Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Providence.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are scarcer in Providence than in most of the country, 26% fewer per job, so the roughly 7,030 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 454 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 Providence.
BLS counts about 15,620 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Providence metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 7,030). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.74). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Providence: 7,030 employed · $60,610 median, 27th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Providence: 5,170 employed · $45,900 median, 28th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Providence: 750 employed · $49,880 median, 44th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Providence: 780 employed · $110,000 median, 34th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Providence: 1,480 employed · $87,620 median, 16th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Providence: 820 employed · $65,620 median, 26th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Providence: 180 employed · $60,260 median, 10th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Providence: 4,180 employed · $76,930 median, 28th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Providence: 2,600 employed · $70,170 median, 8th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Providence.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Providence earn a median $60,610, 3% over the $58,640 national figure, and 27th of 112 metros. Pay runs $45,560 at the tenth percentile to $74,970 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $70,170 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Providence median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $60,610 | $45,560–$74,970 | $58,640 | +3% | 7,030 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $45,900 | $31,200–$68,700 | $44,860 | +2% | 5,170 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $49,880 | $37,280–$80,460 | $50,340 | −1% | 750 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $110,000 | $71,760–$201,990 | $107,230 | +3% | 780 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $87,620 | $56,070–$133,490 | $80,730 | +9% | 1,480 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $65,620 | $50,530–$87,130 | $61,770 | +6% | 820 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $60,260 | $46,360–$80,580 | $52,260 | +15% | 180 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $76,930 | $51,210–$125,600 | $75,940 | +1% | 4,180 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $70,170 | $47,670–$96,950 | $62,890 | +12% | 2,600 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Providence 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 Providence's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Providence rose from 314 in 2018 to 454 in 2023, up 45%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Providence, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 314 | 454 | +45% |
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
Providence runs 26% 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 Providence's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Providence ranks 57th for headcount, 25th for median pay and 76th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Providence, 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, Providence metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island sets the intrastate minimum age at 18 by statute: R.I. Gen. Laws 31-10.3-15(a)(1) bars a commercial licence below 21 but provides that except for intrastate operations the applicant must be at least 18, and adds that the exception does not apply to school bus drivers or drivers of placarded vehicles - so an 18-to-20-year-old may not drive a school bus or a placarded load even intrastate. Note the parentage: the Division sits inside the Department of Revenue, and commercial transactions are handled only at the Cranston CDL office. Rhode Island has no separately named waiver programme, but 31-10.3-15(a)(5) gives the Division a case-by-case intrastate medical route: a denial for physical or mental fitness requires clear and convincing evidence decided case by case, an insulin-dependent person shall not automatically be denied a licence, and where the driver cannot meet the federal standard a licence strictly limited to intrastate use shall be issued. Rhode Island prints no K: the statute requires the licence to state on its face that it is restricted to intrastate use only, which matches the absence of any intrastate code from the published restriction list - read the face of the licence. Rhode Island also uses Group A, B and C naming rather than Class A, B and C. The Providence metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of Revenue. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Providence talent.
The closest metro we cover is Worcester, about 35 miles away, with roughly 4,470 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.6 times Providence's 7,030). Boston pays the most nearby, a $64,010 median, 6% above Providence. That is the number any Providence offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Boston has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence | – | 7,030 | $60,610 |
| Worcester | 36 mi | 4,470 | $61,610 |
| Boston | 41 mi | 20,090 | $64,010 |
| Hartford | 66 mi | 5,830 | $59,890 |
| Bridgeport | 102 mi | 3,000 | $61,580 |
| Albany | 133 mi | 4,830 | $60,720 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Providence crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Providence in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- FY2027 Economic Development Bond (life-sciences share)~$45M life-sciences-specific (of a $115M total bond question; the remaining ~$70M is unrelated Quonset Business Park industrial-pad funding)Proposed - one of five bond questions on the November 2026 ballot, not yet approved by voters
If approved, would fund industrial facilities infrastructure to support life-sciences sector growth - roads, utilities, and site readiness for future lab and manufacturing tenants. Not yet active spending.
- Rhode Island State Health LaboratoryState-funded, multi-yearRecently completed / ramping to full occupancy
A 9-story downtown Providence facility combining public-health lab infrastructure with a high-containment BSL-3 lab and flexible space for future biotech tenants. Cleanroom-grade mechanical and electrical work at a scale the region rarely builds.
- Ocean State Labs life-science incubator$13M investment over 10 yearsOpened May 2026
Rhode Island's first life-science startup incubator, a 30,000 sq ft Brown University-backed facility at 150 Richmond St. Signals a growing pipeline of smaller lab build-outs feeding off the state's larger cleanroom investment.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Providence market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Providence.
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 Providence a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Providence runs close to even: 7,030 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 5,170 light-truck drivers, 1.4 to one, 90th 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 Providence.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Providence?
BLS puts the Providence median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $60,610 a year, 3% above the $58,640 national median. That ranks 27th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $45,560 to $74,970 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Providence?
Yes. Providence has 26% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 7,030 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. With 45% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Providence?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Providence, a $110,000 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $70,170, 36% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $45,900. Relative to national pay, Logistics Coordinator is the strongest-paying role here (15% above).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Providence?
BLS counted 454 general freight trucking companies in Providence in 2023. Up from 314 in 2018, a 45% 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 Providence for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Worcester (36 miles, about 4,470, $61,610 median), Boston (41 miles, about 20,090, $64,010 median) and Hartford (66 miles, about 5,830, $59,890 median). Boston has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Boston pays 6% more, which is where Providence employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers this scarce in Providence, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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