Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Wichita.
About 3,890 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in the Wichita metro, at a $57,930 median. BLS counts 174 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 Wichita.
BLS counts about 7,630 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Wichita metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 3,890). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.95). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Wichita: 3,890 employed · $57,930 median, 66th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Wichita: 1,840 employed · $40,780 median, 89th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Wichita: 410 employed · $45,140 median, 99th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Wichita: 180 employed · $97,600 median, 93rd-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Wichita: 590 employed · $62,850 median, 104th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Wichita: 610 employed · $57,080 median, 102nd-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Wichita: 510 employed · $36,400 median, 95th-highest of 96 metros
Driver Recruiter
Wichita: 1,380 employed · $65,390 median, 92nd-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Wichita: 1,290 employed · $60,490 median, 80th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Wichita.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Wichita earn a median $57,930, level with the $58,640 national figure, and 66th of 112 metros. Pay runs $39,610 at the tenth percentile to $75,630 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, at $60,490 against $62,890 nationally.
| Role | Wichita median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $57,930 | $39,610–$75,630 | $58,640 | −1% | 3,890 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $40,780 | $26,210–$62,400 | $44,860 | −9% | 1,840 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $45,140 | $32,210–$62,230 | $50,340 | −10% | 410 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $97,600 | $70,190–$151,770 | $107,230 | −9% | 180 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $62,850 | $40,730–$115,920 | $80,730 | −22% | 590 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $57,080 | $43,680–$74,300 | $61,770 | −8% | 610 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | $36,400 | $26,050–$44,780 | $52,260 | −30% | 510 |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $65,390 | $45,420–$114,300 | $75,940 | −14% | 1,380 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $60,490 | $41,900–$89,100 | $62,890 | −4% | 1,290 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Wichita 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 Wichita's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Wichita rose from 131 in 2018 to 174 in 2023, up 33%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Wichita, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 131 | 174 | +33% |
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
Wichita runs 5% fewer commercial trucking workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration.
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 Wichita's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Wichita ranks 84th for headcount, 61st for median pay and 54th for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Wichita, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Wichita metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Kansas.
Kansas sets the intrastate floor at 18 by statute: K.S.A. 8-237(b) forbids issuing a licence to a person under 18 for the purpose of driving a commercial or Class A or B motor vehicle, with one narrow exception at K.S.A. 8-2,147 for farm custom-harvesting work; 21 remains the floor for interstate operation and hazardous materials. Kansas publishes no state intrastate medical waiver, and the Division warns that a certificate marked 'Qualified - State Variances' cannot be posted to a Kansas record without downgrading the driver's commercial privileges, so another state's intrastate waiver will not be honoured here. The codes K for intrastate only and V for medical variance are set out in statute at K.S.A. 8-2,135(b). The Kansas trap worth knowing is the Division's own example: a K-restricted driver cannot haul the first leg of an interstate intermodal movement even without leaving Kansas. Since June 2, 2025 the Division can no longer key in a certificate manually - it must arrive electronically - so a paper card handed to you is not proof the state record is current.
Licensing authority: Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Wichita talent.
The closest metro we cover is Tulsa, about 130 miles away, with roughly 7,220 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.9 times Wichita's 3,890). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $54,720 in Oklahoma City to $60,170 in Kansas City, against $57,930 here. Kansas City has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita | – | 3,890 | $57,930 |
| Tulsa | 130 mi | 7,220 | $58,790 |
| Oklahoma City | 154 mi | 10,170 | $54,720 |
| Kansas City | 178 mi | 18,230 | $60,170 |
| Omaha | 257 mi | 10,210 | $58,010 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Wichita crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Wichita in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital$101.5MUnder construction
A 104-bed facility for adults with acute mental illness and inmates needing mental health evaluations, at West MacArthur Road and South Meridian Avenue.
- Boeing Wichita site investment$1B (following an $8.3B Spirit AeroSystems reacquisition)Over the next three years
Boeing finalized reacquiring Spirit AeroSystems in December 2025, bringing roughly 15,000 employees back under Boeing and committing $1B to modernize the Wichita site.
- Wichita Biomedical Campus$302MOpening spring 2027
An 8-story, 350,000 sq ft partnership between Wichita State University, the University of Kansas, and WSU Tech, bringing 3,000 students and 200 faculty/staff downtown.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Wichita market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Wichita.
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 Wichita a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Wichita carries 3,890 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 1,840 light-truck drivers, 2.1 to one against a 1.8 median, 45th 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 Wichita.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Wichita?
BLS puts the Wichita median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $57,930 a year, about the same as the $58,640 national median. That ranks 66th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $39,610 and $75,630, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Wichita?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in Wichita as they are nationally (location quotient 0.95), with about 3,890 in the metro. With 33% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Wichita?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Wichita, a $97,600 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Route / Delivery Supervisor at $60,490, 38% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $40,780. Logistics Coordinator trails national pay the most (30% below).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Wichita?
BLS counted 174 general freight trucking companies in Wichita in 2023. Up from 131 in 2018, a 33% increase against 49% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Wichita for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Tulsa (130 miles, about 7,220, $58,790 median), Oklahoma City (154 miles, about 10,170, $54,720 median) and Kansas City (178 miles, about 18,230, $60,170 median). Tulsa has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Wichita out-pays Oklahoma City, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
174 general freight trucking companies in Wichita are drawing on the same 3,890 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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