Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Knoxville.
Knoxville has 44% more heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, about 8,130 in the metro. BLS counts 230 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 Knoxville.
BLS counts about 14,810 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Knoxville metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 8,130). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.44). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Knoxville: 8,130 employed · $59,100 median, 52nd-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Knoxville: 3,820 employed · $39,330 median, 100th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Knoxville: 550 employed · $49,290 median, 59th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Knoxville: 620 employed · $98,240 median, 86th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Knoxville: 1,070 employed · $65,120 median, 100th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Knoxville: 910 employed · $58,010 median, 95th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Knoxville: 280 employed · $42,160 median, 90th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Knoxville: 2,980 employed · $67,370 median, 81st-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Knoxville: 1,950 employed · $60,160 median, 87th-highest of 112 metros
The roles behind most of our Knoxville, TN searches in this trade: CDL-B Truck Driver and CDL-A Truck Driver.
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Knoxville.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Knoxville earn a median $59,100, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 52nd of 112 metros. Pay runs $39,670 at the tenth percentile to $79,040 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $60,160 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Knoxville median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $59,100 | $39,670–$79,040 | $58,640 | +1% | 8,130 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $39,330 | $28,650–$58,910 | $44,860 | −12% | 3,820 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $49,290 | $34,850–$70,920 | $50,340 | −2% | 550 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $98,240 | $51,990–$189,500 | $107,230 | −8% | 620 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $65,120 | $41,380–$120,620 | $80,730 | −19% | 1,070 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $58,010 | $36,630–$74,640 | $61,770 | −6% | 910 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $42,160 | $33,500–$75,090 | $52,260 | −19% | 280 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $67,370 | $46,490–$107,710 | $75,940 | −11% | 2,980 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $60,160 | $41,000–$94,400 | $62,890 | −4% | 1,950 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Knoxville 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 Knoxville's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Knoxville rose from 160 in 2018 to 230 in 2023, up 44%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 12%, to about 5,108 people. Average annual pay there went from $55,655 to $70,625 (+27%), 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 | 160 | 230 | +44% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 4,566 | 5,108 | +12% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $55,655 | $70,625 | +27% |
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
Knoxville runs 44% 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 Knoxville's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Knoxville ranks 48th for headcount, 48th for median pay and 13th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 19,460 | $63,070 | 2.40 | 595 |
| Nashville | 18,860 | $60,630 | 1.29 | 658 |
| Knoxville | 8,130 | $59,100 | 1.44 | 230 |
| Chattanooga | 4,370 | $57,440 | 1.23 | 165 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Knoxville, 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, Knoxville metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Nearby markets competing for Knoxville talent.
The closest metro we cover is Chattanooga, about 100 miles away, with roughly 4,370 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.5 times Knoxville's 8,130). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $53,080 in Greenville to $60,630 in Nashville, against $59,100 here. Atlanta has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville | – | 8,130 | $59,100 |
| Chattanooga | 101 mi | 4,370 | $57,440 |
| Greenville | 115 mi | 5,240 | $53,080 |
| Atlanta | 155 mi | 41,830 | $59,100 |
| Nashville | 161 mi | 18,860 | $60,630 |
| Huntsville | 173 mi | 2,570 | $56,690 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Knoxville crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Knoxville in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- LIS Technologies laser uranium enrichment facility$1.38BAnnounced 2026
A new facility on the historic K-25 uranium enrichment site, expected to create more than 200 jobs. One of the largest single nuclear-industrial capital commitments in the region's history.
- DOE Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus (finalist)Undisclosed, federalSite selection ongoing
Tennessee is one of just 5 states selected as a finalist out of 26 applicants for a major Department of Energy nuclear research campus - a signal of the region's growing strategic importance to the nuclear-energy sector.
- Y-12 demolition and cleanup programFederal EM programAlpha-2 completed January 2026; Beta-1 and Old Steam Plant ongoing
DOE completed demolition of the 325,000 sq ft Alpha-2 facility (the largest demolition in Y-12's history, clearing 2.5+ acres) in January 2026, and crews are preparing the 210,000 sq ft Beta-1 facility and the Old Steam Plant for removal. Clears contaminated Manhattan Project/Cold War-era sites for new missions and community reuse.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Knoxville market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Knoxville.
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 Knoxville a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Knoxville carries 8,130 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 3,820 light-truck drivers, 2.1 to one against a 1.8 median, 43rd of 112 on that ratio.
Concentration says more than the split: a 1.44 location quotient, 44% more heavy-truck drivers per job than the country, so the depth is there whichever way the mix reads.
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 Knoxville.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Knoxville?
BLS puts the Knoxville median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $59,100 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 52nd of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $39,670 and $79,040, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Tennessee, Memphis pays more, at $63,070.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Knoxville?
Not by national standards. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make up 44% more of the Knoxville workforce than they do nationally, about 8,130 people. The 230 general freight trucking companies here average about 22 employees per location. With 44% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Knoxville?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Knoxville, a $98,240 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $60,160, 39% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $39,330. Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT) trails national pay the most (19% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Knoxville?
BLS counted 230 general freight trucking companies in Knoxville in 2023, employing about 5,108 people between them. Up from 160 in 2018, a 44% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 22 people per location. They pay an average of $70,625, 8% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Knoxville for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Chattanooga (101 miles, about 4,370, $57,440 median), Greenville (115 miles, about 5,240, $53,080 median) and Atlanta (155 miles, about 41,830, $59,100 median). Atlanta has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Knoxville out-pays Greenville, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Knoxville 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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