Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Buffalo.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are scarcer in Buffalo than in most of the country, 34% fewer per job, so the roughly 4,710 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 220 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 Buffalo.
BLS counts about 11,990 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Buffalo metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 4,710). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.66). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Buffalo: 4,710 employed · $59,440 median, 48th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Buffalo: 4,260 employed · $42,640 median, 72nd-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Buffalo: 500 employed · $48,880 median, 63rd-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Buffalo: 370 employed · $102,330 median, 62nd-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Buffalo: 2,180 employed · $82,450 median, 31st-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Buffalo: 1,020 employed · $63,270 median, 44th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Buffalo: 980 employed · $45,790 median, 83rd-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Buffalo: 2,730 employed · $74,510 median, 46th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Buffalo: 2,000 employed · $61,160 median, 74th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Buffalo.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Buffalo earn a median $59,440, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 48th of 112 metros. Pay runs $46,440 at the tenth percentile to $78,580 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $63,270 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Buffalo median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $59,440 | $46,440–$78,580 | $58,640 | +1% | 4,710 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $42,640 | $32,240–$64,230 | $44,860 | −5% | 4,260 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $48,880 | $33,670–$67,330 | $50,340 | −3% | 500 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $102,330 | $75,670–$168,080 | $107,230 | −5% | 370 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $82,450 | $48,290–$120,470 | $80,730 | +2% | 2,180 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $63,270 | $46,960–$84,700 | $61,770 | +2% | 1,020 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $45,790 | $39,780–$65,880 | $52,260 | −12% | 980 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $74,510 | $48,920–$120,410 | $75,940 | −2% | 2,730 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $61,160 | $43,420–$86,740 | $62,890 | −3% | 2,000 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Buffalo 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 Buffalo's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Buffalo rose from 190 in 2018 to 220 in 2023, up 16%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 13%, to about 2,348 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $54,031 to $66,066 (+22%), in step with the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 190 | 220 | +16% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 2,698 | 2,348 | −13% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $54,031 | $66,066 | +22% |
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
Buffalo runs 34% 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 Buffalo's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Buffalo ranks 73rd for headcount, 45th for median pay and 85th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 65,100 | $65,040 | 0.52 | 4,782 |
| Albany | 4,830 | $60,720 | 0.81 | 108 |
| Buffalo | 4,710 | $59,440 | 0.66 | 220 |
| Syracuse | 4,120 | $61,330 | 1.04 | 113 |
| Rochester | 4,020 | $58,920 | 0.61 | 182 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Buffalo, 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, Buffalo metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in New York.
New York publishes a minimum age of 21 for Class A and 18 for Class B and Class C, but the under-21 restrictions attach to all three classes, not only Class A: for ages 18 to 20 in every class there is no interstate commerce, no transporting hazardous materials and no operating a school bus. Class A at 18 to 20 is reached through New York's Class A Young Adult Training Program, which requires entry-level driver training plus supervised driving time. New York prints code K for CDL intrastate only, and the Department states expressly that K does not remove the federal medical examiner's certificate requirement. Employers will also see New York-specific codes that appear almost nowhere else: A3 for medical certification exempt, applied on excepted self-certification, S1 for school bus only, T1 for transit bus only and V for medical variance. Codes print on the front of the licence after the letter R with the descriptions on the back, so check the reverse of the card. The same state rules apply in New York, Rochester, Albany and Syracuse, so candidates licensed there can work in Buffalo without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Buffalo talent.
The closest metro we cover is Rochester, about 65 miles away, with roughly 4,020 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.9 times Buffalo's 4,710). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $57,880 in Pittsburgh to $61,330 in Syracuse, against $59,440 here. Pittsburgh has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | – | 4,710 | $59,440 |
| Rochester | 66 mi | 4,020 | $58,920 |
| Syracuse | 139 mi | 4,120 | $61,330 |
| Cleveland | 173 mi | 11,970 | $58,970 |
| Pittsburgh | 179 mi | 14,620 | $57,880 |
| Akron | 184 mi | 4,740 | $60,210 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Buffalo crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Buffalo in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Micron semiconductor manufacturing campus (Clay, NY - Syracuse area, ~150 mi east)$100B over ~20 yearsBroke ground January 2026; foundations underway by August 2026
A four-factory campus described by state officials as the largest private-sector investment in New York history and the largest planned semiconductor facility in the United States. Construction has already progressed from site preparation to vertical construction. Located near Syracuse, not Buffalo - but as the anchor of the NY SMART I-Corridor along I-90, it is expected to pull skilled trades demand across the corridor, including Buffalo, over the next decade.
- NY SMART I-Corridor (CHIPS Act tech hub)Federal implementation funding, one of 12 designated hubs nationallyThrough 2034
A semiconductor manufacturing corridor along I-90 from Albany to Buffalo, with a stated goal that 1 in 4 US-made chips come from within 350 miles of Upstate New York by 2034. Buffalo sits at the western anchor of this corridor.
These are the 2 projects we track in Buffalo. The Buffalo market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Buffalo.
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 Buffalo a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Buffalo runs close to even: 4,710 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 4,260 light-truck drivers, 1.1 to one, the narrowest of the 112 metros we cover.
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 Buffalo.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Buffalo?
BLS puts the Buffalo median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $59,440 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 48th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $46,440 and $78,580, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within New York, New York pays more, at $65,040.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Buffalo?
Yes. Buffalo has 34% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 4,710 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 220 general freight trucking companies here average about 11 employees per location. With 16% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Buffalo?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Buffalo, a $102,330 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $63,270, 38% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $42,640. Logistics Coordinator trails national pay the most (12% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Buffalo?
BLS counted 220 general freight trucking companies in Buffalo in 2023, employing about 2,348 people between them. Up from 190 in 2018, a 16% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 11 people per location. They pay about the national average of $65,587.
Which nearby metros compete with Buffalo for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Rochester (66 miles, about 4,020, $58,920 median), Syracuse (139 miles, about 4,120, $61,330 median) and Cleveland (173 miles, about 11,970, $58,970 median). Cleveland has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers this scarce in Buffalo, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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