Commercial Trucking recruiters serving Worcester.
About 4,470 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work in the Worcester metro, at a $61,610 median. BLS counts 222 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 Worcester.
BLS counts about 9,410 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Worcester metro, the largest group being heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (about 4,470). Relative to the size of the local economy, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are about as concentrated here as nationally (location quotient 0.96). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Trucking hub.
CDL-A Truck Driver
Sample job description →Worcester: 4,470 employed · $61,610 median, 18th-highest of 112 metros
CDL-B Truck Driver
Sample job description →Worcester: 3,050 employed · $46,750 median, 20th-highest of 112 metros
Dispatcher / Fleet Coordinator
Worcester: 450 employed · $56,430 median, 11th-highest of 111 metros
Fleet Manager
Worcester: 380 employed · $115,180 median, 25th-highest of 112 metros
Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)
Worcester: 830 employed · $91,730 median, 14th-highest of 112 metros
Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician
Worcester: 660 employed · $71,780 median, 20th-highest of 112 metros
Logistics Coordinator
Worcester: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Driver Recruiter
Worcester: 2,050 employed · $77,290 median, 24th-highest of 112 metros
Terminal Manager
Route / Delivery Supervisor
Worcester: 1,230 employed · $64,450 median, 29th-highest of 112 metros
What Commercial Trucking roles earn in Worcester.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Worcester earn a median $61,610, 5% over the $58,640 national figure, and 18th of 112 metros. Pay runs $45,900 at the tenth percentile to $77,940 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $71,780 against $61,770 nationally. BLS withholds Worcester pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Worcester median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDL-A Truck DriverHeavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) | $61,610 | $45,900–$77,940 | $58,640 | +5% | 4,470 |
| CDL-B Truck DriverLight Truck Drivers (53-3033) | $46,750 | $32,880–$65,000 | $44,860 | +4% | 3,050 |
| Dispatcher / Fleet CoordinatorDispatchers (43-5032) | $56,430 | $39,090–$88,020 | $50,340 | +12% | 450 |
| Fleet Manager · Terminal ManagerTransportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (11-3071) | $115,180 | $75,380–$210,250 | $107,230 | +7% | 380 |
| Safety & Compliance Manager (DOT)Compliance Officers (13-1041) | $91,730 | $59,080–$135,420 | $80,730 | +14% | 830 |
| Diesel Mechanic / Fleet TechnicianBus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (49-3031) | $71,780 | $51,970–$97,500 | $61,770 | +16% | 660 |
| Logistics CoordinatorCargo and Freight Agents (43-5011) | – | – | $52,260 | – | – |
| Driver RecruiterHuman Resources Specialists (13-1071) | $77,290 | $51,360–$128,250 | $75,940 | +2% | 2,050 |
| Route / Delivery SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers (53-1047) | $64,450 | $47,440–$98,290 | $62,890 | +2% | 1,230 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Worcester 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 Worcester's commercial trucking market has changed since 2018.
The number of general freight trucking companies in Worcester rose from 182 in 2018 to 222 in 2023, up 22%, behind the 49% growth nationally. Their combined payroll headcount barely moved, at about 2,786. Average annual pay there went from $62,002 to $74,083 (+19%), slower than the 23% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| General freight trucking companies: business locations | 182 | 222 | +22% |
| General freight trucking companies: employment | 2,798 | 2,786 | −0% |
| General freight trucking companies: average annual pay | $62,002 | $74,083 | +19% |
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
Worcester sits at about the national rate for commercial trucking — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 Worcester's commercial trucking market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Worcester ranks 75th for headcount, 16th for median pay and 53rd for concentration for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 20,090 | $64,010 | 0.56 | 783 |
| Worcester | 4,470 | $61,610 | 0.96 | 222 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial trucking employers in Worcester, the pool is about the national norm for its size, and local employers have trimmed headcount. That usually means experienced people are available but cautious, so the stability of the job matters as much as the rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Worcester metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Trucking licensing in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts lets you apply at 18 and automatically limits the young driver: CDL holders under 21 are issued a K restriction for intrastate operation only, with 21 required for interstate. Massachusetts runs one of the most explicit intrastate medical waiver programmes in the country, covering vision - a combined horizontal peripheral field of not less than 120 degrees, at least 20/40 distant acuity in either eye with or without correction, and the ability to distinguish red, green and amber - diabetes, deafness and hard of hearing, limb loss or impairment, and cardiovascular conditions. On hearing the Registry is specific: for vehicles with air brakes you must be able to hear the air compressor cutting out, so a profoundly deaf driver is restricted to a commercial vehicle without air brakes. The critical code for an employer is not K but W, meaning commercial motor vehicle intrastate only with medical waiver - if you see a W on a Massachusetts CDL, that driver is medically waived and state-bound, and must not be dispatched across a state line. The same state rules apply in Boston, so candidates licensed there can work in Worcester without re-qualifying. The Worcester metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Worcester talent.
