“It’s humbling to receive this honor,” said Dale Decker, chief executive officer of Decker Truck Line, which is headquartered in Fort Dodge. “It validates that we’re committed to providing the best place for the drivers to work.”

Decker Truck Line is a diversified carrier transporting refrigerated, flatbed and dry-van freight throughout North America. Decker was honored in the large-carriers division, which includes trucking companies with 400 drivers up to 10,000 drivers. This is the first Best Overall Fleet distinction for Decker, although the company has landed in the top 20 four times in recent years.

“When companies come into the Best Fleets to Drive For program, most don’t make the top 20, but Decker did,” said Jane Jazrawy, chief executive officer of CarriersEdge, which created the Best Fleets to Drive For program and provides online training for trucking fleets.

Now in its 17th year, the Best Fleets to Drive For program identifies for-hire carriers who provide the best workplace experience for their company drivers and independent contractors.

-Submitted photo
Decker Truck Line was named the 2025 Best Fleets to Drive For overall by Carriers Edge.

“The program is unique, because it’s a nomination, not an application,” Jazrawy said. “The drivers themselves nominate companies for this award.”

“If you’ve got it, a truck brought it”

Nominated fleets are evaluated in areas like driver compensation, pension and benefits, professional development, driver and community support, safety records, and more. The highest-scoring fleets are then identified as the Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For and grouped according to size. The highest-scoring fleet in each size category is named an overall winner.

“This award recognizes that trucking is so much more than trucks going from point A to point B,” Jazrawy said. “The drivers are essential to success.”

Trucking is big business in America. Trucks moved roughly 72.6 percent of the nation’s freight in 2022, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA).

In addition, 8.5 million people were employed throughout the American economy in jobs connected to the trucking industry in 2023 (excluding the self-employed), reported ATA.

Decker Truck Line has approximately 630 drivers, 220 non-driver employees, 730 tractors and 1,400 trailers.

About 8 percent of Decker Truck Line’s drivers are women.

Decker drivers haul an array of products, from meat protein products like pork and beef to building materials ranging from gypsum to lumber.

“If you’ve got it, a truck brought it,” Decker said.

Since first cracking the Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For list in 2022, Decker Truck Line has continued to improve its programs year after year, while maintaining strong safety and driver satisfaction numbers.

“This award simply validates what we all know at Decker — that we enjoy a wonderful culture built on respect, family values, work-life balance, and safety performance,” said Chief Operating Officer Bob Elkins. “Transportation is a business of relationships, and we have exceptional relationships with our professional truck drivers, staff, and valued customers thanks to our strong focus on operating with integrity in all that we do.”

Drivers contribute to decades of growth

Decker Truck Line has grown dramatically from humble beginnings. In 1931, with a single Model B Ford truck, Loren Decker and his younger brother, Dale, fulfilled their dream of owning a trucking company. Although Loren Decker was only 17 years old at the time, he already had several years of driving experience in the days when no driver’s license was required.

Back then, the Decker family transported canned goods, plumbing fixtures, gypsum products and windmills between Iowa and the adjacent states. In 1945, after World War II service in the Marine Corps in which he received the Purple Heart, Dale Decker rejoined his brother in the trucking business. Both brothers participated in all aspects of the company’s operations.

The business enjoyed steady, moderate growth as it continued to concentrate its operations in the Midwestern states. Decker drivers transported construction materials, iron, steel articles and food products throughout the region.

In 1976, Loren Decker retired and sold his interest in the company to Dale Decker and Dale’s two sons, Don and Duane Decker. The company continued to expand in the coming years. In late 2022, Don Decker’s son, Dale Decker, became CEO.

Today, the company is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business built on strong Midwestern values. Decker Truck Line recruits and retains professional truck drivers, invests in state-of-the-art equipment, prioritizes safety and strives to exceed customer expectations. The Decker team uses the data compiled through the Best Fleets to Drive For process as a benchmark.

“This helps us identify things we can do to keep improving,” Decker said.

Continuous improvement sets Decker Truck Line apart from the competition.

“Successful companies like Decker study best practices and get ideas from other successful trucking companies,” Jazrawy said. “They also listen to feedback from their drivers and find ways to make things better.”

For example, every professional driver hired at Decker Truck Line is assigned an office mentor through the ART program (Ambassador and Resource Team). This connection makes it easier for new drivers to ask questions and get the answers they need, so they can succeed at Decker Truck Line.

All this helps with driver retention, Jazrawy noted.

“Decker is drama free, which is a high compliment,” she added.

Creating strong connections throughout the company is important to long-term success, Decker said.

“We’ve worked hard to ensure that our truck drivers, who are the very foundation of what we do, have a work environment where they are safe, appreciated, and supported by our staff,” he said.