Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Boston.
Boston has about 20,090 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 16th of the 112 we cover, and still 44% fewer per job than the country - so they are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 783 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 Boston.
BLS counts about 46,320 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Boston metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 20,090). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.56). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Boston: 20,090 employed · $64,010 median, 6th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Boston: 15,910 employed · $49,630 median, 6th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Boston: 2,440 employed · $56,560 median, 10th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Boston: 3,190 employed · $128,760 median, 10th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Boston: 10,920 employed · $103,940 median, 3rd-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Boston: 3,110 employed · $75,770 median, 10th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Boston: 700 employed · $59,330 median, 19th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Boston: 21,770 employed · $90,270 median, 5th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Boston: 7,210 employed · $65,730 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Boston.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Boston earn a median $64,010, 9% over the $58,640 national figure, and 6th of 112 metros. Pay runs $47,950 at the tenth percentile to $78,770 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $75,770 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Boston median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $64,010 | $47,950–$78,770 | $58,640 | +9% | 20,090 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $49,630 | $35,340–$77,810 | $44,860 | +11% | 15,910 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $56,560 | $43,750–$79,860 | $50,340 | +12% | 2,440 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $128,760 | $78,410–$234,670 | $107,230 | +20% | 3,190 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $103,940 | $65,040–$162,390 | $80,730 | +29% | 10,920 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $75,770 | $52,030–$103,850 | $61,770 | +23% | 3,110 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $59,330 | $50,420–$76,500 | $52,260 | +14% | 700 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $90,270 | $58,280–$146,660 | $75,940 | +19% | 21,770 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $65,730 | $46,040–$101,780 | $62,890 | +5% | 7,210 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Boston 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 Boston's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Boston rose from 617 in 2018 to 783 in 2023, up 27%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 6%, to about 5,895 people. Average annual pay there went from $60,503 to $71,654 (+18%), slower than the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 617 | 783 | +27% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 5,572 | 5,895 | +6% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $60,503 | $71,654 | +18% |
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
Boston runs 44% fewer commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — well 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 Boston's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Boston ranks 16th for headcount, 6th for median pay and 92nd for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. That makes it one of the thinnest commercial trucking labor markets we recruit in.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 20,090 | $64,010 | 0.56 | 783 |
| Worcester | 4,470 | $61,610 | 0.96 | 222 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Boston, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Boston metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts lets you apply at 18 and automatically limits the young driver: CDL holders under 21 are issued a K restriction for intrastate operation only, with 21 required for interstate. Massachusetts runs one of the most explicit intrastate medical waiver programmes in the country, covering vision - a combined horizontal peripheral field of not less than 120 degrees, at least 20/40 distant acuity in either eye with or without correction, and the ability to distinguish red, green and amber - diabetes, deafness and hard of hearing, limb loss or impairment, and cardiovascular conditions. On hearing the Registry is specific: for vehicles with air brakes you must be able to hear the air compressor cutting out, so a profoundly deaf driver is restricted to a commercial vehicle without air brakes. The critical code for an employer is not K but W, meaning commercial motor vehicle intrastate only with medical waiver - if you see a W on a Massachusetts CDL, that driver is medically waived and state-bound, and must not be dispatched across a state line. The same state rules apply in Worcester, so candidates licensed there can work in Boston without re-qualifying. The Boston metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial trucking search in Boston yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Boston than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Commercial HVAC Service TechnicianTwo decades of HVAC and refrigeration, including chief engineer roles.
Nearby markets competing for Boston talent.
The closest metro we cover is Worcester, about 40 miles away, with roughly 4,470 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.2 times Boston's 20,090). Boston pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($64,010 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Hartford at $59,890. Boston is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | – | 20,090 | $64,010 |
| Worcester | 38 mi | 4,470 | $61,610 |
| Providence | 41 mi | 7,030 | $60,610 |
| Hartford | 93 mi | 5,830 | $59,890 |
| Bridgeport | 137 mi | 3,000 | $61,580 |
| Albany | 139 mi | 4,830 | $60,720 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Boston crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Boston in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- South Station Tower (downtown)$1B+Completed September 2025
Dense downtown high-rise over an active transit hub, now complete - a historical example of the complex logistics and high-rise MEP capacity this metro delivers, not an active current driver.
- Kendall Square lab & cleanroom towers (Cambridge)$5B+ ongoingPhased through 2030
Densest life-sciences cluster in the world. Cleanroom MEP, lab process piping, high-spec HVAC. Sustained multi-year demand for lab-experienced trades.
- Seaport life-sciences build-out (South Boston)$4B+ pipelinePhased through 2030
New lab towers and biomanufacturing on the waterfront. Specialty cleanroom + process MEP. Coastal cold-climate envelope considerations drive premiums.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Boston market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Boston.
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 Boston a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Boston runs close to even: 20,090 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 15,910 light-truck drivers, 1.3 to one, 98th of 112 on that ratio.
The driving here is mostly last-mile and service, so a Class A search competes for a smaller resident pool than the total implies and often reaches outside the metro.
Nationally it is 2.1 to one.
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 Boston.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Boston?
BLS puts the Boston median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $64,010 a year, 9% above the $58,640 national median. That ranks 6th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $47,950 to $78,770 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Massachusetts metro we cover pays more for this work (Worcester: $61,610).
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Boston?
Yes. Boston has 44% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 20,090 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 783 general freight trucking companies here average about 7.5 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 27% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Boston?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Boston, a $128,760 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $75,770, 41% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $49,630. Relative to national pay, Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT) is the strongest-paying role here (29% above).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Boston?
BLS counted 783 general freight trucking companies in Boston in 2023, employing about 5,895 people between them. Up from 617 in 2018, a 27% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 7.5 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $71,654, 9% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Boston for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Worcester (38 miles, about 4,470, $61,610 median), Providence (41 miles, about 7,030, $60,610 median) and Hartford (93 miles, about 5,830, $59,890 median). Boston out-pays Providence and Hartford, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Deep pool. Heavily fished.
Boston has 20,090 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 16th of the 112 metros we cover, and still 44% fewer per job than the country. The pool is deep and every employer here is fishing it. Let's get to the ones worth moving first.
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