Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Durham-Chapel Hill.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are scarcer in Durham-Chapel Hill than in most of the country, 53% fewer per job, so the roughly 2,130 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 163 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 Durham-Chapel Hill.
BLS counts about 5,270 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Durham-Chapel Hill metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 2,130). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.47). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Durham-Chapel Hill: 2,130 employed · $53,280 median, 89th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Durham-Chapel Hill: 1,820 employed · $40,730 median, 90th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Durham-Chapel Hill: 260 employed · $50,350 median, 39th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Durham-Chapel Hill: 420 employed · $116,310 median, 23rd-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Durham-Chapel Hill: 870 employed · $83,780 median, 25th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Durham-Chapel Hill: 370 employed · $60,540 median, 73rd-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Durham-Chapel Hill: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Driver Recruiter
Durham-Chapel Hill: 2,370 employed · $81,100 median, 14th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Durham-Chapel Hill: 950 employed · $62,000 median, 61st-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Durham-Chapel Hill.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Durham-Chapel Hill earn a median $53,280, 9% under the $58,640 national figure, and 89th of 112 metros. Pay runs $41,810 at the tenth percentile to $78,990 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $62,000 against $62,890 nationally. BLS withholds Durham-Chapel Hill pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Durham-Chapel Hill median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $53,280 | $41,810–$78,990 | $58,640 | −9% | 2,130 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $40,730 | $28,130–$58,030 | $44,860 | −9% | 1,820 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $50,350 | $37,720–$71,320 | $50,340 | 0% | 260 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $116,310 | $70,890–$227,410 | $107,230 | +8% | 420 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $83,780 | $49,990–$141,360 | $80,730 | +4% | 870 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $60,540 | $44,460–$82,210 | $61,770 | −2% | 370 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | – | – | $52,260 | – | – |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $81,100 | $51,340–$133,450 | $75,940 | +7% | 2,370 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $62,000 | $44,560–$88,580 | $62,890 | −1% | 950 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Durham-Chapel Hill rose from 75 in 2018 to 163 in 2023, up 117%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 74%, to about 1,091 people. Average annual pay there went from $51,572 to $65,201 (+26%), 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 | 75 | 163 | +117% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 628 | 1,091 | +74% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $51,572 | $65,201 | +26% |
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
Durham-Chapel Hill runs 53% 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 Durham-Chapel Hill's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Durham-Chapel Hill ranks 95th for headcount, 81st for median pay and 99th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 18,700 | $56,120 | 1.04 | 1,893 |
| Raleigh | 7,210 | $52,110 | 0.73 | 636 |
| Greensboro | 6,480 | $58,480 | 1.34 | 420 |
| Winston-Salem | 3,480 | $51,320 | 0.97 | 255 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 2,130 | $53,280 | 0.47 | 163 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Durham-Chapel Hill, 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, Durham-Chapel Hill metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in North Carolina.
North Carolina writes the age rule backwards from most states: G.S. 20-37.13 sets 21 as the standard CDL qualification age and allows issuance at 18 only to an applicant exempt from or not subject to the age requirements of 49 CFR part 391 - in practice an 18-year-old can hold a Class A or Class B CDL for intrastate work only. North Carolina has a real statutory intrastate medical waiver: G.S. 20-37.13A lets a driver who cannot meet 49 CFR 391.41 apply to the Division in writing for a waiver valid for North Carolina operation only, for a maximum of two years, with medical recertification at intervals the Division sets. A licence issued on that basis must carry a restriction showing it is valid for intrastate operation only, and failing any waiver condition triggers an automatic downgrade to a Class C licence; the same downgrade applies if a driver misses the general medical certification requirement and does not cure it within the 60 days the Division must allow. Before dispatching an 18-to-20-year-old or a waiver holder, confirm the load neither originates nor terminates outside North Carolina. The same state rules apply in Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem, so candidates licensed there can work in Durham-Chapel Hill without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, a division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Durham-Chapel Hill talent.
The closest metro we cover is Raleigh, about 20 miles away, with roughly 7,210 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (3.4 times Durham-Chapel Hill's 2,130). Greensboro pays the most nearby, a $58,480 median, 10% above Durham-Chapel Hill. That is the number any Durham-Chapel Hill offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Charlotte has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham-Chapel Hill | – | 2,130 | $53,280 |
| Raleigh | 21 mi | 7,210 | $52,110 |
| Greensboro | 50 mi | 6,480 | $58,480 |
| Winston-Salem | 75 mi | 3,480 | $51,320 |
| Charlotte | 121 mi | 18,700 | $56,120 |
| Richmond | 134 mi | 11,760 | $58,190 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Durham-Chapel Hill crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Durham-Chapel Hill in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- AbbVie pharmaceutical manufacturing campus$1.4BConstruction begins 2026, completion by end of 2028
185 acres near Research Triangle Park - small volume parenteral drug manufacturing, next-generation labs, a warehouse, and administrative/wellness facilities. 734 direct jobs over 4 years and 2,000+ construction jobs during buildout.
- Novartis biologics manufacturing investment$771M (across Durham and Wake counties)Multi-year buildout
Two new facilities for biologics manufacturing and sterile packaging, plus an expansion of Novartis' existing Durham facility to add sterile filling of biologics into syringes and vials - about 700 jobs.
- UNC-Chapel Hill Carolina North campus extensionUndisclosedSite prep ahead of a projected summer 2027 groundbreaking
A planned campus extension with initial infrastructure work now underway.
These are the 3 projects we track in Durham-Chapel Hill. The Durham-Chapel Hill market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Durham-Chapel Hill.
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 Durham-Chapel Hill a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Durham-Chapel Hill runs close to even: 2,130 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 1,820 light-truck drivers, 1.2 to one, 107th 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 Durham-Chapel Hill.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Durham-Chapel Hill?
BLS puts the Durham-Chapel Hill median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $53,280 a year, 9% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 89th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $41,810 and $78,990, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within North Carolina, Greensboro pays more, at $58,480.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Yes. Durham-Chapel Hill has 53% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 2,130 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 163 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 117% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Durham-Chapel Hill, a $116,310 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $62,000, 47% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $40,730. Relative to national pay, Fleet Manager is the strongest-paying role here (8% above). CDL-B Truck Driver trails national pay the most (9% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Durham-Chapel Hill?
BLS counted 163 general freight trucking companies in Durham-Chapel Hill in 2023, employing about 1,091 people between them. Up from 75 in 2018, a 117% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 6.7 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay about the national average of $65,587.
Which nearby metros compete with Durham-Chapel Hill for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Raleigh (21 miles, about 7,210, $52,110 median), Greensboro (50 miles, about 6,480, $58,480 median) and Winston-Salem (75 miles, about 3,480, $51,320 median). Raleigh has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Greensboro pays 10% more, which is where Durham-Chapel Hill employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers this scarce in Durham-Chapel Hill, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
Schedule a Discovery Call →