Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Huntsville.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are scarcer in Huntsville than in most of the country, 27% fewer per job, so the roughly 2,570 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 99 business locations of general freight trucking companies across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Huntsville.
BLS counts about 5,970 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Huntsville metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 2,570). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.73). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Huntsville: 2,570 employed · $56,690 median, 77th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Huntsville: 1,610 employed · $42,800 median, 68th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Huntsville: 140 employed · $46,900 median, 86th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Huntsville: 210 employed · $124,380 median, 15th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Huntsville: 450 employed · $84,990 median, 22nd-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Huntsville: 490 employed · $55,110 median, 108th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Huntsville: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Driver Recruiter
Huntsville: 1,630 employed · $78,780 median, 20th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Huntsville: 1,300 employed · $59,120 median, 99th-highest of 112 metros
The roles behind most of our Huntsville, AL searches in this trade: CDL-A Truck Driver and CDL-B Truck Driver.
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Huntsville.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Huntsville earn a median $56,690, 3% under the $58,640 national figure, and 77th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,240 at the tenth percentile to $78,160 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $59,120 against $62,890 nationally. BLS withholds Huntsville pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Huntsville median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $56,690 | $38,240–$78,160 | $58,640 | −3% | 2,570 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $42,800 | $29,330–$84,280 | $44,860 | −5% | 1,610 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $46,900 | $36,230–$75,550 | $50,340 | −7% | 140 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $124,380 | $82,330–$163,370 | $107,230 | +16% | 210 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $84,990 | $49,550–$142,670 | $80,730 | +5% | 450 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $55,110 | $40,440–$79,010 | $61,770 | −11% | 490 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | – | – | $52,260 | – | – |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $78,780 | $47,880–$132,570 | $75,940 | +4% | 1,630 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $59,120 | $36,230–$92,150 | $62,890 | −6% | 1,300 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Huntsville 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 Huntsville's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Huntsville rose from 49 in 2018 to 99 in 2023, up 102%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 46%, to about 1,050 people. Average annual pay there went from $53,818 to $65,326 (+21%), in step with the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 49 | 99 | +102% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 720 | 1,050 | +46% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $53,818 | $65,326 | +21% |
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
Huntsville runs 27% 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 Huntsville's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Huntsville ranks 93rd for headcount, 70th for median pay and 80th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 9,170 | $54,460 | 1.33 | 300 |
| Huntsville | 2,570 | $56,690 | 0.73 | 99 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Huntsville, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Huntsville metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Nearby markets competing for Huntsville talent.
The closest metro we cover is Chattanooga, about 75 miles away, with roughly 4,370 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.7 times Huntsville's 2,570). Nashville pays the most nearby, a $60,630 median, 7% above Huntsville. That is the number any Huntsville offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Atlanta has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | – | 2,570 | $56,690 |
| Chattanooga | 76 mi | 4,370 | $57,440 |
| Birmingham | 84 mi | 9,170 | $54,460 |
| Nashville | 100 mi | 18,860 | $60,630 |
| Atlanta | 143 mi | 41,830 | $59,100 |
| Knoxville | 173 mi | 8,130 | $59,100 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Huntsville crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Huntsville in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Eli Lilly active pharmaceutical ingredient facility$6B (part of a $27B, 4-facility US investment)Construction starting 2026
One of four new pharmaceutical production facilities Eli Lilly is building nationwide - cleanroom-grade manufacturing at genuinely enormous scale for this market.
- U.S. Space Command permanent headquarters (Redstone Arsenal)$565M federal ($115M design + $450M construction, proposed - advanced by the House Appropriations Committee as of April 2026, not yet passed Senate or signed) + $45M localPersonnel relocation underway; up to 200 on-site by end of 2026
A permanent federal headquarters campus, with Huntsville separately funding senior leader housing and critical site infrastructure. Separately, the Pentagon's FY2027 budget request for the full relocation is $951M - a larger, different figure than the $565M facility appropriation above.
- Huntsville Hospital Madison Street Tower expansion$150MOpening 2027
A 5-story, 154,000 sq ft addition with a cardiothoracic ICU, neuro ICU, three floors of acute medical space, 120 private patient rooms, and a new ED vehicle entrance.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Huntsville market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Huntsville.
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 Huntsville a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Huntsville carries 2,570 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 1,610 light-truck drivers, 1.6 to one against a 1.8 median, 72nd 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.
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 Huntsville.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Huntsville?
BLS puts the Huntsville median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $56,690 a year, 3% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 77th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $38,240 and $78,160, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Alabama metro we cover pays more for this work (Birmingham: $54,460).
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Huntsville?
Yes. Huntsville has 27% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 2,570 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 99 general freight trucking companies here average about 11 employees per location. With 102% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Huntsville?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Huntsville, a $124,380 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $59,120, 52% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $42,800. Relative to national pay, Fleet Manager is the strongest-paying role here (16% above). Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Huntsville?
BLS counted 99 general freight trucking companies in Huntsville in 2023, employing about 1,050 people between them. Up from 49 in 2018, a 102% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 11 people per location. They pay about the national average of $65,587.
Which nearby metros compete with Huntsville for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Chattanooga (76 miles, about 4,370, $57,440 median), Birmingham (84 miles, about 9,170, $54,460 median) and Nashville (100 miles, about 18,860, $60,630 median). Chattanooga has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Nashville pays 7% more, which is where Huntsville employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers this scarce in Huntsville, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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