The closest metro we cover is Providence, about 35 miles away, with roughly 7,030 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1.6 times Worcester's 4,470). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $59,890 in Hartford to $64,010 in Boston, against $61,610 here. Boston has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester | – | 4,470 | $61,610 |
| Providence | 36 mi | 7,030 | $60,610 |
| Boston | 38 mi | 20,090 | $64,010 |
| Hartford | 57 mi | 5,830 | $59,890 |
| Albany | 103 mi | 4,830 | $60,720 |
| Bridgeport | 104 mi | 3,000 | $61,580 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Worcester crews.
Not commercial trucking work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Worcester in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- The Reactory biomanufacturing park~300,000 sq ft combined, 350+ jobsWuXi Biologics and Galaxy Life Sciences both underway
WuXi Biologics received approval to double its facility size at the park. Combined with Galaxy Life Sciences' concurrent build, this is cleanroom-grade biomanufacturing construction at a scale the region hasn't seen before.
- UMass Medicine Science Park / proposed Biotech 6100,000+ sq ft (proposed)Planning stage - existing park at 100% occupancy with a waitlist
Demand for lab space has outstripped supply at the existing science park, prompting UMass Medical School to evaluate a new Class A laboratory building.
- Worcester County share of state grant funding~$18.7M (the county's share of a $161M statewide program)Flowing into ~24 projects across the county
Part of the largest development cycle Worcester has seen in decades, alongside a 51-acre industrial campus in the pipeline and 1,600+ housing units under construction.
These are the 3 projects we track in Worcester. The Worcester market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for commercial trucking, and what kills offers in Worcester.
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 Worcester a linehaul market or a last-mile one?
Worcester carries 4,470 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers against 3,050 light-truck drivers, 1.5 to one against a 1.8 median, 83rd 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 Worcester.
What do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn in Worcester?
BLS puts the Worcester median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $61,610 a year, 5% above the $58,640 national median. That ranks 18th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $45,900 and $77,940, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Massachusetts, Boston pays more, at $64,010.
Is it hard to hire heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Worcester?
It is about average. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are as common in Worcester as they are nationally (location quotient 0.96), with about 4,470 in the metro. The 222 general freight trucking companies here average about 13 employees per location. With 22% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial trucking roles pay the most in Worcester?
Of the roles we recruit for, Fleet Manager pays the most in Worcester, a $115,180 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician at $71,780, 38% below it. CDL-B Truck Driver is the lowest-paid field role at $46,750. Relative to national pay, Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician is the strongest-paying role here (16% above).
How many general freight trucking companies operate in Worcester?
BLS counted 222 general freight trucking companies in Worcester in 2023, employing about 2,786 people between them. Up from 182 in 2018, a 22% increase against 49% growth nationally. That averages 13 people per location. They pay an average of $74,083, 13% above the $65,587 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Worcester for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Providence (36 miles, about 7,030, $60,610 median), Boston (38 miles, about 20,090, $64,010 median) and Hartford (57 miles, about 5,830, $59,890 median). Providence has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
222 general freight trucking companies in Worcester are drawing on the same 4,470 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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