Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Baton Rouge.
About 5,830 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in the Baton Rouge metro, at a $54,840 median. BLS counts 246 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 Baton Rouge.
BLS counts about 10,870 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Baton Rouge metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 5,830). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.07). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Baton Rouge: 5,830 employed · $54,840 median, 85th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Baton Rouge: 2,870 employed · $41,450 median, 83rd-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Baton Rouge: 500 employed · $46,930 median, 85th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Baton Rouge: 620 employed · $97,000 median, 95th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Baton Rouge: 880 employed · $57,480 median, 112th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Baton Rouge: 640 employed · $60,300 median, 80th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Baton Rouge: 100 employed · $51,230 median, 40th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Baton Rouge: 1,960 employed · $61,400 median, 109th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Baton Rouge: 1,530 employed · $62,140 median, 58th-highest of 112 metros
The roles behind most of our Baton Rouge, LA searches in this trade: CDL-B Truck Driver and CDL-A Truck Driver.
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Baton Rouge.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Baton Rouge earn a median $54,840, 6% under the $58,640 national figure, and 85th of 112 metros. Pay runs $39,400 at the tenth percentile to $74,180 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $62,140 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Baton Rouge median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $54,840 | $39,400–$74,180 | $58,640 | −6% | 5,830 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $41,450 | $25,750–$70,170 | $44,860 | −8% | 2,870 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $46,930 | $34,580–$74,770 | $50,340 | −7% | 500 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $97,000 | $60,540–$158,080 | $107,230 | −10% | 620 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $57,480 | $37,220–$107,190 | $80,730 | −29% | 880 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $60,300 | $41,930–$80,300 | $61,770 | −2% | 640 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $51,230 | $28,320–$78,410 | $52,260 | −2% | 100 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $61,400 | $38,640–$94,920 | $75,940 | −19% | 1,960 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $62,140 | $39,860–$98,080 | $62,890 | −1% | 1,530 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Baton Rouge rose from 162 in 2018 to 246 in 2023, up 52%, close to the 49% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Baton Rouge, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 162 | 246 | +52% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 1,853 | – | – |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $58,839 | – | – |
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
Baton Rouge runs 7% more commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 Baton Rouge's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Baton Rouge ranks 63rd for headcount, 77th for median pay and 41st for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | 5,830 | $54,840 | 1.07 | 246 |
| New Orleans | 5,500 | $51,540 | 0.93 | 384 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Baton Rouge, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Baton Rouge metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Nearby markets competing for Baton Rouge talent.
The closest metro we cover is New Orleans, about 75 miles away, with roughly 5,500 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.9 times Baton Rouge's 5,830). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $47,950 in Pensacola to $56,840 in Houston, against $54,840 here. Houston has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | – | 5,830 | $54,840 |
| New Orleans | 74 mi | 5,500 | $51,540 |
| Pensacola | 237 mi | 1,710 | $47,950 |
| Houston | 254 mi | 49,750 | $56,840 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Baton Rouge crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Baton Rouge in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Katoen Natie Baton Rouge Polymers Terminal expansion$25MCompleting October 2026
A new 300,000 sq ft warehouse for storing and repackaging titanium dioxide and other polymer products. Industrial construction and materials-handling demand at the terminal.
- ExxonMobil isopropyl alcohol production upgrade$100M+Production targeted for 2027
Upgrading the Baton Rouge chemical plant to produce high-purity isopropyl alcohol for semiconductor-manufacturing cleaning solutions, retaining hundreds of existing jobs and creating roughly 45 construction jobs. Ties Baton Rouge's petrochemical base directly to national chip-manufacturing demand.
These are the 2 projects we track in Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Baton Rouge.
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 Baton Rouge a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Baton Rouge carries 5,830 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 2,870 light-truck drivers, 2.0 to one against a 1.8 median, 46th 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 Baton Rouge.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Baton Rouge?
BLS puts the Baton Rouge median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $54,840 a year, 6% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 85th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $39,400 and $74,180, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Louisiana metro we cover pays more for this work (New Orleans: $51,540).
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Baton Rouge?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in Baton Rouge as they are nationally (location quotient 1.07), with about 5,830 in the metro. With 52% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Baton Rouge?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Baton Rouge, a $97,000 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $62,140, 36% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $41,450. Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT) trails national pay the most (29% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Baton Rouge?
BLS counted 246 general freight trucking companies in Baton Rouge in 2023. Up from 162 in 2018, a 52% 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 Baton Rouge for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are New Orleans (74 miles, about 5,500, $51,540 median), Pensacola (237 miles, about 1,710, $47,950 median) and Houston (254 miles, about 49,750, $56,840 median). Houston has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Baton Rouge out-pays New Orleans and Pensacola, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
246 general freight trucking companies in Baton Rouge are drawing on the same 5,830 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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