Limited, Prescott, Ontario * Leonard's Express Inc., Farmington, N.Y. * Peninsula Truck Lines Inc., Federal Way, Wash. * PGT Trucking Inc., Aliquippa, Penn. * S&H Express Inc., York, Penn. * Thomas E. Keller Trucking Inc., Defiance, Ohio * TransLand, Strafford, Mo. * Williams Dedicated LLC, Michigan City, Ind. Fleets to Watch named in 2026. In addition to the Top 20, five fleets were recognized as Fleets to Watch in 2026: * Arlo G. Lott Trucking Inc., Jerome, Idaho * Erb Transport Limited, New Hamburg, Ontario * GP Transco, Joliet, Ill. * Quality Carriers Inc., Tampa, Fla. * USXL, Foristell, Mo. Awards Conference scheduled for March. Two overall winners, one large fleet and one small fleet, will be announced at the Best Fleets Education & Awards Conference, scheduled for March 16 and 17 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina. CarriersEdge will also present the Stratosphere Award, which recognizes the highest-scoring fleet within the Hall of Fame category. The conference will include a detailed breakdown of program data, trends, and operational practices identified during the 2026 evaluation process. Sponsors for the event include TruckRight, Netradyne, and ISAAC. The Best Fleets to Drive For program continues to serve as a benchmark for carriers focused on long-term driver satisfaction, operational discipline, and sustainable fleet culture.

Optimal Dynamics enters Canadian market through strategic partnership with Challenger Motor Freight. Decision Automation Platform Will Support Cross-Border and Intra-Canadian Carriers to Drive Revenue and Operational Efficiency NEW YORK, December 3, 2025 (Newswire.com) - Optimal Dynamics, the leader in Artificial Decision Intelligence for the transportation industry, today announced its first expansion into the Canadian market, driven by a strategic partnership with Challenger Motor Freight, part of the Fastfrate Group and one of North America's largest privately owned transportation and logistics companies. This move comes in direct response to surging demand from Canadian fleets seeking advanced technology to navigate today's complex freight environment. Optimal Dynamics is expanding its Decision Automation Platform to meet the unique requirements of intra-Canadian and cross-border operations, enabling Canadian carriers to realize the same transformative results, including increased revenue per truck, asset utilization, and planning team efficiency, that the company is known for across the U.S. Unlocking Automation for a Canadian Titan Recognized for its leadership in operational and technological innovation, Challenger Motor Freight partnered with Optimal Dynamics to advance its strategic goals and embrace the next era of automation. Optimal Dynamics is working closely with the Challenger team to ensure compliance with unique Canadian regulations, including HOS rules, specific driver parameters, border-crossing location requirements, and more. Challenger is leveraging the power of decision automation to focus on several key areas: * Automating optimized load acceptance and dispatch decisions * Sourcing high-quality freight and improving customer service rep (CSR) workflows * Freeing up planning team members to focus on strategic, high-value work * Simulating "what-if" scenarios to guide better network-wide decisions "As one of North America's largest carriers, Challenger continues to lead the transportation industry by embracing AI-driven automation," said Zahi Mitri, VP of Innovation and Technology at Challenger Motor Freight. "We were seeking a partner capable of advancing our strategic goals and found our ideal fit in Optimal Dynamics. Together, we are unlocking new opportunities to optimize operations, enhance planning efficiency, and elevate service across the U.S. and Canada." Optimal Dynamics CEO Daniel Powell highlighted the strategic importance of the expansion. "The Canadian market presents a significant opportunity for carriers looking to use true automation to gain a competitive edge in a challenging environment," said Powell. "This partnership with Challenger Motor Freight is validation of our platform's ability to solve the most complex cross-border planning challenges. We are honored to support Challenger's continued drive for innovation, and we look forward to bringing this proven decision automation power to more fleets across Canada." Optimal Dynamics' Decision Automation Platform will be fully configured and available to help Canadian carriers transform operations, delivering a path to consistency, scalability, and enhanced profitability in 2026 and beyond. Carriers can request a customized demo of the platform and inquire about early access. From what started out as an LTL intermodal carrier, Fastfrate has grown into a diverse group of six companies operating out of 40 terminals and final-mile hubs across Canada and into the USA. Each company within Fastfrate Group has its story, its legacy, and its expertise. Now, under the umbrella of our collective network, these stories converge to form a powerhouse of end-to-end supply chain solutions. This evolution allows us to offer customers a full suite of asset-based transportation including intermodal LTL and TL, third-party logistics services, cross-border LTL and TL, drayage and transload, warehousing, distribution, and final-mile B2B and B2C. Please visit fastfrate.com for more information. About Optimal Dynamics Optimal Dynamics provides the decision intelligence layer that powers logistics transformation. Born out of 40 years of research at Princeton University, Optimal Dynamics leverages proprietary artificial intelligence technology to automate, optimize, and radically improve decision-making across trucking and transportation operations. Headquartered in New York City, Optimal Dynamics is backed by marquee investors including Koch Disruptive Technologies, Bessemer Venture Partners, The Westly Group, and Activate Capital. Learn more at www.optimaldynamics.com.

Ms Kucko joins Pengana from Challenger Limited, with previous roles including Digital Marketing Specialist at Kaplan Professional.