Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Charleston.
About 6,020 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in the Charleston metro, at a $55,150 median. BLS counts 366 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 Charleston.
BLS counts about 9,970 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Charleston metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 6,020). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.15). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Charleston: 6,020 employed · $55,150 median, 83rd-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Charleston: 2,030 employed · $38,300 median, 107th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Charleston: 500 employed · $48,200 median, 72nd-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Charleston: 610 employed · $100,610 median, 76th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Charleston: 1,110 employed · $86,260 median, 20th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Charleston: 540 employed · $61,000 median, 69th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Charleston: 730 employed · $57,560 median, 26th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Charleston: 2,190 employed · $70,580 median, 63rd-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Charleston: 1,380 employed · $63,440 median, 39th-highest of 112 metros
The roles behind most of our Charleston, SC searches in this trade: CDL-A Truck Driver and CDL-B Truck Driver.
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Charleston.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Charleston earn a median $55,150, 6% under the $58,640 national figure, and 83rd of 112 metros. Pay runs $41,590 at the tenth percentile to $77,550 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $63,440 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Charleston median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $55,150 | $41,590–$77,550 | $58,640 | −6% | 6,020 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $38,300 | $27,080–$56,420 | $44,860 | −15% | 2,030 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $48,200 | $35,080–$74,570 | $50,340 | −4% | 500 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $100,610 | $66,630–$183,950 | $107,230 | −6% | 610 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $86,260 | $49,500–$130,740 | $80,730 | +7% | 1,110 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $61,000 | $46,550–$79,340 | $61,770 | −1% | 540 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $57,560 | $47,150–$79,440 | $52,260 | +10% | 730 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $70,580 | $48,000–$123,180 | $75,940 | −7% | 2,190 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $63,440 | $43,690–$90,000 | $62,890 | +1% | 1,380 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Charleston 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 Charleston's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Charleston rose from 236 in 2018 to 366 in 2023, up 55%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went down 6%, to about 2,442 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $51,978 to $71,663 (+38%), faster than the 23% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 236 | 366 | +55% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 2,588 | 2,442 | −6% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $51,978 | $71,663 | +38% |
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
Charleston runs 15% 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 Charleston's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Charleston ranks 62nd for headcount, 76th for median pay and 30th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 6,020 | $55,150 | 1.15 | 366 |
| Columbia | 5,630 | $51,280 | 1.08 | 308 |
| Greenville | 5,240 | $53,080 | 0.91 | 274 |
| Myrtle Beach | 1,960 | $46,360 | 1.01 | 122 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Charleston, the pool is deep but local employers have been cutting headcount. Experienced people are here, and some will be open to a move, so a clear offer and a defined path up usually beat a higher posted rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Charleston metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Nearby markets competing for Charleston talent.
The closest metro we cover is Myrtle Beach, about 85 miles away, with roughly 1,960 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.3 times Charleston's 6,020). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $46,360 in Myrtle Beach to $56,120 in Charlotte, against $55,150 here. Charlotte has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | – | 6,020 | $55,150 |
| Myrtle Beach | 87 mi | 1,960 | $46,360 |
| Columbia | 106 mi | 5,630 | $51,280 |
| Augusta | 128 mi | 3,250 | $47,920 |
| Charlotte | 177 mi | 18,700 | $56,120 |
| Jacksonville | 197 mi | 13,100 | $55,630 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Charleston crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Charleston in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- I-526 / Long Point Road interchange$227MDesign underway (Parsons)
Major interchange reconstruction feeding the region's port and industrial corridor - sustained heavy-civil and paving demand.
- Port of Charleston terminal expansionsMultiple concurrent projectsRo-ro terminal operational 2027, full completion 2028; Leatherman Berth 2 under construction
North Charleston Terminal expansion (3.4M TEU capacity via the former WestRock site), Leatherman Terminal's second berth (toward 2.4M TEU at full buildout), and a new ro-ro terminal doubling vehicle throughput to 500,000+ annually - sustained port-facility construction across three separate terminals.
- Boeing South Carolina final assembly building expansion$1B+Ramping to 10 airplanes/month in 2026
A new 1.2 million sq ft final assembly building in North Charleston - aerospace-grade electrical, mechanical, and fabrication demand at a scale unmatched elsewhere in the metro.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Charleston market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Charleston.
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 Charleston a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
For every light-truck driver BLS counts in Charleston there are 3.0 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers - 6,020 against 2,030, 9th of 112 on that ratio.
Weighted that far to Class A, the linehaul and regional pool is deeper than the headcount suggests and the local-delivery bench thinner.
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 Charleston.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Charleston?
BLS puts the Charleston median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $55,150 a year, 6% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 83rd of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $41,590 and $77,550, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other South Carolina metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Charleston?
Not by national standards. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make up 15% more of the Charleston workforce than they do nationally, about 6,020 people. The 366 general freight trucking companies here average about 6.7 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 55% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Charleston?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Charleston, a $100,610 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $63,440, 37% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $38,300. Relative to national pay, Logistics Coordinator is the strongest-paying role here (10% above). CDL-B Truck Driver trails national pay the most (15% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Charleston?
BLS counted 366 general freight trucking companies in Charleston in 2023, employing about 2,442 people between them. Up from 236 in 2018, a 55% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 6.7 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $71,663, 9% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Charleston for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Myrtle Beach (87 miles, about 1,960, $46,360 median), Columbia (106 miles, about 5,630, $51,280 median) and Augusta (128 miles, about 3,250, $47,920 median). Charleston out-pays Myrtle Beach, Columbia and Augusta, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Charleston has one of the deeper pools of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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