Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Pensacola.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are scarcer in Pensacola than in most of the country, 32% fewer per job, so the roughly 1,710 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 108 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 Pensacola.
BLS counts about 4,000 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Pensacola metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 1,710). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.68). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Pensacola: 1,710 employed · $47,950 median, 108th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Pensacola: 1,440 employed · $40,960 median, 87th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Pensacola: 180 employed · $44,270 median, 103rd-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Pensacola: 230 employed · $93,860 median, 104th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Pensacola: 430 employed · $75,010 median, 63rd-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Pensacola: 290 employed · $58,750 median, 89th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Pensacola: 40 employed · $46,650 median, 78th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Pensacola: 1,060 employed · $66,260 median, 87th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Pensacola: 560 employed · $59,170 median, 98th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Pensacola.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Pensacola earn a median $47,950, 18% under the $58,640 national figure, and 108th of 112 metros. Pay runs $35,380 at the tenth percentile to $62,900 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $59,170 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Pensacola median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $47,950 | $35,380–$62,900 | $58,640 | −18% | 1,710 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $40,960 | $29,190–$61,080 | $44,860 | −9% | 1,440 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $44,270 | $34,120–$64,580 | $50,340 | −12% | 180 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $93,860 | $48,500–$168,270 | $107,230 | −12% | 230 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $75,010 | $42,520–$120,470 | $80,730 | −7% | 430 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $58,750 | $41,480–$75,080 | $61,770 | −5% | 290 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $46,650 | $35,690–$75,970 | $52,260 | −11% | 40 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $66,260 | $42,970–$105,580 | $75,940 | −13% | 1,060 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $59,170 | $39,400–$88,390 | $62,890 | −6% | 560 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Pensacola 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 Pensacola's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Pensacola rose from 75 in 2018 to 108 in 2023, up 44%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 27%, to about 651 people. Average annual pay there went from $47,829 to $63,737 (+33%), 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 | 75 | 108 | +44% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 513 | 651 | +27% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $47,829 | $63,737 | +33% |
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
Pensacola runs 32% 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 Pensacola's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Pensacola ranks 99th for headcount, 96th for median pay and 83rd for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Pay here is among the lowest we see, which makes relocation offers from higher-paying metros a real retention risk.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 29,060 | $51,580 | 0.78 | 2,275 |
| Tampa | 15,840 | $50,560 | 0.83 | 1,086 |
| Orlando | 15,420 | $50,250 | 0.82 | 1,342 |
| Jacksonville | 13,100 | $55,630 | 1.29 | 765 |
| Lakeland | 7,820 | $57,090 | 2.22 | 412 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 3,050 | $48,950 | 0.76 | 199 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 2,930 | $50,890 | 0.65 | 208 |
| Port St. Lucie | 2,060 | $48,590 | 0.91 | 146 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 1,910 | $47,660 | 0.66 | 183 |
| Pensacola | 1,710 | $47,950 | 0.68 | 108 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 1,690 | $48,460 | 0.52 | 117 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Pensacola, 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, Pensacola metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Florida.
Florida's floor is 18, and a driver under 21 is restricted to intrastate operation only; F.S. 316.302(4) separately bars anyone under 18 from operating a commercial motor vehicle at all. Florida's intrastate medical relief is statutory rather than a waiver programme: F.S. 316.302(2)(i) exempts a driver who operates only intrastate from the federal vision standard at 391.41(b)(10) where the driver has had no convictions under s. 322.61 - Florida's CDL disqualification section for specified serious and major offences - in the two years before applying, is otherwise qualified under 49 CFR part 391, and carries a physical examination form dated within the past 24 months; ordinary moving violations not reached by s. 322.61 do not defeat eligibility. Florida also runs its own intrastate hours of service for non-placarded loads: no driving beyond 12 hours after 10 consecutive hours off, none after the 16th hour, and none after 70 hours in 7 consecutive days or 80 in 8 for a carrier operating every day, reset by 34 consecutive hours off - so a Florida intrastate log is not a federal 11-and-14 log. Florida adopts 49 CFR parts 382-386 and 390-397 for intrastate carriers as they existed on December 31, 2023. The same state rules apply in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, North Port-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Lakeland, Deltona-Daytona, Palm Bay-Melbourne and Port St. Lucie, so candidates licensed there can work in Pensacola without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Pensacola talent.
The closest metro we cover is New Orleans, about 175 miles away, with roughly 5,500 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (3.2 times Pensacola's 1,710). Atlanta pays the most nearby, a $59,100 median, 23% above Pensacola. That is the number any Pensacola 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pensacola | – | 1,710 | $47,950 |
| New Orleans | 174 mi | 5,500 | $51,540 |
| Birmingham | 216 mi | 9,170 | $54,460 |
| Baton Rouge | 237 mi | 5,830 | $54,840 |
| Atlanta | 283 mi | 41,830 | $59,100 |
| Huntsville | 300 mi | 2,570 | $56,690 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Pensacola crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Pensacola in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Pensacola International Airport Terminal Expansion & Modernization$6M (first phase FAA grant)First construction phase launching
Described as one of the largest infrastructure investments in the airport's history.
- "Project Maeve" shipbuilding facility (Port of Pensacola)$275M total ($105M construction program)Phase 1 panel line/module fabrication warehouse, then Phase 2 assembly bay
Establishes Birdon America Inc.'s Southeastern operations hub and a Tier 2 advanced ship manufacturing facility, $76M Triumph Gulf Coast grant and expected to create 2,000 jobs.
- Sacred Heart Children's Hospital expansion$85MCompleted 2019
A four-story, 175,000 sq ft addition plus 13,000 sq ft of renovation - a pediatric ED/trauma center, pediatric surgery, a 75-bed NICU, pediatric oncology, and an expanded Regional Perinatal Center. Historical project - kept for the healthcare-grade trades experience it demonstrates, not as an active current demand driver.
These are the 3 projects we track in Pensacola. The Pensacola market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Pensacola.
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 Pensacola a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Pensacola runs close to even: 1,710 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 1,440 light-truck drivers, 1.2 to one, 105th of 112 on that ratio.
The driving here is mostly last-mile and service, so a Class A search competes for a smaller resident pool than the total implies and often reaches outside 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 Pensacola.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Pensacola?
BLS puts the Pensacola median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $47,950 a year, 18% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 108th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $35,380 and $62,900, a 1.8x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Florida, Lakeland pays more, at $57,090.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Pensacola?
Yes. Pensacola has 32% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 1,710 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 108 general freight trucking companies here average about 6.0 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. 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 Pensacola?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Pensacola, a $93,860 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $59,170, 37% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $40,960. CDL-A Truck Driver trails national pay the most (18% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Pensacola?
BLS counted 108 general freight trucking companies in Pensacola in 2023, employing about 651 people between them. Up from 75 in 2018, a 44% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 6.0 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay about the national average of $65,587.
Which nearby metros compete with Pensacola for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are New Orleans (174 miles, about 5,500, $51,540 median), Birmingham (216 miles, about 9,170, $54,460 median) and Baton Rouge (237 miles, about 5,830, $54,840 median). New Orleans has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. New Orleans pays 7% more, which is where Pensacola employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers this scarce in Pensacola, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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