Forbes has named Heartland Express, Knight Transportation and Marten Transport in its list of America’s 200 Best Small Companies, which includes companies with sales of $5 million to $750 million.
Knight Transportation, based in Phoenix, ranked No. 82 on the list, the same ranking it received in 2005. Forbes has listed the short- to medium-haul truckload carrier for 12 consecutive years.
Another short- to medium-haul truckload carrier, Heartland Express of Iowa City, Iowa, ranked No. 123, moving up from last year’s rank of 159. Forbes has listed Heartland for five years in a row.
Marten Transport, a long-haul truckload carrier based in Mondovi, Wis., placed No. 141, moving up from 179 last year. Marten has been on the list the past two years.
To qualify for the list, the company’s share price must be more than $5 as of Sept. 29 on a three-month average volume of 10,000 shares. Companies also must have profit margins of more than 5 percent, with positive sales and profit growth on average over the past 5 years and past 12 months.
