Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Riverside.
Riverside has 77% more heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, about 40,230 in the metro. BLS counts 3,204 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 Riverside.
BLS counts about 69,620 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Riverside metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 40,230). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.77). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Riverside: 40,230 employed · $60,580 median, 29th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Riverside: 14,380 employed · $45,560 median, 35th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Riverside: 3,250 employed · $52,000 median, 21st-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Riverside: 3,550 employed · $98,700 median, 85th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Riverside: 3,480 employed · $79,920 median, 40th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Riverside: 3,400 employed · $71,300 median, 21st-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Riverside: 1,960 employed · $46,880 median, 76th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Riverside: 7,210 employed · $76,570 median, 33rd-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Riverside: 11,610 employed · $69,920 median, 9th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Riverside.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Riverside earn a median $60,580, 3% over the $58,640 national figure, and 29th of 112 metros. Pay runs $39,320 at the tenth percentile to $97,320 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $71,300 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | Riverside median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $60,580 | $39,320–$97,320 | $58,640 | +3% | 40,230 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $45,560 | $35,360–$85,110 | $44,860 | +2% | 14,380 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $52,000 | $38,680–$74,360 | $50,340 | +3% | 3,250 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $98,700 | $67,580–$165,030 | $107,230 | −8% | 3,550 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $79,920 | $49,990–$133,430 | $80,730 | −1% | 3,480 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $71,300 | $46,890–$89,570 | $61,770 | +15% | 3,400 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $46,880 | $37,420–$76,950 | $52,260 | −10% | 1,960 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $76,570 | $48,040–$126,110 | $75,940 | +1% | 7,210 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $69,920 | $45,900–$91,860 | $62,890 | +11% | 11,610 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Riverside 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 Riverside's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Riverside rose from 1,462 in 2018 to 3,204 in 2023, up 119%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 18%, to about 24,850 people. Average annual pay there went from $53,220 to $65,987 (+24%), in step with the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 1,462 | 3,204 | +119% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 21,140 | 24,850 | +18% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $53,220 | $65,987 | +24% |
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
Riverside runs 77% 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 Riverside's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Riverside ranks 7th for headcount, 27th for median pay and 4th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. That puts it among the deepest commercial trucking labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 61,270 | $60,340 | 0.74 | 6,548 |
| Riverside | 40,230 | $60,580 | 1.77 | 3,204 |
| San Francisco | 16,450 | $66,450 | 0.52 | 1,040 |
| Sacramento | 10,960 | $60,810 | 0.76 | 1,227 |
| San Diego | 10,440 | $59,780 | 0.51 | 645 |
| Stockton | 10,110 | $60,470 | 2.63 | 1,016 |
| Fresno | 8,170 | $55,740 | 1.29 | 949 |
| Bakersfield | 7,050 | $57,690 | 1.57 | 718 |
| San Jose | 5,360 | $70,730 | 0.36 | 285 |
| Modesto | 3,510 | $58,330 | 1.36 | 378 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Riverside, 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, Riverside metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in California.
An 18-year-old may hold a California CDL and drive for hire within California, but Vehicle Code 12515 requires age 21 for interstate operation, and California requires 21 for hazardous materials or hazardous waste whether the run is intrastate or interstate - so an 18-to-20-year-old cannot cross a state line and cannot take a placarded load even inside California. The Department publishes no California-specific intrastate medical waiver; it handles only the federal picture, with a Skill Performance Evaluation, waiver or exemption transmitted electronically from the National Registry alongside the medical certificate. The intrastate self-certification label is NA and the interstate one NI, and changing self-certification requires a field-office visit and a new form DL 694. One current California-only issue: the Department has announced that until further notice it cannot issue, reissue or renew limited-term non-domiciled commercial driver licences. The same state rules apply in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in Riverside without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: California Department of Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Riverside talent.
The closest metro we cover is Los Angeles, about 50 miles away, with roughly 61,270 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.5 times Riverside's 40,230). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $55,740 in Fresno to $60,650 in Las Vegas, against $60,580 here. Los Angeles has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | – | 40,230 | $60,580 |
| Los Angeles | 49 mi | 61,270 | $60,340 |
| San Diego | 87 mi | 10,440 | $59,780 |
| Bakersfield | 135 mi | 7,050 | $57,690 |
| Las Vegas | 200 mi | 8,670 | $60,650 |
| Fresno | 235 mi | 8,170 | $55,740 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Riverside crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Riverside in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- World Logistics Center (Moreno Valley)$25BTargeting ~2030, pending appeals
One of the largest master-planned logistics parks in the US - 40M+ sq ft of distribution/fulfillment. The project has a long history of court-voided permits and restarts since 2015, so any fixed completion date carries real uncertainty. Industrial MEP at massive scale, high-bay lighting, automation power. Multi-year demand for warehouse-experienced trades.
- Ontario International Airport expansion ("ONT BOLD")Cost not yet finalized~10-year program (targeting mid-2030s)
Fastest-growing US airport by cargo. New terminal, cargo, and ground-support facilities announced May 2026; the airport's own materials say cost estimates are still being developed during design. Airport-grade MEP plus air-cargo cold-chain and fueling infrastructure.
- Inland Empire cold-storage & food-distribution build-outReal trend, no verified regional totalRolling
E-commerce grocery + food distribution driving refrigerated warehouse construction - the largest single confirmed transaction is Walmart's $223M cold-storage acquisition. Ammonia/CO2 refrigeration and cold-storage specialty crews in tight supply.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Riverside market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Riverside.
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 Riverside a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
For every light-truck driver BLS counts in Riverside there are 2.8 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers - 40,230 against 14,380, 12th 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 Riverside.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Riverside?
BLS puts the Riverside median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $60,580 a year, 3% above the $58,640 national median. That ranks 29th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. The range is unusually wide: $39,320 at the bottom tenth against $97,320 at the top tenth, a 2.5x gap. Senior people here are priced far above the median. Within California, San Jose pays more, at $70,730.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Riverside?
Not by national standards. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make up 77% more of the Riverside workforce than they do nationally, about 40,230 people. The 3,204 general freight trucking companies here average about 7.8 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 119% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Riverside?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Riverside, a $98,700 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $71,300, 28% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $45,560. Relative to national pay, Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician is the strongest-paying role here (15% above). Logistics Coordinator trails national pay the most (10% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Riverside?
BLS counted 3,204 general freight trucking companies in Riverside in 2023, employing about 24,850 people between them. Up from 1,462 in 2018, a 119% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 7.8 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay about the national average of $65,587.
Which nearby metros compete with Riverside for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Los Angeles (49 miles, about 61,270, $60,340 median), San Diego (87 miles, about 10,440, $59,780 median) and Bakersfield (135 miles, about 7,050, $57,690 median). Los Angeles has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Riverside 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.
Schedule a Discovery Call →