Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Tulsa.
Tulsa has 19% more heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers per job than the country as a whole, about 7,220 in the metro. BLS counts 266 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 Tulsa.
BLS counts about 13,270 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Tulsa metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 7,220). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.19). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Tulsa: 7,220 employed · $58,790 median, 58th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Tulsa: 2,940 employed · $39,890 median, 98th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Tulsa: 600 employed · $44,130 median, 104th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Tulsa: 470 employed · $96,740 median, 97th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Tulsa: 1,150 employed · $69,440 median, 88th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Tulsa: 980 employed · $57,730 median, 96th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Tulsa: 130 employed · $67,140 median, highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Tulsa: 2,560 employed · $63,490 median, 99th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Tulsa: 2,130 employed · $60,100 median, 88th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Tulsa.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Tulsa earn a median $58,790, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 58th of 112 metros. Pay runs $37,530 at the tenth percentile to $75,160 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $60,100 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Tulsa median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $58,790 | $37,530–$75,160 | $58,640 | 0% | 7,220 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $39,890 | $24,270–$93,800 | $44,860 | −11% | 2,940 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $44,130 | $31,820–$71,050 | $50,340 | −12% | 600 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $96,740 | $56,310–$170,310 | $107,230 | −10% | 470 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $69,440 | $42,530–$120,090 | $80,730 | −14% | 1,150 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $57,730 | $39,870–$79,170 | $61,770 | −7% | 980 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $67,140 | $31,420–$81,180 | $52,260 | +28% | 130 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $63,490 | $40,350–$102,750 | $75,940 | −16% | 2,560 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $60,100 | $38,440–$92,880 | $62,890 | −4% | 2,130 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tulsa 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 Tulsa's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Tulsa rose from 213 in 2018 to 266 in 2023, up 25%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 13%, to about 4,243 people. Average annual pay there went from $56,358 to $64,836 (+15%), slower than the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 213 | 266 | +25% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 3,739 | 4,243 | +13% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $56,358 | $64,836 | +15% |
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
Tulsa runs 19% 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 Tulsa's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Tulsa ranks 54th for headcount, 53rd for median pay and 27th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | 10,170 | $54,720 | 1.13 | 493 |
| Tulsa | 7,220 | $58,790 | 1.19 | 266 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Tulsa, 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, Tulsa metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma's intrastate minimum age could not be verified from any state source - Service Oklahoma's CDL pages omit any age and the PDF it links as the CDL manual is the generic national model manual with no Oklahoma content - so call the Service Oklahoma CDL unit before relying on an under-21 Oklahoma driver. Note the agency: driver licensing moved out of the Department of Public Safety, and there is no Oklahoma motor vehicle department for licences. The most employer-relevant Oklahoma fact is medical, and it is a real trap: Service Oklahoma states that a medical card is required for licensing only in the Non-Excepted Interstate category, and that for the two intrastate categories and excepted interstate a card is not required for licensing but may still be required while operating a commercial motor vehicle. So an Oklahoma intrastate driver can hold a valid CDL with no medical card on the licensing record while your operation still requires one - do not use the licence as proof of medical qualification. Paper certificates are no longer accepted as of February 17, 2026. K is CDL intrastate only, and Oklahoma publishes no state medical waiver programme. The same state rules apply in Oklahoma City, so candidates licensed there can work in Tulsa without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Service Oklahoma. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Tulsa talent.
The closest metro we cover is Oklahoma City, about 100 miles away, with roughly 10,170 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.4 times Tulsa's 7,220). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $54,720 in Oklahoma City to $60,170 in Kansas City, against $58,790 here. Dallas-Fort Worth has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa | – | 7,220 | $58,790 |
| Oklahoma City | 98 mi | 10,170 | $54,720 |
| Wichita | 130 mi | 3,890 | $57,930 |
| Kansas City | 218 mi | 18,230 | $60,170 |
| Little Rock | 230 mi | 7,910 | $57,050 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 237 mi | 55,670 | $59,530 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Tulsa crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Tulsa in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Park Aerospace advanced composites facility$65MOperations beginning 2028
A new advanced composite materials manufacturing facility on 18 acres at Tulsa International Airport, expected to create more than 100 jobs. Specialized industrial construction distinct from conventional commercial building.
- Quantum Space manufacturing facility$80MOperations expected Q1 2027
A 25,000-40,000 sq ft facility in the Spartan Building for large propulsion tank manufacturing and precision spacecraft parts production, expected to create 50 jobs. Adds to Tulsa International Airport's growing aerospace-campus identity alongside Agile Space Industries and Lufthansa Technik Component Services.
These are the 2 projects we track in Tulsa. The Tulsa market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Tulsa.
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 Tulsa a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
For every light-truck driver BLS counts in Tulsa there are 2.5 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers - 7,220 against 2,940, 25th of 112 on that ratio.
Weighted that far to Class A, the linehaul and regional pool is deeper than the headcount suggests and the local-delivery bench thinner.
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 Tulsa.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Tulsa?
BLS puts the Tulsa median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $58,790 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 58th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $37,530 and $75,160, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Oklahoma metro we cover pays more for this work (Oklahoma City: $54,720).
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Tulsa?
Not by national standards. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make up 19% more of the Tulsa workforce than they do nationally, about 7,220 people. The 266 general freight trucking companies here average about 16 employees per location. With 25% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Tulsa?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Tulsa, a $96,740 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $60,100, 38% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $39,890. Relative to national pay, Logistics Coordinator is the strongest-paying role here (28% above). Driver Recruiter trails national pay the most (16% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Tulsa?
BLS counted 266 general freight trucking companies in Tulsa in 2023, employing about 4,243 people between them. Up from 213 in 2018, a 25% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 16 people per location. They pay about the national average of $65,587.
Which nearby metros compete with Tulsa for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Oklahoma City (98 miles, about 10,170, $54,720 median), Wichita (130 miles, about 3,890, $57,930 median) and Kansas City (218 miles, about 18,230, $60,170 median). Kansas City has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Tulsa out-pays Oklahoma City, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Tulsa has one of the deeper pools of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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