Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Albuquerque.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are scarcer in Albuquerque than in most of the country, 22% fewer per job, so the roughly 4,210 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 163 business locations of general freight trucking companies across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Albuquerque.
BLS counts about 8,420 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Albuquerque metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 4,210). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.78). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Albuquerque: 4,210 employed · $55,840 median, 80th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Albuquerque: 1,990 employed · $41,710 median, 79th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Albuquerque: 570 employed · $43,710 median, 105th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Albuquerque: 340 employed · $101,120 median, 72nd-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Albuquerque: 970 employed · $66,860 median, 96th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Albuquerque: 630 employed · $59,140 median, 88th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Albuquerque: 60 employed · $63,010 median, 2nd-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Albuquerque: 2,250 employed · $73,290 median, 52nd-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Albuquerque: 1,590 employed · $56,210 median, 109th-highest of 112 metros
The roles behind most of our Albuquerque, NM searches in this trade: CDL-A Truck Driver and CDL-B Truck Driver.
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Rochester, NY, Sacramento, CA too.
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Albuquerque.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Albuquerque earn a median $55,840, 5% under the $58,640 national figure, and 80th of 112 metros. Pay runs $40,040 at the tenth percentile to $71,560 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $59,140 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Albuquerque median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $55,840 | $40,040–$71,560 | $58,640 | −5% | 4,210 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $41,710 | $31,050–$62,200 | $44,860 | −7% | 1,990 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $43,710 | $31,750–$64,560 | $50,340 | −13% | 570 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $101,120 | $69,500–$150,260 | $107,230 | −6% | 340 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $66,860 | $45,040–$121,270 | $80,730 | −17% | 970 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $59,140 | $41,630–$83,740 | $61,770 | −4% | 630 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $63,010 | $44,620–$81,180 | $52,260 | +21% | 60 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $73,290 | $48,000–$121,660 | $75,940 | −3% | 2,250 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $56,210 | $41,130–$83,370 | $62,890 | −11% | 1,590 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Albuquerque metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Albuquerque's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Albuquerque rose from 151 in 2018 to 163 in 2023, up 8%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Albuquerque, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 151 | 163 | +8% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Commercial Trucking hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Commercial Trucking · 2026 Commercial Trucking Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Commercial Trucking
Albuquerque runs 22% fewer commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Albuquerque's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Albuquerque ranks 79th for headcount, 73rd for median pay and 70th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Albuquerque, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Albuquerque metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Nearby markets competing for Albuquerque talent.
The closest metro we cover is El Paso, about 230 miles away, with roughly 7,850 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.9 times Albuquerque's 4,210). Albuquerque pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($55,840 median), which helps when recruiting people in from El Paso at $49,270. El Paso has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | – | 4,210 | $55,840 |
| El Paso | 230 mi | 7,850 | $49,270 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Albuquerque crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Albuquerque in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Sandia National Laboratories Power Sources Capability buildingOne of Sandia's largest projects in a decadeStarted August 2025; final beam installed April 2026; completing 2028
Replaces an aging facility with one designed to adapt to changing weapons-systems missions over the next 50 years. Federal-facility-grade mechanical and electrical construction at a scale few commercial projects in the region reach.
This is the only project we track in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Albuquerque.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end a commercial trucking offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Commercial Trucking credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Is Albuquerque a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Albuquerque carries 4,210 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 1,990 light-truck drivers, 2.1 to one against a 1.8 median, 44th of 112 on that ratio.
Neither end dominates, so the pool depends more on which roles you are filling than on the size of the metro.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (53-3032) against light truck drivers (53-3033), across the 112 metros BLS publishes both series for.
Frequently asked - Commercial Trucking hiring in Albuquerque.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Albuquerque?
BLS puts the Albuquerque median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $55,840 a year, 5% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 80th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $40,040 and $71,560, a 1.8x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Albuquerque?
Yes. Albuquerque has 22% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 4,210 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Albuquerque?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Albuquerque, a $101,120 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $59,140, 42% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $41,710. Relative to national pay, Logistics Coordinator is the strongest-paying role here (21% above). Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT) trails national pay the most (17% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Albuquerque?
BLS counted 163 general freight trucking companies in Albuquerque in 2023. Up from 151 in 2018, a 8% increase against 49% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Albuquerque for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are El Paso (230 miles, about 7,850, $49,270 median). El Paso has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Albuquerque out-pays El Paso, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers this scarce in Albuquerque, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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