Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Baltimore.
About 15,580 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in the Baltimore metro, at a $59,460 median. BLS counts 755 business locations of general freight trucking companies across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Baltimore.
BLS counts about 31,720 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Baltimore metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 15,580). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.87). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Baltimore: 15,580 employed · $59,460 median, 47th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Baltimore: 7,790 employed · $48,080 median, 11th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Baltimore: 1,510 employed · $50,820 median, 30th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Baltimore: 2,180 employed · $103,540 median, 58th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Baltimore: 5,030 employed · $80,520 median, 36th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Baltimore: 1,670 employed · $74,470 median, 12th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Baltimore: 540 employed · $49,060 median, 59th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Baltimore: 7,930 employed · $82,380 median, 11th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Baltimore: 6,680 employed · $75,460 median, 2nd-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Baltimore.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Baltimore earn a median $59,460, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 47th of 112 metros. Pay runs $43,580 at the tenth percentile to $78,770 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $75,460 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Baltimore median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $59,460 | $43,580–$78,770 | $58,640 | +1% | 15,580 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $48,080 | $32,830–$73,020 | $44,860 | +7% | 7,790 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $50,820 | $36,710–$76,860 | $50,340 | +1% | 1,510 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $103,540 | $69,680–$172,360 | $107,230 | −3% | 2,180 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $80,520 | $55,710–$128,610 | $80,730 | 0% | 5,030 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $74,470 | $49,960–$91,510 | $61,770 | +21% | 1,670 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $49,060 | $33,590–$70,580 | $52,260 | −6% | 540 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $82,380 | $53,820–$132,620 | $75,940 | +8% | 7,930 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $75,460 | $47,860–$102,790 | $62,890 | +20% | 6,680 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Baltimore 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 Baltimore's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Baltimore rose from 492 in 2018 to 755 in 2023, up 53%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 12%, to about 6,565 people. Average annual pay there went from $56,441 to $64,814 (+15%), slower than the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 492 | 755 | +53% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 5,885 | 6,565 | +12% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $56,441 | $64,814 | +15% |
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
Baltimore runs 13% 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 Baltimore's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Baltimore ranks 25th for headcount, 44th for median pay and 64th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Baltimore, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Baltimore metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Maryland.
Maryland's intrastate floor is 18: the official CDL Manual states you must be 18 to drive a commercial motor vehicle within Maryland, 21 to drive across state lines and 21 to haul hazardous materials. Maryland runs a genuine state programme, the CDL Intrastate Waiver Program, administered by the Administration itself: applications are decided after review by the Driver Wellness and Safety Division and the Medical Advisory Board, and the applicant must also pass a public road test. It covers amputation and loss of limb, power grasping and prehension, and deaf or hard-of-hearing applicants - the last only for people who hold or held a CDL within the past year. A waiver holder is confined to driving within Maryland and is not authorised to hold Passenger, School Bus or hazardous materials endorsements, which is a hard limit on what you can dispatch them to do, and they self-certify as Non-Excepted Intrastate. K is the intrastate restriction, required for every driver under 21, and V means a federal medical variance.
Licensing authority: Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Baltimore talent.
The closest metro we cover is Washington, D.C., about 35 miles away, with roughly 20,430 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.3 times Baltimore's 15,580). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $58,350 in Lancaster to $61,520 in Harrisburg, against $59,460 here. Philadelphia has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | – | 15,580 | $59,460 |
| Washington, D.C. | 36 mi | 20,430 | $59,820 |
| Lancaster | 54 mi | 5,080 | $58,350 |
| Harrisburg | 70 mi | 6,800 | $61,520 |
| Philadelphia | 90 mi | 32,220 | $59,370 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 109 mi | 6,590 | $60,090 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Baltimore crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Baltimore in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Port of Baltimore modernizationFederal + state fundedOngoing
Howard Street Tunnel clearance work and terminal upgrades. Heavy equipment operators, riggers, and industrial electrical crews.
- Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild$4B – $4.8BProcurements 2026, construction through 2030
The largest single infrastructure program in Maryland history. MDTA split it into four packages - demolition, north approach, south approach, and main span - specifically to widen the contractor pool. Heavy civil, marine, structural steel, and crane crews in demand for the better part of a decade.
- Tradepoint Atlantic, Sparrows PointMulti-phase, $1B+ invested to dateRolling
The former steel mill site is now the region's industrial engine and the staging/fabrication yard for Key Bridge steel. Structural welders, steel erection crews, millwrights, and industrial electricians all pulled here.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Baltimore market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Baltimore.
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 Baltimore a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Baltimore carries 15,580 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 7,790 light-truck drivers, 2.0 to one against a 1.8 median, 47th 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 Baltimore.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Baltimore?
BLS puts the Baltimore median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $59,460 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 47th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $43,580 and $78,770, 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 Baltimore?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in Baltimore as they are nationally (location quotient 0.87), with about 15,580 in the metro. The 755 general freight trucking companies here average about 8.7 employees per location. With 53% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Baltimore?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Baltimore, a $103,540 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $75,460, 27% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $48,080. Relative to national pay, Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician is the strongest-paying role here (21% above). Logistics Coordinator trails national pay the most (6% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Baltimore?
BLS counted 755 general freight trucking companies in Baltimore in 2023, employing about 6,565 people between them. Up from 492 in 2018, a 53% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 8.7 people per location. They pay about the national average of $65,587.
Which nearby metros compete with Baltimore for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Washington, D.C. (36 miles, about 20,430, $59,820 median), Lancaster (54 miles, about 5,080, $58,350 median) and Harrisburg (70 miles, about 6,800, $61,520 median).
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
755 general freight trucking companies in Baltimore are drawing on the same 15,580 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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