Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Lancaster.
Lancaster has 52% more heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, about 5,080 in the metro. BLS counts 274 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 Lancaster.
BLS counts about 9,280 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Lancaster metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 5,080). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.52). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Lancaster: 5,080 employed · $58,350 median, 60th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Lancaster: 2,130 employed · $43,870 median, 54th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Lancaster: 300 employed · $50,630 median, 33rd-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Lancaster: 400 employed · $101,950 median, 64th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Lancaster: 340 employed · $65,220 median, 99th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Lancaster: 820 employed · $63,510 median, 41st-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Lancaster: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Driver Recruiter
Lancaster: 1,200 employed · $66,330 median, 86th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Lancaster: 1,250 employed · $62,130 median, 59th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Lancaster.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Lancaster earn a median $58,350, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 60th of 112 metros. Pay runs $39,740 at the tenth percentile to $78,480 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $63,510 against $61,770 nationally. BLS withholds Lancaster pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Lancaster median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $58,350 | $39,740–$78,480 | $58,640 | 0% | 5,080 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $43,870 | $27,430–$63,710 | $44,860 | −2% | 2,130 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $50,630 | $37,480–$76,970 | $50,340 | +1% | 300 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $101,950 | $66,140–$173,510 | $107,230 | −5% | 400 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $65,220 | $46,660–$108,520 | $80,730 | −19% | 340 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $63,510 | $47,430–$80,380 | $61,770 | +3% | 820 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | – | – | $52,260 | – | – |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $66,330 | $46,590–$104,750 | $75,940 | −13% | 1,200 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $62,130 | $42,560–$85,800 | $62,890 | −1% | 1,250 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Lancaster 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 Lancaster's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Lancaster rose from 207 in 2018 to 274 in 2023, up 32%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 6%, to about 1,812 people. Average annual pay there went from $57,098 to $69,661 (+22%), in step with the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 207 | 274 | +32% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 1,717 | 1,812 | +6% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $57,098 | $69,661 | +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
Lancaster runs 52% 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 Lancaster's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Lancaster ranks 70th for headcount, 55th for median pay and 11th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 32,220 | $59,370 | 0.84 | 1,935 |
| Pittsburgh | 14,620 | $57,880 | 0.99 | 478 |
| Harrisburg | 6,800 | $61,520 | 1.53 | 219 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 6,590 | $60,090 | 1.32 | 401 |
| Scranton | 5,210 | $57,580 | 1.54 | 232 |
| Lancaster | 5,080 | $58,350 | 1.52 | 274 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Lancaster, the pool is deep but local employers have been cutting headcount. Experienced people are here, and some will be open to a move, so a clear offer and a defined path up usually beat a higher posted rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Lancaster metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania's minimum age is 18: 75 Pa.C.S. 1603 provides that a CDL authorises a person 18 years of age or older to drive a class of commercial motor vehicle, and 1607(d)(10) sets 18 for the commercial learner's permit. Pennsylvania prints restriction K, limiting the driver to intrastate commerce. Pennsylvania does not run a condition-based intrastate medical waiver: it adopts physical and mental standards for intrastate CDL drivers through its own 67 Pa. Code chapter 231, and the only way to avoid the medical examiner's certificate requirement is to self-certify as excepted intrastate based on the type of operation - government employees, beekeepers, custom harvesters, farm vehicle operators and similar. Self-certification is on Form DL-11CD, and the Department accepts certificate information only electronically from the federal National Registry; it will not take a certificate in person or by email. Watch the downgrade timing: with no current certificate on file the commercial designation is removed within 45 days, and a rescinded certification removes it immediately, which can mean a learner's permit and retesting to recover. The same state rules apply in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg and Scranton, so candidates licensed there can work in Lancaster without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services, Bureau of Driver Licensing. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Lancaster talent.
The closest metro we cover is Harrisburg, about 35 miles away, with roughly 6,800 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.3 times Lancaster's 5,080). Harrisburg pays the most nearby, a $61,520 median, 5% above Lancaster. That is the number any Lancaster offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Philadelphia has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | – | 5,080 | $58,350 |
| Harrisburg | 35 mi | 6,800 | $61,520 |
| Baltimore | 54 mi | 15,580 | $59,460 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 58 mi | 6,590 | $60,090 |
| Philadelphia | 61 mi | 32,220 | $59,370 |
| Washington, D.C. | 88 mi | 20,430 | $59,820 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Lancaster crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Lancaster in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- GSK Marietta pharmaceutical facility expansionUp to $800MDrug substance facility operational by end of 2027
Doubling the size of GSK's existing Lancaster County manufacturing facility and adding 215 jobs.
- Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center$375M (hospital already open)Continued fit-out; further expansion planned within 3-4 years
An already-operating hospital continuing to build out additional clinical areas to meet growing regional demand.
- Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Trauma & ED expansion$182M (84,000 sq ft)Completed June 2024
A single-story addition that nearly doubled ED capacity to 96 beds and 130,000+ annual patient visits, with new trauma bays and behavioral-health and pediatric treatment rooms - a completed, historical example of the healthcare-construction capacity this metro delivers, not an active current driver.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Lancaster market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Lancaster.
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 Lancaster a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Lancaster carries 5,080 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 2,130 light-truck drivers, 2.4 to one against a 1.8 median, 30th of 112 on that ratio.
Concentration says more than the split: a 1.52 location quotient, 52% 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 Lancaster.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Lancaster?
BLS puts the Lancaster median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $58,350 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 60th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $39,740 and $78,480, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Pennsylvania, Harrisburg pays more, at $61,520.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Lancaster?
Not by national standards. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make up 52% more of the Lancaster workforce than they do nationally, about 5,080 people. The 274 general freight trucking companies here average about 6.6 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 32% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Lancaster?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Lancaster, a $101,950 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $63,510, 38% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $43,870. Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT) trails national pay the most (19% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Lancaster?
BLS counted 274 general freight trucking companies in Lancaster in 2023, employing about 1,812 people between them. Up from 207 in 2018, a 32% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 6.6 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $69,661, 6% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Lancaster for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Harrisburg (35 miles, about 6,800, $61,520 median), Baltimore (54 miles, about 15,580, $59,460 median) and Allentown-Bethlehem (58 miles, about 6,590, $60,090 median). Baltimore has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Harrisburg pays 5% more, which is where Lancaster employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Lancaster 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.
Schedule a Discovery Call →