Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Richmond.
Richmond has 34% more heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, about 11,760 in the metro. BLS counts 421 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 Richmond.
BLS counts about 20,780 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Richmond metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 11,760). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.34). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Richmond: 11,760 employed · $58,190 median, 64th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Richmond: 4,790 employed · $41,720 median, 78th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Richmond: 910 employed · $49,830 median, 45th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Richmond: 630 employed · $111,480 median, 30th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Richmond: 2,910 employed · $77,060 median, 56th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Richmond: 1,400 employed · $61,390 median, 60th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Richmond: 280 employed · $49,640 median, 53rd-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Richmond: 4,540 employed · $79,340 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Richmond: 2,830 employed · $60,060 median, 91st-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Richmond.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Richmond earn a median $58,190, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 64th of 112 metros. Pay runs $37,190 at the tenth percentile to $94,450 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $61,390 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Richmond median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $58,190 | $37,190–$94,450 | $58,640 | −1% | 11,760 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $41,720 | $28,590–$64,370 | $44,860 | −7% | 4,790 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $49,830 | $38,510–$69,140 | $50,340 | −1% | 910 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $111,480 | $78,000–$209,830 | $107,230 | +4% | 630 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $77,060 | $47,770–$119,560 | $80,730 | −5% | 2,910 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $61,390 | $46,160–$79,200 | $61,770 | −1% | 1,400 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $49,640 | $46,850–$69,320 | $52,260 | −5% | 280 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $79,340 | $47,980–$127,420 | $75,940 | +4% | 4,540 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $60,060 | $43,330–$86,400 | $62,890 | −4% | 2,830 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Richmond 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 Richmond's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Richmond rose from 255 in 2018 to 421 in 2023, up 65%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 9%, to about 5,218 people. Average annual pay there went from $53,285 to $61,585 (+16%), slower than the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 255 | 421 | +65% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 4,770 | 5,218 | +9% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $53,285 | $61,585 | +16% |
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
Richmond runs 34% more commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 Richmond's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Richmond ranks 35th for headcount, 59th for median pay and 17th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 11,760 | $58,190 | 1.34 | 421 |
| Virginia Beach | 7,460 | $50,460 | 0.74 | 437 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Richmond, the pool is deep but local employers have been cutting headcount. Experienced people are here, and some will be open to a move, so a clear offer and a defined path up usually beat a higher posted rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Richmond metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Virginia.
Virginia's minimum age to hold a CDL is 18, and the Department states that 21 is required to drive across state lines, to transport hazardous materials, or to carry interstate freight such as mail even on a trip entirely inside Virginia - that last point catches employers who assume an in-state route makes an under-21 driver lawful. A driver under 21 is issued a CDL with a K restriction limiting privileges to Virginia, and Virginia requires that restriction on the licence or permit of any driver who self-certifies to either intrastate category, not just the under-21s. Virginia's medical route is unusual in its paperwork: a non-excepted driver must either have a valid medical examiner's certificate on file or hold a Virginia state approval letter, which is the document to ask for if a driver cannot meet the federal standards; the Department also applies a V restriction where a variance, waiver or Skill Performance Evaluation has been granted. Since May 5, 2025 Virginia no longer accepts certificates directly from drivers - the examiner must submit electronically, and an application without it is denied. The same state rules apply in Virginia Beach, so candidates licensed there can work in Richmond without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Richmond talent.
The closest metro we cover is Virginia Beach, about 95 miles away, with roughly 7,460 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.6 times Richmond's 11,760). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $50,460 in Virginia Beach to $59,820 in Washington, D.C., against $58,190 here. Washington, D.C. has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | – | 11,760 | $58,190 |
| Virginia Beach | 95 mi | 7,460 | $50,460 |
| Washington, D.C. | 95 mi | 20,430 | $59,820 |
| Baltimore | 128 mi | 15,580 | $59,460 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 134 mi | 2,130 | $53,280 |
| Raleigh | 139 mi | 7,210 | $52,110 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Richmond crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Richmond in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- CleanArc Caroline County campus~$3B (900MW, three buildings, ~1.47M sq ft total -- not the $11B/3.9M figure sometimes cited)Multi-year, broke ground
One of the largest data-center campuses announced along the I-95 corridor stretching toward Richmond - a massive draw on the same regional mechanical and electrical labor pool Richmond-based contractors compete for.
- Vantage Data Centers VA4 campus (Stafford County)$2B, ~929,000 sq ftFirst building expected late 2027
Three two-story buildings on 82 acres, further up the I-95 corridor. Part of the broader stretch of hyperscale development pulling data-center talent toward Richmond from Fredericksburg and points north.
- Richmond-area data-center capacity surge100MW → 800MW+ in H1 2025Ongoing, fastest of any US city
A sevenfold increase in six months - Richmond added more data-center capacity in the first half of 2025 than any other US city, growing faster than Dallas and Chicago combined. This is the single defining trend shaping commercial trades demand in the metro.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Richmond market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Richmond.
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 Richmond a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
For every light-truck driver BLS counts in Richmond there are 2.5 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers - 11,760 against 4,790, 26th of 112 on that ratio.
Weighted that far to Class A, the linehaul and regional pool is deeper than the headcount suggests and the local-delivery bench thinner.
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 Richmond.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Richmond?
BLS puts the Richmond median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $58,190 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 64th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. The range is unusually wide: $37,190 at the bottom tenth against $94,450 at the top tenth, a 2.5x gap. Senior people here are priced far above the median. No other Virginia metro we cover pays more for this work (Virginia Beach: $50,460).
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Richmond?
Not by national standards. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make up 34% more of the Richmond workforce than they do nationally, about 11,760 people. The 421 general freight trucking companies here average about 12 employees per location. With 65% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Richmond?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Richmond, a $111,480 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $61,390, 45% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $41,720. Relative to national pay, Driver Recruiter is the strongest-paying role here (4% above). CDL-B Truck Driver trails national pay the most (7% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Richmond?
BLS counted 421 general freight trucking companies in Richmond in 2023, employing about 5,218 people between them. Up from 255 in 2018, a 65% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 12 people per location. They pay an average of $61,585, 6% below the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Richmond for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Virginia Beach (95 miles, about 7,460, $50,460 median), Washington, D.C. (95 miles, about 20,430, $59,820 median) and Baltimore (128 miles, about 15,580, $59,460 median). Washington, D.C. has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Richmond out-pays Virginia Beach, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Richmond has one of the deeper pools of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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