Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Houston.
About 49,750 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in the Houston metro, at a $56,840 median. BLS counts 2,065 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 Houston.
BLS counts about 91,530 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Houston metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 49,750). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.14). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Houston: 49,750 employed · $56,840 median, 76th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Houston: 19,050 employed · $43,920 median, 53rd-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Houston: 5,720 employed · $48,550 median, 67th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Houston: 7,840 employed · $105,420 median, 47th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Houston: 8,450 employed · $78,860 median, 48th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Houston: 7,410 employed · $60,770 median, 71st-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Houston: 2,140 employed · $50,220 median, 48th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Houston: 18,320 employed · $72,550 median, 55th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Houston: 15,320 employed · $60,760 median, 78th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Houston.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Houston earn a median $56,840, 3% under the $58,640 national figure, and 76th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,320 at the tenth percentile to $79,490 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $60,770 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Houston median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $56,840 | $38,320–$79,490 | $58,640 | −3% | 49,750 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $43,920 | $28,820–$93,020 | $44,860 | −2% | 19,050 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $48,550 | $33,780–$75,870 | $50,340 | −4% | 5,720 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $105,420 | $65,060–$182,680 | $107,230 | −2% | 7,840 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $78,860 | $45,170–$132,850 | $80,730 | −2% | 8,450 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $60,770 | $44,960–$96,650 | $61,770 | −2% | 7,410 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $50,220 | $36,490–$73,150 | $52,260 | −4% | 2,140 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $72,550 | $46,570–$118,820 | $75,940 | −4% | 18,320 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $60,760 | $40,270–$96,930 | $62,890 | −3% | 15,320 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Houston 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 Houston's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Houston rose from 1,286 in 2018 to 2,065 in 2023, up 61%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 19%, to about 17,631 people. Average annual pay there went from $57,734 to $70,969 (+23%), in step with the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 1,286 | 2,065 | +61% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 14,796 | 17,631 | +19% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $57,734 | $70,969 | +23% |
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
Houston runs 14% 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 Houston's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Houston ranks 5th for headcount, 69th for median pay and 32nd for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| 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 Houston, 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, Houston 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, San Antonio, Austin, McAllen and El Paso, so candidates licensed there can work in Houston 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.
We have not closed a commercial trucking search in Houston yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Houston than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Commercial HVAC Service TechnicianFive to ten years of commercial HVAC experience, EPA 608, and independent troubleshooting - filled in two weeks.
- Commercial HVAC TechnicianA lead technician who can also train the rest of the bench.
- Commercial HVAC TechnicianThe second of two technician seats on the same requisition, filled in the same window as the first.
Nearby markets competing for Houston talent.
The closest metro we cover is Austin, about 145 miles away, with roughly 10,760 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.2 times Houston's 49,750). Dallas-Fort Worth pays the most nearby, a $59,530 median, 5% above Houston. That is the number any Houston offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | – | 49,750 | $56,840 |
| Austin | 147 mi | 10,760 | $57,110 |
| San Antonio | 190 mi | 13,710 | $53,650 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 225 mi | 55,670 | $59,530 |
| Baton Rouge | 254 mi | 5,830 | $54,840 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Houston crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Houston in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Port Houston Bayport Container Terminal expansion$1B+2024-2027
Heavy civil, paving, large-scale mechanical. Crane operators and heavy electricians in tight supply.
- IAH Terminal D West expansion$1.46BThrough 2027
Airport-grade MEP, large-scale AHU installs, baggage system mechanical work.
- Texas Medical Center expansion (TMC3, MD Anderson, Memorial Hermann)$5B+ aggregated2024-2030
Largest medical complex in the world keeps expanding. Hospital-grade mechanical, isolation HVAC, OR work. Mechanical PMs with healthcare experience in extreme demand.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Houston market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Houston.
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 Houston a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
For every light-truck driver BLS counts in Houston there are 2.6 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers - 49,750 against 19,050, 19th 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 Houston.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Houston?
BLS puts the Houston median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $56,840 a year, 3% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 76th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Experience carries a clear premium, $38,320 at the 10th percentile against $79,490 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 Houston?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in Houston as they are nationally (location quotient 1.14), with about 49,750 in the metro. The 2,065 general freight trucking companies here average about 8.5 employees per location. With 61% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Houston?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Houston, a $105,420 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $60,770, 42% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $43,920. Driver Recruiter trails national pay the most (4% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Houston?
BLS counted 2,065 general freight trucking companies in Houston in 2023, employing about 17,631 people between them. Up from 1,286 in 2018, a 61% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 8.5 people per location. They pay an average of $70,969, 8% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Houston for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Austin (147 miles, about 10,760, $57,110 median), San Antonio (190 miles, about 13,710, $53,650 median) and Dallas-Fort Worth (225 miles, about 55,670, $59,530 median). Houston out-pays San Antonio, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
2,065 general freight trucking companies in Houston are drawing on the same 49,750 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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