Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Tampa.
Tampa has about 15,840 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 24th of the 112 we cover, and still 17% fewer per job than the country - so they are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 1,086 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 Tampa.
BLS counts about 32,020 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Tampa metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 15,840). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.83). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Tampa: 15,840 employed · $50,560 median, 98th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Tampa: 9,710 employed · $40,490 median, 94th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Tampa: 1,820 employed · $45,090 median, 101st-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Tampa: $102,530 median, 61st-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Tampa: 4,110 employed · $75,920 median, 60th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Tampa: 1,910 employed · $61,060 median, 67th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Tampa: 790 employed · $48,870 median, 61st-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Tampa: 10,410 employed · $65,580 median, 90th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Tampa: 4,560 employed · $61,640 median, 66th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Tampa.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Tampa earn a median $50,560, 14% under the $58,640 national figure, and 98th of 112 metros. Pay runs $38,850 at the tenth percentile to $72,770 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $61,640 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Tampa median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $50,560 | $38,850–$72,770 | $58,640 | −14% | 15,840 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $40,490 | $28,480–$60,890 | $44,860 | −10% | 9,710 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $45,090 | $35,840–$65,210 | $50,340 | −10% | 1,820 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $102,530 | $55,010–$174,790 | $107,230 | −4% | – |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $75,920 | $46,090–$125,430 | $80,730 | −6% | 4,110 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $61,060 | $44,950–$78,120 | $61,770 | −1% | 1,910 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $48,870 | $38,100–$81,070 | $52,260 | −6% | 790 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $65,580 | $44,530–$115,180 | $75,940 | −14% | 10,410 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $61,640 | $40,290–$91,030 | $62,890 | −2% | 4,560 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tampa 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 Tampa's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Tampa rose from 622 in 2018 to 1,086 in 2023, up 75%, ahead of the 49% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 50%, to about 7,220 people. Average annual pay there went from $51,877 to $62,160 (+20%), slower than the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 622 | 1,086 | +75% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 4,803 | 7,220 | +50% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $51,877 | $62,160 | +20% |
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
Tampa runs 17% 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 Tampa's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Tampa ranks 24th for headcount, 89th for median pay and 66th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 29,060 | $51,580 | 0.78 | 2,275 |
| Tampa | 15,840 | $50,560 | 0.83 | 1,086 |
| Orlando | 15,420 | $50,250 | 0.82 | 1,342 |
| Jacksonville | 13,100 | $55,630 | 1.29 | 765 |
| Lakeland | 7,820 | $57,090 | 2.22 | 412 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 3,050 | $48,950 | 0.76 | 199 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 2,930 | $50,890 | 0.65 | 208 |
| Port St. Lucie | 2,060 | $48,590 | 0.91 | 146 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 1,910 | $47,660 | 0.66 | 183 |
| Pensacola | 1,710 | $47,950 | 0.68 | 108 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 1,690 | $48,460 | 0.52 | 117 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Tampa, 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, Tampa metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Florida.
Florida's floor is 18, and a driver under 21 is restricted to intrastate operation only; F.S. 316.302(4) separately bars anyone under 18 from operating a commercial motor vehicle at all. Florida's intrastate medical relief is statutory rather than a waiver programme: F.S. 316.302(2)(i) exempts a driver who operates only intrastate from the federal vision standard at 391.41(b)(10) where the driver has had no convictions under s. 322.61 - Florida's CDL disqualification section for specified serious and major offences - in the two years before applying, is otherwise qualified under 49 CFR part 391, and carries a physical examination form dated within the past 24 months; ordinary moving violations not reached by s. 322.61 do not defeat eligibility. Florida also runs its own intrastate hours of service for non-placarded loads: no driving beyond 12 hours after 10 consecutive hours off, none after the 16th hour, and none after 70 hours in 7 consecutive days or 80 in 8 for a carrier operating every day, reset by 34 consecutive hours off - so a Florida intrastate log is not a federal 11-and-14 log. Florida adopts 49 CFR parts 382-386 and 390-397 for intrastate carriers as they existed on December 31, 2023. The same state rules apply in Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, North Port-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Lakeland, Deltona-Daytona, Palm Bay-Melbourne, Port St. Lucie and Pensacola, so candidates licensed there can work in Tampa without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial trucking search in Tampa 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 Tampa than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterA fifteen-year experience floor on a single trade specialty took sixteen weeks to clear - and we cleared it twice.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterThe second of two pipefitter seats on the same project, filled from the same extended search.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterA journeyman pipefitter and foreman off large industrial projects, onto a major commercial job in four weeks.
Nearby markets competing for Tampa talent.
The closest metro we cover is Lakeland, about 30 miles away, with roughly 7,820 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (0.5 times Tampa's 15,840). Lakeland pays the most nearby, a $57,090 median, 13% above Tampa. That is the number any Tampa offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Tampa is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa | – | 15,840 | $50,560 |
| Lakeland | 32 mi | 7,820 | $57,090 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 64 mi | 2,930 | $50,890 |
| Orlando | 77 mi | 15,420 | $50,250 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 98 mi | 1,910 | $47,660 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 101 mi | 3,050 | $48,950 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Tampa crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Tampa in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Port Tampa Bay + MacDill AFB adjacency workSustained public + logistics pipelineOngoing
Florida's largest port plus a major military installation anchor a steady base of industrial, marine, and secure-facility commercial construction - federal and logistics work that keeps trades employed between private cycles.
- Tampa International Airport - Airside D expansionMulti-billion-dollar programUnder construction, phased through the late 2020s
A new international airside plus concourse and roadway work. Heavy mechanical, electrical, and specialty finish demand over a multi-year phased schedule - rolling crew needs, not a single spike.
- Water Street Tampa (Strategic Property Partners)$3B+ districtPhased build-out, ongoing
Downtown mixed-use district - office towers, residential, hotels, and USF Health. Class-A commercial finish, custom MEP, and high-rise trade demand concentrated in the urban core.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Tampa market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Tampa.
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 Tampa a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Tampa carries 15,840 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 9,710 light-truck drivers, 1.6 to one against a 1.8 median, 69th 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.
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 Tampa.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Tampa?
BLS puts the Tampa median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $50,560 a year, 14% below the $58,640 national median. That ranks 98th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $38,850 and $72,770, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Florida, Lakeland pays more, at $57,090.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Tampa?
Yes. Tampa has 17% fewer heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 15,840 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 1,086 general freight trucking companies here average about 6.6 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 75% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Tampa?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Tampa, a $102,530 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $61,640, 40% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $40,490. CDL-A Truck Driver trails national pay the most (14% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Tampa?
BLS counted 1,086 general freight trucking companies in Tampa in 2023, employing about 7,220 people between them. Up from 622 in 2018, a 75% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 6.6 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $62,160, 5% below the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Tampa for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Lakeland (32 miles, about 7,820, $57,090 median), North Port-Sarasota (64 miles, about 2,930, $50,890 median) and Orlando (77 miles, about 15,420, $50,250 median). Lakeland pays 13% more, which is where Tampa employers tend to lose people.
Deep pool. Heavily fished.
Tampa has 15,840 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, 24th of the 112 metros we cover, and still 17% fewer per job than the country. The pool is deep and every employer here is fishing it. Let's get to the ones worth moving first.
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