Commercial Trucking recruiters serving El Paso.
El Paso has 75% more heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, about 7,850 in the metro. BLS counts 583 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 El Paso.
BLS counts about 12,600 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the El Paso metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 7,850). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.75). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →El Paso: 7,850 employed · $49,270 median, 103rd-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →El Paso: 1,990 employed · $36,030 median, 111th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
El Paso: 820 employed · $43,420 median, 107th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
El Paso: 710 employed · $85,960 median, 109th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
El Paso: 2,660 employed · $73,920 median, 70th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
El Paso: 1,090 employed · $47,520 median, 111th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
El Paso: 370 employed · $45,320 median, 86th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
El Paso: 1,800 employed · $58,990 median, 110th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
El Paso: 1,670 employed · $51,480 median, 111th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in El Paso.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in El Paso earn a median $49,270, 16% under the $58,640 national figure, and 103rd of 112 metros. Pay runs $36,310 at the tenth percentile to $74,800 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $51,480 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | El Paso median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $49,270 | $36,310–$74,800 | $58,640 | −16% | 7,850 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $36,030 | $20,540–$88,800 | $44,860 | −20% | 1,990 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $43,420 | $28,710–$65,990 | $50,340 | −14% | 820 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $85,960 | $57,250–$147,930 | $107,230 | −20% | 710 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $73,920 | $38,950–$112,260 | $80,730 | −8% | 2,660 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $47,520 | $37,510–$68,320 | $61,770 | −23% | 1,090 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $45,320 | $29,780–$60,190 | $52,260 | −13% | 370 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $58,990 | $38,470–$97,350 | $75,940 | −22% | 1,800 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $51,480 | $36,020–$77,310 | $62,890 | −18% | 1,670 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, El Paso 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 El Paso's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in El Paso rose from 414 in 2018 to 583 in 2023, up 41%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 21%, to about 8,364 people. Average annual pay there went from $44,014 to $55,552 (+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 | 414 | 583 | +41% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 6,920 | 8,364 | +21% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $44,014 | $55,552 | +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
El Paso runs 75% more commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — well 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 El Paso's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, El Paso ranks 50th for headcount, 92nd for median pay and 5th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. That puts it among the deepest commercial trucking labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 55,670 | $59,530 | 1.04 | 2,482 |
| Houston | 49,750 | $56,840 | 1.14 | 2,065 |
| San Antonio | 13,710 | $53,650 | 0.92 | 535 |
| Austin | 10,760 | $57,110 | 0.63 | 327 |
| El Paso | 7,850 | $49,270 | 1.75 | 583 |
| McAllen | 4,390 | $47,040 | 1.12 | 344 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in El Paso, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, El Paso metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Texas.
Texas issues CDLs from 18: the Department's medical certification rules require non-excepted interstate drivers to be 21 or older and excepted interstate drivers to be 18 or older, so 18 is the floor for Class A and Class B with 21 required for ordinary interstate work. Texas prints restriction K, intrastate only. Texas has a state medical exemption route for non-excepted intrastate drivers described on Form CDL-37, and a granted state waiver must be submitted together with the medical examiner's certificate; separately the Texas Limb Waiver remains available to applicants who cannot meet the physical requirements and limits the driver to commercial operation within Texas only. The Texas Vision Waiver was withdrawn as of January 1, 2023, with existing holders required to meet the federal alternative vision standards by December 1, 2024 or their certificate expiry - so an older Texas vision waiver is no longer a valid qualification. Texas also has two excepted-intrastate routes with restrictions printed on the licence, one for drivers regularly employed in Texas commercial operation before August 28, 1989 who do not haul placarded hazmat, and one for oil or water well servicing, drilling and mobile crane operations. The same state rules apply in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and McAllen, so candidates licensed there can work in El Paso without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Texas Department of Public Safety; driver licensing is in Public Safety, not in the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, which handles vehicles only. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for El Paso talent.
The closest metro we cover is Albuquerque, about 230 miles away, with roughly 4,210 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.5 times El Paso's 7,850). Tucson pays the most nearby, a $56,640 median, 15% above El Paso. That is the number any El Paso offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. El Paso 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso | – | 7,850 | $49,270 |
| Albuquerque | 230 mi | 4,210 | $55,840 |
| Tucson | 262 mi | 3,820 | $56,640 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for El Paso crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into El Paso in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Artcraft interchange/flyover$244MTxDOT/Sundt, completion 2030
A major freeway interchange conversion on the west side - sustained heavy-civil and paving demand for years.
- Meta data center (Northeast El Paso)$14B (up from initial $1.5B; Meta has since sold an 80% stake to BlackRock)Power infrastructure online by 2027
813 modular gas generators delivering 366MW ($473M alone), plus the broader hyperscale data center campus. About 4,000 construction workers expected on-site at peak - the single largest capital project in this metro's history.
- El Paso VA Health Care Center (Fort Bliss)$620M+Broke ground 2024, completion now August 2029
A 492,000 sq ft medical center serving 54,000 veterans with outpatient, mental health, primary care, ambulatory care, and ancillary services.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The El Paso market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in El Paso.
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 El Paso a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
For every light-truck driver BLS counts in El Paso there are 3.9 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers - 7,850 against 1,990, 3rd 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 El Paso.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in El Paso?
BLS puts the El Paso median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $49,270 a year, 16% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 103rd of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $36,310 at the 10th percentile against $74,800 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. Within Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth pays more, at $59,530.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in El Paso?
Not by national standards. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make up 75% more of the El Paso workforce than they do nationally, about 7,850 people. The 583 general freight trucking companies here average about 14 employees per location. With 41% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in El Paso?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in El Paso, an $85,960 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $51,480, 40% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $36,030. Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician trails national pay the most (23% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in El Paso?
BLS counted 583 general freight trucking companies in El Paso in 2023, employing about 8,364 people between them. Up from 414 in 2018, a 41% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 14 people per location. They pay an average of $55,552, 15% below the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with El Paso for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Albuquerque (230 miles, about 4,210, $55,840 median) and Tucson (262 miles, about 3,820, $56,640 median). Albuquerque pays 13% more, which is where El Paso employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
El Paso 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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