Commercial Trucking recruiters serving San Antonio.
At a $53,650 median, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in San Antonio earn 9% less than nationally; about 13,710 work in the metro. BLS counts 535 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 San Antonio.
BLS counts about 27,550 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the San Antonio metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 13,710). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.92). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →San Antonio: 13,710 employed · $53,650 median, 88th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →San Antonio: 7,010 employed · $41,600 median, 80th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
San Antonio: 1,570 employed · $46,800 median, 87th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
San Antonio: 1,670 employed · $95,500 median, 103rd-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
San Antonio: 3,100 employed · $67,050 median, 95th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
San Antonio: 2,160 employed · $58,620 median, 90th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
San Antonio: 340 employed · $46,530 median, 79th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
San Antonio: 7,570 employed · $72,930 median, 54th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
San Antonio: 4,670 employed · $60,390 median, 83rd-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in San Antonio.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in San Antonio earn a median $53,650, 9% under the $58,640 national figure, and 88th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,560 at the tenth percentile to $76,840 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $60,390 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | San Antonio median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $53,650 | $38,560–$76,840 | $58,640 | −9% | 13,710 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $41,600 | $29,120–$93,830 | $44,860 | −7% | 7,010 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $46,800 | $32,450–$74,090 | $50,340 | −7% | 1,570 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $95,500 | $57,590–$177,340 | $107,230 | −11% | 1,670 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $67,050 | $44,870–$122,710 | $80,730 | −17% | 3,100 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $58,620 | $43,360–$80,430 | $61,770 | −5% | 2,160 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $46,530 | $38,160–$70,320 | $52,260 | −11% | 340 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $72,930 | $46,350–$117,700 | $75,940 | −4% | 7,570 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $60,390 | $38,670–$96,060 | $62,890 | −4% | 4,670 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, San Antonio 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 San Antonio's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in San Antonio rose from 323 in 2018 to 535 in 2023, up 66%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 30%, to about 5,688 people. Average annual pay there went from $57,093 to $69,506 (+22%), in step with the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 323 | 535 | +66% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 4,367 | 5,688 | +30% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $57,093 | $69,506 | +22% |
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
San Antonio runs 8% fewer commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 San Antonio's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, San Antonio ranks 31st for headcount, 80th for median pay and 59th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 55,670 | $59,530 | 1.04 | 2,482 |
| Houston | 49,750 | $56,840 | 1.14 | 2,065 |
| San Antonio | 13,710 | $53,650 | 0.92 | 535 |
| Austin | 10,760 | $57,110 | 0.63 | 327 |
| El Paso | 7,850 | $49,270 | 1.75 | 583 |
| McAllen | 4,390 | $47,040 | 1.12 | 344 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in San Antonio, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, San Antonio metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Texas.
Texas issues CDLs from 18: the Department's medical certification rules require non-excepted interstate drivers to be 21 or older and excepted interstate drivers to be 18 or older, so 18 is the floor for Class A and Class B with 21 required for ordinary interstate work. Texas prints restriction K, intrastate only. Texas has a state medical exemption route for non-excepted intrastate drivers described on Form CDL-37, and a granted state waiver must be submitted together with the medical examiner's certificate; separately the Texas Limb Waiver remains available to applicants who cannot meet the physical requirements and limits the driver to commercial operation within Texas only. The Texas Vision Waiver was withdrawn as of January 1, 2023, with existing holders required to meet the federal alternative vision standards by December 1, 2024 or their certificate expiry - so an older Texas vision waiver is no longer a valid qualification. Texas also has two excepted-intrastate routes with restrictions printed on the licence, one for drivers regularly employed in Texas commercial operation before August 28, 1989 who do not haul placarded hazmat, and one for oil or water well servicing, drilling and mobile crane operations. The same state rules apply in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, McAllen and El Paso, so candidates licensed there can work in San Antonio without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Texas Department of Public Safety; driver licensing is in Public Safety, not in the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, which handles vehicles only. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial trucking search in San Antonio yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in San Antonio than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Estimator / Project ManagerShe grew her own asphalt repair business from $600K to $2.5 million before taking this seat.
- Estimator / Project ManagerAn 80% win rate on bids from $100,000 to $2 million, brought onto the same bid desk.
Nearby markets competing for San Antonio talent.
The closest metro we cover is Austin, about 75 miles away, with roughly 10,760 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.8 times San Antonio's 13,710). Dallas-Fort Worth pays the most nearby, a $59,530 median, 11% above San Antonio. That is the number any San Antonio offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Dallas-Fort Worth has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | – | 13,710 | $53,650 |
| Austin | 74 mi | 10,760 | $57,110 |
| Houston | 190 mi | 49,750 | $56,840 |
| McAllen | 223 mi | 4,390 | $47,040 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 253 mi | 55,670 | $59,530 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for San Antonio crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into San Antonio in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Microsoft data center campuses (West San Antonio)Multi-billion, multi-phaseRolling through 2028+
Hyperscale build-out on the far West Side is the single biggest force in the market. Power-systems electricians, controls technicians, and mechanical PMs are in extreme demand.
- Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (Tundra) + supplier expansions$500M+ recent reinvestmentOngoing
South Side truck plant and its on-site supplier park keep industrial mechanical, electrical, and controls trades tight across the region.
- Brooke Army Medical Center / Joint Base San AntonioLargest DoD medical + military construction footprint in the USContinuous
Federal medical and base construction demands cleared, licensed crews. Medical gas plumbers, high-reliability electricians, and healthcare-experienced supers in short supply.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The San Antonio market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in San Antonio.
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 San Antonio a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
San Antonio carries 13,710 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 7,010 light-truck drivers, 2.0 to one against a 1.8 median, 51st 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 San Antonio.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in San Antonio?
BLS puts the San Antonio median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $53,650 a year, 9% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 88th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $38,560 and $76,840, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth pays more, at $59,530.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in San Antonio?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in San Antonio as they are nationally (location quotient 0.92), with about 13,710 in the metro. The 535 general freight trucking companies here average about 11 employees per location. With 66% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in San Antonio?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in San Antonio, a $95,500 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $60,390, 37% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $41,600. Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT) trails national pay the most (17% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in San Antonio?
BLS counted 535 general freight trucking companies in San Antonio in 2023, employing about 5,688 people between them. Up from 323 in 2018, a 66% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 11 people per location. They pay an average of $69,506, 6% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with San Antonio for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Austin (74 miles, about 10,760, $57,110 median), Houston (190 miles, about 49,750, $56,840 median) and McAllen (223 miles, about 4,390, $47,040 median). Houston has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Austin pays 6% more, which is where San Antonio employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
535 general freight trucking companies in San Antonio are drawing on the same 13,710 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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