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Wilson Logistics Reviews: SAFER Record, CDL School, Pay

By Editorial Team · Updated September 10, 2026 · 9 min read · Editorial standards

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On this page 8 sections

A recruiter says Wilson Logistics: Springfield-area dry van and reefer, a company-sponsored CDL school in Strafford, Missouri, then a seat. The question people actually type is whether Wilson Logistics is a good company — or a school that expects a year of your miles after the test. Those are two different products. Confirm the USDOT on the door and read the training contract before you treat a star rating as the whole story.

Pay, home time, and online ratings move. Verify current figures with recruiting, on Indeed, and on the FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot. Rules change. Verify current requirements at fmcsa.dot.gov before you act on anything in this guide.

Wilson Logistics safety record: what FMCSA data shows

Start with the federal file. People searching “Wilson Logistics SAFER” get dozens of lookalikes. On the Company Snapshot pulled for this article, USDOT 1009435 is Wilson Logistics Inc, DBA Wilson Logistics, at 545 E Evergreen Street, Strafford, MO 65757, phone (417) 522-1499. Entity type: carrier. USDOT status: ACTIVE. Out-of-service date: none. Authority: authorized for motor carrier of property (except household goods) under MC-425744. Authorized for-hire, interstate. If a recruiter hands you a different number, stop.

The same snapshot — FMCSA systems dated 09/08/2026 — lists 399 power units and 507 drivers. MCS-150 mileage is 43,169,000 for 2024, form date 12/09/2025. Cargo checkboxes include general freight, fresh produce, refrigerated food, beverages, and paper products. That is a truckload shop with dry van and temperature-controlled boxes, not a tanker or flatbed specialist.

U.S. roadside inspections, 24 months before 09/08/2026: 703 total. Vehicle 379 inspections, 54 out of service (14.2%). Driver 683 inspections, 1 out of service (0.1%). Hazmat inspections: 0. National averages printed on that snapshot (table dated 08/28/2026) are 22.26% vehicle, 6.67% driver, 4.44% hazmat. Vehicle and driver OOS sit under the printed averages. FMCSA does not publish a hazmat OOS rate on this card because it logged no hazmat inspections. That is a rate comparison, not a claim the fleet never fails a Level I.

U.S. crashes, same window: 0 fatal, 9 injury, 26 tow, 35 total. FMCSA counts involvement in reportable crashes without a determination of responsibility. A fleet this size will show volume. Read the current file yourself.

Canada on the same snapshot: 0 inspections and 0 crashes in 24 months. Safety rating: Satisfactory, rating date 07/24/2009; later review 08/31/2022, typed Non-Ratable. A 2009 Satisfactory line is not a weekly grade. Walk the fields with our SAFER score company lookup.

Do not mix in the other Strafford file. The same name search also returns Wilson Logistics Inc, USDOT 2937044, still at 545 E Evergreen — a shipper/broker with MC-992605, no power units published, MCS-150 dated 12/01/2022, and no safety rating. USDOT 4057627 is a Tuscaloosa “Wilson Logistics” marked not authorized. Open SAFER by USDOT 1009435 and confirm Wilson Logistics Inc in Strafford.

Who Wilson is — and what the CDL contract actually costs

Wilson Logistics is a privately held Strafford carrier near Springfield (wilsonlogistics.com). Company copy dates the shop to 1980, still family-run, with a CDL school, company and regional seats, contractors, and Wil-Lease. Applications run through IntelliApp.

Most new drivers are buying the school, not a CPM poster. The CDL training page says they cover training costs when you complete one year. That is a clawback. The page does not publish what you owe if you quit at month four. Get the contract, the repayment schedule, and what happens if you fail the road test or get fired — in writing — before you buy a ticket to Strafford. For school math in general, see is CDL school worth the cost.

Published sequence: Class A learner’s permit first. Phase 1 is about five days of CDL prep in Strafford, then a Missouri road test (their page targets 14 to 21 days after prep). Phase 2 is paid OTR training at a guaranteed $900 per week until 30,000 miles with a trainer, then one week solo in the trainer’s truck. The career-path page also says CDL prep of about two to three weeks and OTR training of about six to eight weeks — ask which clock is yours. After six months of safe driving, they say you may qualify as a trainer.

Lease copy sits next to the student funnel. Wilson posts 70% of each load and 100% of the fuel surcharge, a 395,000-odometer-mile lease you can walk from, one forgiven payment a year, and a completion incentive of about $14,000–$30,000. That is recruiting language for a note, not take-home. For lease math in general, see Cloud truck leasing.

Pay: posted bands, student weeks, and “verify current”

Wilson does not post one CPM ladder. The experienced-driver page asks for 12 months of Class A time, a $10,000 longevity check every 60 months of uninterrupted service for mileage-based company drivers and revenue-based contractors (owner-operators excluded), plus medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, and a 401(k).

