Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Salt Lake City.
About 12,340 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in the Salt Lake City metro, at a $62,310 median. BLS counts 511 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 Salt Lake City.
BLS counts about 23,300 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Salt Lake City metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 12,340). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.13). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Salt Lake City: 12,340 employed · $62,310 median, 14th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Salt Lake City: 5,770 employed · $46,990 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Salt Lake City: 950 employed · $54,950 median, 14th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Salt Lake City: 1,770 employed · $104,000 median, 56th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Salt Lake City: 2,350 employed · $75,360 median, 62nd-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Salt Lake City: 1,500 employed · $65,200 median, 28th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Salt Lake City: 460 employed · $56,060 median, 30th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Salt Lake City: 5,350 employed · $74,410 median, 48th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Salt Lake City: 3,690 employed · $66,140 median, 17th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Salt Lake City.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Salt Lake City earn a median $62,310, 6% over the $58,640 national figure, and 14th of 112 metros. Pay runs $45,840 at the tenth percentile to $76,910 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $66,140 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Salt Lake City median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $62,310 | $45,840–$76,910 | $58,640 | +6% | 12,340 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $46,990 | $35,840–$70,150 | $44,860 | +5% | 5,770 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $54,950 | $37,300–$75,820 | $50,340 | +9% | 950 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $104,000 | $68,310–$171,640 | $107,230 | −3% | 1,770 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $75,360 | $42,600–$122,930 | $80,730 | −7% | 2,350 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $65,200 | $48,530–$84,740 | $61,770 | +6% | 1,500 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $56,060 | $38,960–$92,670 | $52,260 | +7% | 460 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $74,410 | $48,960–$128,220 | $75,940 | −2% | 5,350 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $66,140 | $45,930–$95,340 | $62,890 | +5% | 3,690 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Salt Lake City rose from 395 in 2018 to 511 in 2023, up 29%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 4%, to about 7,757 people. Average annual pay there went from $53,127 to $67,597 (+27%), faster than the 23% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 395 | 511 | +29% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 7,453 | 7,757 | +4% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $53,127 | $67,597 | +27% |
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
Salt Lake City runs 13% more commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Salt Lake City's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Salt Lake City ranks 33rd for headcount, 12th for median pay and 34th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | 12,340 | $62,310 | 1.13 | 511 |
| Ogden | 4,260 | $59,940 | 1.18 | 289 |
| Provo | 2,300 | $59,820 | 0.57 | 165 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Salt Lake City, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Salt Lake City metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Utah.
Utah's intrastate minimum age is 18: the official driver handbook carries an intrastate restriction for individuals 18 to 20 against both the Class A and Class B entries against a general minimum of 21, and the commercial manual confirms that a driver under 21 operates in intrastate commerce with a K restriction added to the licence. Utah bars CDL applicants under 21 from the Passenger, School Bus and hazardous materials endorsements outright. Utah adds a fifth, state-specific self-certification category on top of the four federal ones, for a driver who operates entirely in intrastate commerce, meets either the federal certificate requirements or the state's medical requirements, and is under 21; that driver must file a current certificate with the Division and must re-self-certify on their 21st birthday. Utah also runs an Intrastate Only Medical Waiver Program through the Division's CDL medical programme, with Medical Advisory Board approval in some cases, open to applicants who do not fully meet the federal medical requirements and covering diabetes, cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurologic, mental health, vision, musculoskeletal and sleep or alertness disorders; there is a $25 intrastate medical fee and the driver is mailed a physical K waiver card in addition to the licence code. The same state rules apply in Provo and Ogden, so candidates licensed there can work in Salt Lake City without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Utah Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division; not a motor vehicle division, which handles vehicles only. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Salt Lake City talent.
The closest metro we cover is Ogden, about 30 miles away, with roughly 4,260 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.3 times Salt Lake City's 12,340). Salt Lake City pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($62,310 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Provo at $59,820. Salt Lake City is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
What else is competing for Salt Lake City crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Salt Lake City in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Novva Data Center Campus (West Jordan)1M sq ft total, 175MW capacityPhases 2-3 completing 2026
A 100-acre direct-to-chip cooled AI data-center campus inside the Salt Lake City MSA proper - among the largest of its kind in the world. Extremely demanding mechanical (liquid cooling) and electrical scope.
- QTS Data Center (Eagle Mountain)UndisclosedUnder construction
More than 2,000 construction jobs and 100+ permanent roles, with a closed-loop cooling system. Adds directly to the statewide competition for data-center mechanical and electrical talent that Salt Lake City-based contractors draw from.
- Stratos Project (Box Elder County)9GW capacity requiredApproved May 2026
A data-center and energy campus spanning roughly 40,000 acres, led by investor Kevin O'Leary. Outside the core SLC MSA but a massive draw on the same statewide skilled-trades labor pool once construction ramps.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Salt Lake City market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Salt Lake City.
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 Salt Lake City a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Salt Lake City carries 12,340 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 5,770 light-truck drivers, 2.1 to one against a 1.8 median, 41st 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 Salt Lake City.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Salt Lake City?
BLS puts the Salt Lake City median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $62,310 a year, 6% above the $58,640 national median. That ranks 14th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $45,840 and $76,910, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Utah metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Salt Lake City?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in Salt Lake City as they are nationally (location quotient 1.13), with about 12,340 in the metro. The 511 general freight trucking companies here average about 15 employees per location. With 29% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Salt Lake City?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Salt Lake City, a $104,000 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $66,140, 36% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $46,990. Relative to national pay, Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator is the strongest-paying role here (9% above). Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT) trails national pay the most (7% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Salt Lake City?
BLS counted 511 general freight trucking companies in Salt Lake City in 2023, employing about 7,757 people between them. Up from 395 in 2018, a 29% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 15 people per location. They pay an average of $67,597, 3% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Salt Lake City for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Ogden (32 miles, about 4,260, $59,940 median), Provo (38 miles, about 2,300, $59,820 median) and Boise (296 miles, about 6,380, $60,330 median).
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
511 general freight trucking companies in Salt Lake City are drawing on the same 12,340 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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