Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Rochester.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are scarcer in Rochester than in most of the country, 39% fewer per job, so the roughly 4,020 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 182 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 Rochester.
BLS counts about 9,870 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Rochester metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 4,020). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.61). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Rochester: 4,020 employed · $58,920 median, 57th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Rochester: 3,360 employed · $42,090 median, 75th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Rochester: 840 employed · $48,150 median, 74th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Rochester: 410 employed · $107,190 median, 41st-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Rochester: 1,140 employed · $80,320 median, 38th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Rochester: 870 employed · $61,240 median, 64th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Rochester: 140 employed · $52,270 median, 36th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Rochester: 2,460 employed · $76,590 median, 32nd-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Rochester: 1,620 employed · $62,740 median, 48th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Rochester.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Rochester earn a median $58,920, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 57th of 112 metros. Pay runs $46,400 at the tenth percentile to $76,940 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $62,740 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Rochester median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $58,920 | $46,400–$76,940 | $58,640 | 0% | 4,020 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $42,090 | $32,240–$60,120 | $44,860 | −6% | 3,360 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $48,150 | $36,400–$62,850 | $50,340 | −4% | 840 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $107,190 | $76,290–$176,490 | $107,230 | 0% | 410 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $80,320 | $53,250–$124,760 | $80,730 | −1% | 1,140 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $61,240 | $46,070–$83,180 | $61,770 | −1% | 870 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $52,270 | $39,990–$76,280 | $52,260 | 0% | 140 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $76,590 | $51,760–$122,760 | $75,940 | +1% | 2,460 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $62,740 | $44,690–$89,160 | $62,890 | 0% | 1,620 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Rochester 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 Rochester's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Rochester rose from 150 in 2018 to 182 in 2023, up 21%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Rochester, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 150 | 182 | +21% |
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
Rochester runs 39% 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 Rochester's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Rochester ranks 83rd for headcount, 52nd for median pay and 89th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 65,100 | $65,040 | 0.52 | 4,782 |
| Albany | 4,830 | $60,720 | 0.81 | 108 |
| Buffalo | 4,710 | $59,440 | 0.66 | 220 |
| Syracuse | 4,120 | $61,330 | 1.04 | 113 |
| Rochester | 4,020 | $58,920 | 0.61 | 182 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Rochester, 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, Rochester metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in New York.
New York publishes a minimum age of 21 for Class A and 18 for Class B and Class C, but the under-21 restrictions attach to all three classes, not only Class A: for ages 18 to 20 in every class there is no interstate commerce, no transporting hazardous materials and no operating a school bus. Class A at 18 to 20 is reached through New York's Class A Young Adult Training Program, which requires entry-level driver training plus supervised driving time. New York prints code K for CDL intrastate only, and the Department states expressly that K does not remove the federal medical examiner's certificate requirement. Employers will also see New York-specific codes that appear almost nowhere else: A3 for medical certification exempt, applied on excepted self-certification, S1 for school bus only, T1 for transit bus only and V for medical variance. Codes print on the front of the licence after the letter R with the descriptions on the back, so check the reverse of the card. The same state rules apply in New York, Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse, so candidates licensed there can work in Rochester without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Rochester talent.
The closest metro we cover is Buffalo, about 65 miles away, with roughly 4,710 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.2 times Rochester's 4,020). Harrisburg pays the most nearby, a $61,520 median, 4% above Rochester. That is the number any Rochester offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Harrisburg has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | – | 4,020 | $58,920 |
| Buffalo | 66 mi | 4,710 | $59,440 |
| Syracuse | 74 mi | 4,120 | $61,330 |
| Scranton | 157 mi | 5,210 | $57,580 |
| Albany | 198 mi | 4,830 | $60,720 |
| Harrisburg | 203 mi | 6,800 | $61,520 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Rochester crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Rochester in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- QED Technologies expansion$18.7MRibbon-cut August 5, 2026
Added up to 20,000 sq ft to the University Avenue facility for a new R&D center and expanded precision optics fabrication capacity.
- Sydor Optics manufacturing expansion$32M+New 100,000 sq ft facility, up to 36 new jobs
A new photonics manufacturing facility to accommodate continued growth - one of the largest single optics-manufacturing capital projects in the region's history.
- University of Rochester Institute of Optics research complex$200MGroundbreaking 2026
A major research facility anchoring the region's optics/photonics talent pipeline - lab-grade mechanical and electrical construction distinct from manufacturing-floor work.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Rochester market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Rochester.
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 Rochester a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Rochester runs close to even: 4,020 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 3,360 light-truck drivers, 1.2 to one, 103rd 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 Rochester.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Rochester?
BLS puts the Rochester median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $58,920 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 57th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $46,400 and $76,940, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within New York, New York pays more, at $65,040.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Rochester?
Yes. Rochester has 39% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 4,020 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. With 21% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Rochester?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Rochester, a $107,190 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $62,740, 41% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $42,090. CDL-B Truck Driver trails national pay the most (6% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Rochester?
BLS counted 182 general freight trucking companies in Rochester in 2023. Up from 150 in 2018, a 21% 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 Rochester for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Buffalo (66 miles, about 4,710, $59,440 median), Syracuse (74 miles, about 4,120, $61,330 median) and Scranton (157 miles, about 5,210, $57,580 median).
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers this scarce in Rochester, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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