Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Cleveland.
About 11,970 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in the Cleveland metro, at a $58,970 median. BLS counts 768 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 Cleveland.
BLS counts about 23,910 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Cleveland metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 11,970). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.88). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Cleveland: 11,970 employed · $58,970 median, 55th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Cleveland: 6,360 employed · $43,160 median, 62nd-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Cleveland: 1,010 employed · $49,340 median, 57th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Cleveland: 1,660 employed · $102,080 median, 63rd-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Cleveland: 1,870 employed · $74,480 median, 65th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Cleveland: 1,970 employed · $62,690 median, 47th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Cleveland: 630 employed · $56,060 median, 30th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Cleveland: 6,330 employed · $70,900 median, 61st-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Cleveland: 3,610 employed · $62,160 median, 57th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Cleveland.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Cleveland earn a median $58,970, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 55th of 112 metros. Pay runs $40,970 at the tenth percentile to $76,110 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $62,690 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Cleveland median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $58,970 | $40,970–$76,110 | $58,640 | +1% | 11,970 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $43,160 | $27,840–$65,040 | $44,860 | −4% | 6,360 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $49,340 | $35,240–$73,150 | $50,340 | −2% | 1,010 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $102,080 | $62,400–$167,920 | $107,230 | −5% | 1,660 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $74,480 | $48,040–$127,090 | $80,730 | −8% | 1,870 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $62,690 | $47,250–$81,290 | $61,770 | +1% | 1,970 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $56,060 | $40,090–$80,890 | $52,260 | +7% | 630 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $70,900 | $47,140–$115,500 | $75,940 | −7% | 6,330 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $62,160 | $43,830–$89,370 | $62,890 | −1% | 3,610 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Cleveland 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 Cleveland's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Cleveland rose from 532 in 2018 to 768 in 2023, up 44%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 6%, to about 5,599 people, so more firms are sharing fewer workers. Average annual pay there went from $54,088 to $65,155 (+20%), in step with the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 532 | 768 | +44% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 5,926 | 5,599 | −6% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $54,088 | $65,155 | +20% |
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
Cleveland runs 12% 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 Cleveland's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Cleveland ranks 34th for headcount, 51st for median pay and 63rd for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 16,110 | $61,720 | 1.10 | 866 |
| Cincinnati | 13,820 | $60,590 | 0.95 | 698 |
| Cleveland | 11,970 | $58,970 | 0.88 | 768 |
| Akron | 4,740 | $60,210 | 1.12 | 264 |
| Dayton | 4,660 | $59,490 | 0.94 | 204 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Cleveland, 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, Cleveland metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Ohio.
Ohio's minimum age is 18 for a first-time CDL, and drivers under 21 are restricted to intrastate commercial driving within Ohio; R.C. 4506.05(C) independently bars interstate operation before 21 and R.C. 4506.06 sets 18 for the temporary instruction permit. Ohio prints an explicit K Intrastate Only restriction on both the CDL and the learner's permit. Ohio has a genuinely unusual hazmat rule: R.C. 4506.131(A)(2) allows the registrar to issue a hazardous materials endorsement to a person under 21, but only for intrastate commerce - so an under-21 Ohio driver can lawfully hold an H endorsement, unlike in most states. Ohio uses four self-certification categories, and non-excepted intrastate drivers are subject to Ohio's own state medical requirements under R.C. 4506.10 rather than federal part 391, with Ohio optometrists permitted to perform the visual acuity, field of vision and colour recognition portions. No named Ohio intrastate medical waiver programme could be verified, so confirm any specific condition with the Bureau. The same state rules apply in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Akron, so candidates licensed there can work in Cleveland without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Ohio Department of Public Safety. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Cleveland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Akron, about 30 miles away, with roughly 4,740 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.4 times Cleveland's 11,970). Columbus pays the most nearby, a $61,720 median, 5% above Cleveland. That is the number any Cleveland offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Detroit has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | – | 11,970 | $58,970 |
| Akron | 30 mi | 4,740 | $60,210 |
| Detroit | 90 mi | 25,780 | $59,120 |
| Pittsburgh | 115 mi | 14,620 | $57,880 |
| Columbus | 126 mi | 16,110 | $61,720 |
| Buffalo | 173 mi | 4,710 | $59,440 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Cleveland crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Cleveland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute$1.1BOpening January 18, 2027
1M sq ft, 210 inpatient rooms, 36 neuro ICU beds, 16 operating rooms. One of the largest single healthcare capital projects in Ohio, requiring hospital-grade mechanical, medical gas plumbing, and ICRA-compliant construction at scale.
- Cleveland Clinic Avon campus expansion$322MBroke ground July 2026, completing 2029
Multi-phase expansion of Avon Hospital and the Richard E. Jacobs Health Center, adding ~250,000 sq ft of clinical space in Lorain County. Sustained, multi-year mechanical and plumbing demand outside the core city.
- Cleveland Clinic Unified Operations Center$142M26-month build, completing late 2028
650,000 sq ft facility in Walton Hills for 526 relocated/new jobs. Large-footprint commercial construction and MEP fit-out, distinct from the hospital-grade work driving the other Clinic projects.
These are the 3 projects we track in Cleveland. The Cleveland market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Cleveland.
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 Cleveland a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Cleveland carries 11,970 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 6,360 light-truck drivers, 1.9 to one against a 1.8 median, 53rd 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 Cleveland.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Cleveland?
BLS puts the Cleveland median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $58,970 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 55th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $40,970 and $76,110, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Ohio, Columbus pays more, at $61,720.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Cleveland?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in Cleveland as they are nationally (location quotient 0.88), with about 11,970 in the metro. The 768 general freight trucking companies here average about 7.3 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 44% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Cleveland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Cleveland, a $102,080 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $62,690, 39% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $43,160. Relative to national pay, Logistics Coordinator is the strongest-paying role here (7% above). Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT) trails national pay the most (8% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Cleveland?
BLS counted 768 general freight trucking companies in Cleveland in 2023, employing about 5,599 people between them. Up from 532 in 2018, a 44% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 7.3 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay about the national average of $65,587.
Which nearby metros compete with Cleveland for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Akron (30 miles, about 4,740, $60,210 median), Detroit (90 miles, about 25,780, $59,120 median) and Pittsburgh (115 miles, about 14,620, $57,880 median). Detroit has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
768 general freight trucking companies in Cleveland are drawing on the same 11,970 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
Schedule a Discovery Call →