Posted bands: company $55,000–$100,000; regional/local $55,000–$85,000 (sold as home weekly); OTR $55,000–$160,000; first year after training $75,000–$125,000; contractor teaser $3,500+ a week. Those ceilings mix W-2 miles with lease gross. Indeed also showed OTR CDL-A apprentice ads at $900–$1,300 a week (verify current). TheTruckersReport shows user weeks from $600 to $5,288, with recent company-driver surveys around $700–$975 (verify current). Recurring talk is feast-or-famine miles and a push toward the lease. Rates change. Verify current pay for your role — student week vs solo vs 70% contractor, paid miles, detention, and the clawback — in writing.

What drivers actually say

Public review pages are not a verdict. Indeed’s Wilson Logistics reviews, updated 02/19/2026, sat at 3.7 out of 5 across 178 write-ups (verify current). Work-life scored about 3.1; pay and advancement about 3.3; management about 3.4; culture about 3.5. Titles in the mix include “Good place to earn your CDL and then look for another job,” “For rookies only,” “Great CDL training program,” and “Good starter company.” That is the same pattern the SERP already agrees on: school first, then leave.

TheTruckersReport sat at 2.5 out of 5 on 42 reviews, with a posted weekly range of $600–$5,288 (verify current). 2026 posts there describe getting the CDL through Wilson, then thin company miles, a hard sell on leasing, compliance that nits every move, and pay that swings week to week. Older posts still call it family. Weigh recent driver titles, not a blended star from 2017.

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Home time, equipment, and which seat you would actually run

Regional copy repeats weekly home time. OTR student and lease seats do not. Indeed’s work-life score is the loudest public signal that “home weekly” is a lane, not a company-wide clock. Ask how home time is counted for your ZIP, what happens if you are still under the one-year training obligation, and whether a lease note keeps rolling while you sit.

Equipment talk on driver boards is mixed: late-model trucks get mentioned; so do missing appliances, washouts between reefers, and out-of-pocket fluids. Ask what you would actually be assigned after the 30,000-mile training block, the governor speed, and who pays for scales and grease.

Wilson tends to fit a new driver who will train in Strafford, accept paid team miles, and read the one-year contract before orientation. It can also fit an experienced driver who wants a regional Missouri-area seat with a written home-time rule — if that rule is on the offer, not the homepage. Look elsewhere if you already have a year of CDL-A, you will not sign a clawback, you need a posted CPM before class, or you were sold $3,500 contractor weeks and handed a student $900 check. Compare best trucking companies for new drivers and best OTR trucking companies.

How to vet Wilson before you sign

  1. Confirm the legal name and USDOT. Wilson Logistics Inc, Strafford, 1009435. Do not sign against 2937044 or a Tuscaloosa file.
  2. Re-open the SAFER snapshot the week you would start. Authority, inspections, crashes, rating. Use the SAFER lookup walkthrough.
  3. Get the training contract in writing. What they cover, what you repay if you leave before one year, and whether a fail or a firing still bills you.
  4. Get current pay in writing for the seat you would run. Student $900, solo band, regional, or 70% contractor — not “high earnings.”
  5. Define home time for your zip code. Weekly regional reset, or OTR until the contract is done.
  6. Cross-check people, not just the school brochure. Indeed, TheTruckersReport, and a carrier search on cdlscan. cdlscan is two-sided — carriers review drivers, and you can research the house — and search does not require buying a full report. It will not replace SAFER or the offer letter.

If you have already run for Wilson, add a review on cdlscan so the next student is not guessing from a recruiting card. Search is free; a full report is paid. Neither one replaces looking up USDOT 1009435.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wilson Logistics a good company to drive for?

It depends whether you need a CDL and will finish the year they use to recoup training. USDOT 1009435 shows active authority, a Satisfactory rating, and U.S. OOS rates under the national averages printed on that snapshot. Indeed sat at 3.7 out of 5 on the 02/19/2026 recap (verify current), with many titles calling it a starter shop. Verify current pay and the clawback before you go.

What is Wilson Logistics’s USDOT number?

On the snapshot used here, Wilson Logistics Inc in Strafford, Missouri is USDOT 1009435, MC-425744. A SAFER name search also returns a broker file at the same street (USDOT 2937044) and unrelated Wilson Logistics companies in other states. Confirm the number on the truck matches the Strafford carrier.

Does Wilson Logistics pay for CDL training?

Their training page says they cover training costs when you complete one year. That is not the same as no-cost school with no strings. Ask for the written amount you would owe if you leave early, fail, or get terminated. Verify current terms for your class.

How does Wilson Logistics pay work?

Public pages post annual bands by seat, a guaranteed $900 student week during the 30,000-mile trainer block, a $10,000 longevity check every 60 months for some roles, and 70% of load revenue for contractors. There is no single CPM table on the homepage. Driver boards describe mixed weekly checks. Rates change. Verify current pay for your role.

Does Wilson get drivers home weekly?

Regional recruiting copy says weekly home time. OTR students and lease operators describe a different clock. Ask how home time is counted for your ZIP while you are still under the training obligation.

Should I lease a truck from Wilson?

Independent-contractor copy posts 70% of the load, fuel surcharge, and a 395,000-mile lease with a completion incentive. Public reviews warn about a hard sell and thin miles on the note. Run the weekly truck cost against realistic miles before you leave a W-2. Verify current lease terms.