Why this Midwest carrier keeps showing up on drivers’ shortlists
Founded in 1987 by Ken Ackerman, K&B Transportation grew from a 25-tractor meat-haul operation into a Nebraska-based refrigerated carrier with more than 2,000 pieces of equipment and a footprint centered on the Greater Midwest. The company relocated to South Sioux City in 1997 and remains family-run under brothers Kory and Brock Ackerman. For shippers, K&B pitches 98%+ on-time delivery and end-to-end visibility; for drivers, the brand is synonymous with guaranteed miles.
Innovation highlights that matter to fleets and O/Os
- Pay guarantees and multiple pay plans. K&B popularized a weekly minimum tied to a 2,300–2,500 mile guarantee and now markets four options ranging from home-weekends regional to “Road Warrior,” with pay bands commonly advertised at 62–70 CPM. The guarantee aims to smooth out detention-heavy weeks and winter slack—useful for personal cash flow and fleet retention.
- Nationwide recruiting with fly-home hometime. For long-out drivers, K&B advertises paid flights for hometime, widening the hiring map beyond traditional lanes. That approach can help fleets backfill quickly without adding terminals.
- Visibility and equipment standards. The carrier highlights real-time load tracking through FourKites, a paper-light operation, and late-model Freightliner Cascadias with APUs and in-cab fridges—features that reduce idle time, support reefer reliability, and help utilization.
Controversies and tradeoffs: the fine print behind the pitch
Driver forums and recruiting pages point to two recurring friction points. First, time-out requirements: the top-paying “Road Warrior” option expects roughly eight weeks out followed by about 10 days at home, which won’t fit every lifestyle. Second, dispatch control: K&B promotes no forced East/West Coast, but dispatch is described as “forced in the Midwest,” a common sticking point for drivers who want more say in loads. Policies also list no pets—another quality-of-life limiter for some. None of these are unique to K&B, but they are worth weighing against the pay floor and consistent reefer miles.
Safety picture and scale
On safety, K&B holds a “Satisfactory” federal safety rating (rating date June 17, 2015) under USDOT 320526. While CSA/SMS snapshots are not a federal “grade,” they inform how enforcement prioritizes carriers. Recent inspection records show routine Level III driver inspections—with several samples in 2025 showing no violations. For planning purposes, third-party aggregators and company disclosures suggest a fleet around 700 power units running roughly 78 million miles annually, consistent with a large regional reefer network.
What fleet managers and owner-operators should watch
- Model the guarantee. A weekly floor can stabilize pay and recruiting, but it requires disciplined network design, detention management, and trailer pool balance to avoid margin drag when weather or customer dwell spikes.
- Hometime commitments. Long-out schedules improve asset utilization but can raise turnover if expectations aren’t set up front. K&B’s fly-home play is one way to keep promises; ensure your HR and payroll processes back that up.
- Tech ROI in refrigerated. FourKites-style visibility plus APUs and ELD-driven workflows can trim spoilage risk and idling—benefits that compound across a reefer fleet if compliance and driver training stay tight.
- Policy tradeoffs. Forced-dispatch footprints and pet/passenger rules sound operationally minor but can sway recruiting outcomes. Audit how your policies read next to compensation headlines.
Bottom line
K&B built a durable niche by pairing reefer specialization with compensation guarantees and a visibility-heavy tech stack. The offer resonates with drivers who value predictable pay and steady Midwest lanes—but the tradeoffs (time out, dispatch control, pet policy) are real. For fleets benchmarking their own offers, the takeaway is less about matching cents-per-mile and more about aligning network, technology, and policies so the promise you market is the week your drivers actually experience.
Sources Consulted: K&B Transportation (company site); CDLLife; FMCSA SMS and SAFER; TruckingDatabase.
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