Commercial Trucking recruiters serving New Orleans.
At a $51,540 median, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in New Orleans earn 12% less than nationally; about 5,500 work in the metro. BLS counts 384 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 New Orleans.
BLS counts about 11,730 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the New Orleans metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 5,500). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.93). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →New Orleans: 5,500 employed · $51,540 median, 94th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →New Orleans: 3,360 employed · $43,940 median, 51st-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
New Orleans: 770 employed · $46,360 median, 90th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
New Orleans: 780 employed · $97,890 median, 90th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
New Orleans: 1,250 employed · $77,460 median, 54th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
New Orleans: 710 employed · $60,460 median, 74th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
New Orleans: 410 employed · $50,330 median, 44th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
New Orleans: 1,900 employed · $64,780 median, 95th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
New Orleans: 2,160 employed · $63,520 median, 37th-highest of 112 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Milwaukee, WI too.
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in New Orleans.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in New Orleans earn a median $51,540, 12% under the $58,640 national figure, and 94th of 112 metros. Pay runs $37,960 at the tenth percentile to $73,880 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $63,520 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | New Orleans median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $51,540 | $37,960–$73,880 | $58,640 | −12% | 5,500 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $43,940 | $27,790–$89,760 | $44,860 | −2% | 3,360 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $46,360 | $33,970–$73,520 | $50,340 | −8% | 770 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $97,890 | $59,580–$152,550 | $107,230 | −9% | 780 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $77,460 | $46,960–$122,230 | $80,730 | −4% | 1,250 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $60,460 | $43,680–$87,240 | $61,770 | −2% | 710 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $50,330 | $28,830–$73,740 | $52,260 | −4% | 410 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $64,780 | $44,540–$111,290 | $75,940 | −15% | 1,900 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $63,520 | $42,360–$98,330 | $62,890 | +1% | 2,160 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, New Orleans 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 New Orleans's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in New Orleans rose from 211 in 2018 to 384 in 2023, up 82%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in New Orleans, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 211 | 384 | +82% |
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
New Orleans runs 7% fewer commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 New Orleans's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, New Orleans ranks 66th for headcount, 85th for median pay and 58th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | 5,830 | $54,840 | 1.07 | 246 |
| New Orleans | 5,500 | $51,540 | 0.93 | 384 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in New Orleans, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, New Orleans metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Louisiana.
Louisiana's CDL age floor is genuinely unsettled, and that is itself the finding: La. R.S. 32:408, the CDL examination and classification section, was read in full and imposes no age qualification on an applicant for a Class A, B or C commercial licence, and the neighbouring sections carry no CDL age floor either. Confirm the floor with the Office of Motor Vehicles CDL section in Baton Rouge before relying on a figure. Louisiana does have a statutory intrastate medical waiver and it is narrower than most: R.S. 32:408(B)(7) creates the intrastate driver waiver, issued by the Office of Motor Vehicles, and it covers vision only - an applicant who fails 49 CFR 391.41(b)(10) but has distant acuity of at least 20/40 in at least one eye, a field of vision of at least seventy degrees in one direction and thirty-five in the other, and recognition of standard red, green and amber signals - with re-evaluation every six months where the impairment is progressive. A waiver holder shall drive only within Louisiana and may not carry passengers for hire, manifested hazardous waste or placarded hazardous materials. The statute does not state which code is printed, so do not assume a K. The same state rules apply in Baton Rouge, so candidates licensed there can work in New Orleans without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Office of Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for New Orleans talent.
The closest metro we cover is Baton Rouge, about 75 miles away, with roughly 5,830 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.1 times New Orleans's 5,500). Baton Rouge pays the most nearby, a $54,840 median, 6% above New Orleans. That is the number any New Orleans offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | – | 5,500 | $51,540 |
| Baton Rouge | 74 mi | 5,830 | $54,840 |
| Pensacola | 174 mi | 1,710 | $47,950 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for New Orleans crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into New Orleans in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Port NOLA Louisiana International Terminal$1.8BMulti-year delivery, dedicated finance team recently staffed
A major new container terminal for the Port of New Orleans. Heavy civil, marine construction, and port-electrical demand at a scale the region's port infrastructure hasn't seen in a generation.
- Shintech petrochemical expansion (Iberville Parish)$3.4BMulti-year
A second ethylene unit and a fourth chlor-alkali/VCM unit at Shintech's existing complex - 163 direct jobs plus an estimated 655 indirect. Shintech is also the Port of New Orleans' top exporter by containerized volume, tying the petrochemical and port economies together directly.
- New Orleans Convention Center investment$557MMulti-year, completing late 2029
Major renovation and expansion of the city's convention infrastructure - conventional large-scale commercial construction distinct from the petrochemical/port economy.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The New Orleans market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in New Orleans.
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 New Orleans a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
New Orleans carries 5,500 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 3,360 light-truck drivers, 1.6 to one against a 1.8 median, 67th 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 New Orleans.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in New Orleans?
BLS puts the New Orleans median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $51,540 a year, 12% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 94th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $37,960 and $73,880, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Louisiana, Baton Rouge pays more, at $54,840.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in New Orleans?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in New Orleans as they are nationally (location quotient 0.93), with about 5,500 in the metro. With 82% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in New Orleans?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in New Orleans, a $97,890 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $63,520, 35% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $43,940. Driver Recruiter trails national pay the most (15% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in New Orleans?
BLS counted 384 general freight trucking companies in New Orleans in 2023. Up from 211 in 2018, an 82% increase against 49% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with New Orleans for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Baton Rouge (74 miles, about 5,830, $54,840 median) and Pensacola (174 miles, about 1,710, $47,950 median). Baton Rouge pays 6% more, which is where New Orleans employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
384 general freight trucking companies in New Orleans are drawing on the same 5,500 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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