Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Portland.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Portland earn a $63,800 median, 9% above the national figure, and about 14,370 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 778 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 Portland.
BLS counts about 29,290 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Portland metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 14,370). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.90). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Portland: 14,370 employed · $63,800 median, 9th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Portland: 7,340 employed · $47,720 median, 14th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Portland: 2,080 employed · $58,670 median, 5th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Portland: 1,810 employed · $109,860 median, 35th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Portland: 3,090 employed · $86,600 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Portland: 2,330 employed · $71,990 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Portland: 1,100 employed · $50,260 median, 45th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Portland: 7,610 employed · $80,100 median, 18th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Portland: 5,250 employed · $64,830 median, 27th-highest of 112 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Ogden, UT too.
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Portland.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Portland earn a median $63,800, 9% over the $58,640 national figure, and 9th of 112 metros. Pay runs $49,090 at the tenth percentile to $85,590 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $71,990 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Portland median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $63,800 | $49,090–$85,590 | $58,640 | +9% | 14,370 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $47,720 | $37,950–$77,180 | $44,860 | +6% | 7,340 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $58,670 | $43,660–$80,400 | $50,340 | +17% | 2,080 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $109,860 | $68,950–$202,630 | $107,230 | +2% | 1,810 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $86,600 | $55,500–$132,700 | $80,730 | +7% | 3,090 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $71,990 | $51,160–$90,700 | $61,770 | +17% | 2,330 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $50,260 | $43,730–$74,560 | $52,260 | −4% | 1,100 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $80,100 | $54,780–$133,570 | $75,940 | +5% | 7,610 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $64,830 | $48,530–$97,050 | $62,890 | +3% | 5,250 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Portland 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 Portland's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Portland rose from 546 in 2018 to 778 in 2023, up 42%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Portland, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 546 | 778 | +42% |
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
Portland runs 10% 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 Portland's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Portland ranks 28th for headcount, 8th for median pay and 62nd for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Portland, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Portland metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Oregon.
Oregon has a clearly named state programme an employer must know: the Oregon Waiver of Physical Disqualification, offered to drivers who cannot meet the federal medical standards, which permits commercial operation only in Oregon intrastate commerce or in excepted interstate commerce. A driver holding one must carry the original or a copy while on duty, as must a driver holding a federal hearing or seizure exemption or a Skill Performance Evaluation certificate - so this is a document to inspect physically, not just a record to check. Oregon prints restriction K, commercial motor vehicle intrastate only, and uses V for a federal medical variance. The Division does not publish the waiver's covered-condition list online. Oregon stopped issuing and reinstating limited-term non-domiciled commercial licences and permits effective March 16, 2026. The Portland metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial trucking search in Portland 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 Portland than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Site SuperintendentTwenty years of construction and six as a superintendent, placed onto Portland-Vancouver jobsites in two weeks.
- Lead Fire Alarm TechnicianSeven weeks for an NFPA-licensed lead fire alarm technician - the right length for a life-safety role.
Nearby markets competing for Portland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Seattle, about 145 miles away, with roughly 21,230 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.5 times Portland's 14,370). Seattle pays the most nearby, a $71,240 median, 12% above Portland. That is the number any Portland offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move.
What else is competing for Portland crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Portland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (I-5 Columbia River)$13.6B total program cost (as of Jan 2026 estimate; up from $5.5-7.5B in Dec 2022), including a $1.49B federal investmentDesign and early construction through the 2030s
Replaces the I-5 Columbia River crossing with a seismically resilient multimodal structure carrying light rail and bus rapid transit. The largest bi-state heavy civil program in the Northwest - marine, structural, and systems trades on a decade-long horizon.
- PDX terminal program, Port of PortlandMulti-hundred-million, phasedMain terminal complete; phased work ongoing
The mass-timber main terminal is finished, but concourse and airfield phases continue. Specialty timber, glazing, and MEP crews with live-airport experience.
- I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project$1.9B current estimate ($1.5B funding gap remains)Phase 1A began summer 2025, concludes late 2026; full project indefinitely delayed pending funding
Where three interstates converge, plus a highway cover reconnecting the Albina neighborhood. Heavy civil, structural concrete, and traffic-control-intensive night work.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Portland market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Portland.
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 Portland a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Portland carries 14,370 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 7,340 light-truck drivers, 2.0 to one against a 1.8 median, 49th 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.
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 Portland.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Portland?
BLS puts the Portland median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $63,800 a year, 9% above the $58,640 national median. That ranks 9th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $49,090 and $85,590, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Portland?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in Portland as they are nationally (location quotient 0.90), with about 14,370 in the metro. With 42% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Portland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Portland, a $109,860 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $71,990, 34% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $47,720. Relative to national pay, Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator is the strongest-paying role here (17% above). Logistics Coordinator trails national pay the most (4% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Portland?
BLS counted 778 general freight trucking companies in Portland in 2023. Up from 546 in 2018, a 42% 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 Portland for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Seattle (145 miles, about 21,230, $71,240 median) and Spokane (290 miles, about 3,890, $62,980 median). Seattle pays 12% more, which is where Portland employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
778 general freight trucking companies in Portland are drawing on the same 14,370 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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