Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has about 32,220 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 8th of the 112 we cover, and still 16% fewer per job than the country - so they are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 1,935 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 Philadelphia.
BLS counts about 69,690 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Philadelphia metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 32,220). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.84). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Philadelphia: 32,220 employed · $59,370 median, 49th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Philadelphia: 20,930 employed · $45,740 median, 33rd-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Philadelphia: 3,430 employed · $51,170 median, 29th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Philadelphia: 4,270 employed · $121,570 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Philadelphia: 8,370 employed · $83,000 median, 30th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Philadelphia: 4,490 employed · $64,550 median, 31st-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Philadelphia: 1,680 employed · $51,280 median, 39th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Philadelphia: 16,000 employed · $76,700 median, 29th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Philadelphia: 12,050 employed · $62,820 median, 46th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Philadelphia.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Philadelphia earn a median $59,370, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 49th of 112 metros. Pay runs $46,850 at the tenth percentile to $79,590 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $64,550 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Philadelphia median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $59,370 | $46,850–$79,590 | $58,640 | +1% | 32,220 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $45,740 | $32,220–$82,170 | $44,860 | +2% | 20,930 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $51,170 | $36,600–$76,360 | $50,340 | +2% | 3,430 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $121,570 | $77,490–$205,520 | $107,230 | +13% | 4,270 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $83,000 | $51,680–$134,500 | $80,730 | +3% | 8,370 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $64,550 | $47,380–$87,700 | $61,770 | +5% | 4,490 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $51,280 | $38,720–$81,970 | $52,260 | −2% | 1,680 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $76,700 | $49,080–$126,900 | $75,940 | +1% | 16,000 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $62,820 | $43,930–$92,580 | $62,890 | 0% | 12,050 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Philadelphia rose from 1,201 in 2018 to 1,935 in 2023, up 61%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 10%, to about 12,359 people. Average annual pay there went from $58,036 to $68,107 (+17%), slower than the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 1,201 | 1,935 | +61% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 11,277 | 12,359 | +10% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $58,036 | $68,107 | +17% |
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
Philadelphia runs 16% 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 Philadelphia's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Philadelphia ranks 8th for headcount, 46th for median pay and 65th 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 Philadelphia, the headline number is misleading. About 32,220 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work here, one of the larger workforces we cover, but relative to the size of the local economy the trade is thinner than average, so every other employer is drawing on the same people. Local employers have been shedding headcount, so the experienced people who remain are usually well placed and slow to move. Expect to recruit people who are already employed, and to make the case for moving.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Philadelphia 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 Pittsburgh, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Scranton, so candidates licensed there can work in Philadelphia without re-qualifying. The Philadelphia metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services, Bureau of Driver Licensing. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial trucking search in Philadelphia yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Philadelphia than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Service TechnicianA residential service technician for the King of Prussia and Philadelphia territory, coordinated around his relocation.
- Residential HVAC Service TechnicianFive days, and the technician brings test-and-balance expertise on top of service.
- Senior HVAC Service TechnicianA technician comfortable with whatever a building throws at him, not only the HVAC.
Nearby markets competing for Philadelphia talent.
The closest metro we cover is Allentown-Bethlehem, about 50 miles away, with roughly 6,590 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.2 times Philadelphia's 32,220). New York pays the most nearby, a $65,040 median, 10% above Philadelphia. That is the number any Philadelphia offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. New York has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | – | 32,220 | $59,370 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 48 mi | 6,590 | $60,090 |
| Lancaster | 61 mi | 5,080 | $58,350 |
| New York | 81 mi | 65,100 | $65,040 |
| Baltimore | 90 mi | 15,580 | $59,460 |
| Harrisburg | 94 mi | 6,800 | $61,520 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Philadelphia crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Philadelphia in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- PHL Airport Terminal modernization (Transform PHL)$2B total program ($1B terminal-specific)Underway, no published completion date
Terminal expansion + concourse upgrades. Airport-grade MEP.
- CHOP Roberts Children's Health Tower$2.59BOpening late 2028
CHOP's active tower expansion is the real current driver of hospital-grade mechanical demand - medical gas, isolation rooms, and OR HVAC in tight supply. (Penn Medicine's Pavilion, sometimes bundled into this figure, is a separate, already-completed $1.6B project from 2021 - kept out of this total since it's no longer an active build.)
- University expansion (UPenn, Drexel, Temple)$2B+ aggregatedThrough 2028
Research lab construction (fume hood air, specialty exhaust). Student housing + academic building expansion.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Philadelphia market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Philadelphia.
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 Philadelphia a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Philadelphia carries 32,220 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 20,930 light-truck drivers, 1.5 to one against a 1.8 median, 78th 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 Philadelphia.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Philadelphia?
BLS puts the Philadelphia median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $59,370 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 49th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $46,850 and $79,590, a 1.7x 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 Philadelphia?
Yes. Philadelphia has 16% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 32,220 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 1,935 general freight trucking companies here average about 6.4 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 61% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Philadelphia?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Philadelphia, a $121,570 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $64,550, 47% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $45,740. Relative to national pay, Fleet Manager is the strongest-paying role here (13% above).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Philadelphia?
BLS counted 1,935 general freight trucking companies in Philadelphia in 2023, employing about 12,359 people between them. Up from 1,201 in 2018, a 61% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 6.4 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $68,107, 4% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Philadelphia for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Allentown-Bethlehem (48 miles, about 6,590, $60,090 median), Lancaster (61 miles, about 5,080, $58,350 median) and New York (81 miles, about 65,100, $65,040 median). New York has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. New York pays 10% more, which is where Philadelphia employers tend to lose people.
Deep pool. Heavily fished.
Philadelphia has 32,220 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 8th of the 112 metros we cover, and still 16% fewer per job than the country. The pool is deep and every employer here is fishing it. Let's get to the ones worth moving first.
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