Commercial Trucking recruiters serving San Jose.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are scarcer in San Jose than in most of the country, 64% fewer per job, so the roughly 5,360 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 285 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 Jose.
BLS counts about 12,870 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the San Jose metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 5,360). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.36). 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 Jose: 5,360 employed · $70,730 median, 2nd-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →San Jose: 4,480 employed · $52,100 median, highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
San Jose: 720 employed · $60,780 median, highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
San Jose: 1,760 employed · $177,400 median, highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
San Jose: 2,690 employed · $123,730 median, highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
San Jose: 720 employed · $88,980 median, highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
San Jose: 210 employed · $59,610 median, 16th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
San Jose: 7,970 employed · $112,140 median, highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
San Jose: 2,310 employed · $74,240 median, 3rd-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in San Jose.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in San Jose earn a median $70,730, 21% over the $58,640 national figure, and 2nd of 112 metros. Pay runs $48,280 at the tenth percentile to $94,620 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $88,980 against $61,770 nationally.
| Role | San Jose median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $70,730 | $48,280–$94,620 | $58,640 | +21% | 5,360 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $52,100 | $43,050–$83,240 | $44,860 | +16% | 4,480 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $60,780 | $47,000–$98,600 | $50,340 | +21% | 720 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $177,400 | $94,410–$295,000 | $107,230 | +65% | 1,760 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $123,730 | $69,380–$201,570 | $80,730 | +53% | 2,690 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $88,980 | $56,550–$113,440 | $61,770 | +44% | 720 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $59,610 | $47,270–$92,480 | $52,260 | +14% | 210 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $112,140 | $66,260–$186,570 | $75,940 | +48% | 7,970 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $74,240 | $50,630–$105,700 | $62,890 | +18% | 2,310 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, San Jose 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 Jose's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in San Jose rose from 162 in 2018 to 285 in 2023, up 76%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 27%, to about 2,127 people. Average annual pay there went from $56,183 to $61,156 (+9%), slower than the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 162 | 285 | +76% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 1,669 | 2,127 | +27% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $56,183 | $61,156 | +9% |
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 Jose runs 64% 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 San Jose's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, San Jose ranks 67th for headcount, 2nd for median pay and 100th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. That makes it one of the thinnest commercial trucking labor markets we recruit in.
| 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 San Jose, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, San Jose 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, Riverside, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in San Jose without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: California Department of Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for San Jose talent.
The closest metro we cover is San Francisco, about 40 miles away, with roughly 16,450 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (3.1 times San Jose's 5,360). San Jose pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($70,730 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Fresno at $55,740. San Francisco has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | – | 5,360 | $70,730 |
| San Francisco | 42 mi | 16,450 | $66,450 |
| Modesto | 53 mi | 3,510 | $58,330 |
| Stockton | 54 mi | 10,110 | $60,470 |
| Sacramento | 89 mi | 10,960 | $60,810 |
| Fresno | 124 mi | 8,170 | $55,740 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for San Jose crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into San Jose in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Prologis STEM Park (North San Jose)~$25B, 396MW data center + manufacturing campusApproved Nov 2025
Prologis - traditionally a logistics/industrial developer - was selected by San Jose's city council to build a 159-acre data center and advanced manufacturing campus on city-owned land near Zanker Road and Highway 237. Evidence the AI-driven data-center boom is pulling in developers beyond the traditional tech giants.
- PG&E data-center pipeline - San Jose1,630 MW requested across 11 projectsRolling, multi-year
San Jose is positioning itself as the Bay Area's data-center capital, driven by AI infrastructure demand. Eleven separate projects have requested a combined 1,630 megawatts of capacity from PG&E - more than three times the number of housing units in the city, a signal of the sheer scale of mechanical and electrical buildout underway.
These are the 2 projects we track in San Jose. The San Jose market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in San Jose.
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 Jose a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
San Jose runs close to even: 5,360 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 4,480 light-truck drivers, 1.2 to one, 104th 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 San Jose.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in San Jose?
BLS puts the San Jose median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $70,730 a year, 21% above the $58,640 national median. That ranks 2nd of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $48,280 and $94,620, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other California metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in San Jose?
Yes. San Jose has 64% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 5,360 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 285 general freight trucking companies here average about 7.5 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 76% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in San Jose?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in San Jose, a $177,400 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $88,980, 50% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $52,100. Relative to national pay, Fleet Manager is the strongest-paying role here (65% above).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in San Jose?
BLS counted 285 general freight trucking companies in San Jose in 2023, employing about 2,127 people between them. Up from 162 in 2018, a 76% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 7.5 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $61,156, 7% below the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with San Jose for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are San Francisco (42 miles, about 16,450, $66,450 median), Modesto (53 miles, about 3,510, $58,330 median) and Stockton (54 miles, about 10,110, $60,470 median). San Francisco has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. San Jose out-pays San Francisco, Modesto and Stockton, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers this scarce in San Jose, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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