Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Fresno.
Fresno has 29% more heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, about 8,170 in the metro. BLS counts 949 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 Fresno.
BLS counts about 13,940 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Fresno metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 8,170). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.29). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Fresno: 8,170 employed · $55,740 median, 81st-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Fresno: 3,310 employed · $43,170 median, 61st-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Fresno: 800 employed · $49,580 median, 52nd-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Fresno: 630 employed · $96,610 median, 99th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Fresno: 1,010 employed · $79,830 median, 41st-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Fresno: 720 employed · $65,210 median, 27th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Fresno: 110 employed · $50,150 median, 50th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Fresno: 1,770 employed · $74,170 median, 49th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Fresno: 1,740 employed · $61,730 median, 64th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Fresno.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Fresno earn a median $55,740, 5% under the $58,640 national figure, and 81st of 112 metros. Pay runs $36,620 at the tenth percentile to $76,580 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $65,210 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Fresno median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $55,740 | $36,620–$76,580 | $58,640 | −5% | 8,170 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $43,170 | $34,390–$77,750 | $44,860 | −4% | 3,310 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $49,580 | $38,000–$82,720 | $50,340 | −2% | 800 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $96,610 | $63,150–$169,580 | $107,230 | −10% | 630 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $79,830 | $52,680–$129,880 | $80,730 | −1% | 1,010 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $65,210 | $44,510–$96,210 | $61,770 | +6% | 720 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $50,150 | $36,810–$86,390 | $52,260 | −4% | 110 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $74,170 | $46,860–$118,880 | $75,940 | −2% | 1,770 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $61,730 | $39,400–$89,580 | $62,890 | −2% | 1,740 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Fresno 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 Fresno's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Fresno rose from 383 in 2018 to 949 in 2023, up 148%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 35%, to about 4,523 people. Average annual pay there went from $48,044 to $58,669 (+22%), in step with the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 383 | 949 | +148% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 3,344 | 4,523 | +35% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $48,044 | $58,669 | +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
Fresno runs 29% 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 Fresno's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Fresno ranks 47th for headcount, 74th for median pay and 21st for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 61,270 | $60,340 | 0.74 | 6,548 |
| Riverside | 40,230 | $60,580 | 1.77 | 3,204 |
| San Francisco | 16,450 | $66,450 | 0.52 | 1,040 |
| Sacramento | 10,960 | $60,810 | 0.76 | 1,227 |
| San Diego | 10,440 | $59,780 | 0.51 | 645 |
| Stockton | 10,110 | $60,470 | 2.63 | 1,016 |
| Fresno | 8,170 | $55,740 | 1.29 | 949 |
| Bakersfield | 7,050 | $57,690 | 1.57 | 718 |
| San Jose | 5,360 | $70,730 | 0.36 | 285 |
| Modesto | 3,510 | $58,330 | 1.36 | 378 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Fresno, 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, Fresno metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in California.
An 18-year-old may hold a California CDL and drive for hire within California, but Vehicle Code 12515 requires age 21 for interstate operation, and California requires 21 for hazardous materials or hazardous waste whether the run is intrastate or interstate - so an 18-to-20-year-old cannot cross a state line and cannot take a placarded load even inside California. The Department publishes no California-specific intrastate medical waiver; it handles only the federal picture, with a Skill Performance Evaluation, waiver or exemption transmitted electronically from the National Registry alongside the medical certificate. The intrastate self-certification label is NA and the interstate one NI, and changing self-certification requires a field-office visit and a new form DL 694. One current California-only issue: the Department has announced that until further notice it cannot issue, reissue or renew limited-term non-domiciled commercial driver licences. The same state rules apply in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in Fresno without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: California Department of Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Fresno talent.
The closest metro we cover is Modesto, about 90 miles away, with roughly 3,510 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.4 times Fresno's 8,170). San Jose pays the most nearby, a $70,730 median, 27% above Fresno. That is the number any Fresno offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno | – | 8,170 | $55,740 |
| Modesto | 91 mi | 3,510 | $58,330 |
| Bakersfield | 104 mi | 7,050 | $57,690 |
| Stockton | 118 mi | 10,110 | $60,470 |
| San Jose | 124 mi | 5,360 | $70,730 |
| Sacramento | 158 mi | 10,960 | $60,810 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Fresno crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Fresno in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Fresno Station Early Works (California High-Speed Rail)~$50MBids due March 2026
Retrofitting and restoring the historic Fresno Depot, utility relocations, demolition, ADA improvements, park/plaza development, and multimodal parking with EV charging - the first visible construction phase of Fresno's future HSR station.
- California High-Speed Rail (statewide program)~$231B (Sept 2026 estimate, up from an original ~$33B)Multi-year, ongoing
The broader Los Angeles-to-San Francisco rail program that the Fresno Station is part of. Even though most of the statewide spend sits outside Fresno itself, the program is a sustained source of heavy-civil and station-construction work locally.
- Cesar Chavez Boulevard underpass grade separationPart of the statewide HSR programCompleted March 2026
Located less than a mile from the future Fresno Station site - heavy civil work clearing the way for the station's eventual construction.
These are the 3 projects we track in Fresno. The Fresno market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Fresno.
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 Fresno a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
For every light-truck driver BLS counts in Fresno there are 2.5 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers - 8,170 against 3,310, 22nd 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 Fresno.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Fresno?
BLS puts the Fresno median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $55,740 a year, 5% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 81st of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Experience carries a clear premium, $36,620 at the 10th percentile against $76,580 at the 90th - a 2.1x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. Within California, San Jose pays more, at $70,730.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Fresno?
Not by national standards. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make up 29% more of the Fresno workforce than they do nationally, about 8,170 people. The 949 general freight trucking companies here average about 4.8 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 148% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Fresno?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Fresno, a $96,610 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $65,210, 33% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $43,170. Relative to national pay, Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician is the strongest-paying role here (6% above). Fleet Manager trails national pay the most (10% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Fresno?
BLS counted 949 general freight trucking companies in Fresno in 2023, employing about 4,523 people between them. Up from 383 in 2018, a 148% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 4.8 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $58,669, 11% below the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Fresno for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Modesto (91 miles, about 3,510, $58,330 median), Bakersfield (104 miles, about 7,050, $57,690 median) and Stockton (118 miles, about 10,110, $60,470 median). Stockton pays 8% more, which is where Fresno employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Fresno 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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