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How to hire a professional truck driver

Professional truck driver hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring professional truck drivers in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a professional truck driver is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per professional truck driver on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 689,930 professional truck drivers in the US and 739,437 job openings.
  • Patterson, CA, has the highest demand for professional truck drivers, with 3 job openings.
  • Salt Lake City, UT has the highest concentration of professional truck drivers.

How to hire a professional truck driver, step by step

To hire a professional truck driver, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a professional truck driver:

Here's a step-by-step professional truck driver hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a professional truck driver job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new professional truck driver
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a professional truck driver do?

Professional truck drivers have skills in communication, organization, and navigation, as well as a motivated personality and a good sense of responsibility. Their services are absolutely essential, with the most basic task being driving commercial trucks for transportation of goods and materials to distribution centers. Truck drivers transport everything from automobiles to produce to machinery.

Learn more about the specifics of what a professional truck driver does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring a professional truck driver, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A professional truck driver's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, professional truck drivers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    This list presents professional truck driver salaries for various positions.

    Type of Professional Truck DriverDescriptionHourly rate
    Professional Truck DriverHeavy and tractor–trailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another. Most tractor–trailer drivers are long-haul drivers and operate trucks with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) capacity—that is, the combined weight of the vehicle, passengers, and cargo—exceeds 26,000 pounds... Show more$15-33
    DriverDrivers are responsible for safely transporting people, packages, or goods from one destination to another. They should be familiar with the different routes that may be taken to reach the desired goal... Show more$10-25
    CDL DriverA CDL driver is responsible for the transportation of goods from the manufacturing warehouse to specific store locations. CDL drivers' duties include inspecting the items before and after the delivery to ensure that the orders are correct with the right quantity, providing proof of delivery from the receiving customers, following the delivery schedule and report any delays immediately, monitoring the vehicle's engine for efficiency, and escalating concerns of incorrect deliveries and defective items... Show more$19-46
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • CDL
    • Safety Regulations
    • On-Time Delivery
    • OTR
    • Vehicle Service
    • Semi
    • DOT Regulations
    • Post-Trip Inspections
    • Log Book
    • Hazmat
    • Tractor-Trailer Combination
    • Pickup
    • Hazardous Materials
    • Pre-Trip Inspections
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Maintain current commercial driver's license (CDL).
    • Perform equipment inspections, load and unload liquid HazMat.
    • Select as OTR driver certify in tanker, double and triple.
    • Diversify freight transportation OTR, as well as business and home delivery.
    • Train students and company employees in professional truck driving leading to student acquiring CDL.
    • Truck driving/safety checks on all equipment and cargo/The on time pickup and delivery of cargo
    More professional truck driver duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the professional truck driver job description is a good way to get more applicants. A professional truck driver salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for a professional truck driver in Kansas may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level professional truck driver. Additionally, a professional truck driver with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average professional truck driver salary

    $48,577yearly

    $23.35 hourly rate

    Entry-level professional truck driver salary
    $33,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 11, 2026

    Average professional truck driver salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Massachusetts$59,352$29
    2Virginia$56,451$27
    3Oklahoma$56,163$27
    4Pennsylvania$55,210$27
    5Illinois$54,659$26
    6Ohio$54,512$26
    7Wisconsin$53,281$26
    8Kentucky$53,187$26
    9California$52,747$25
    10North Carolina$52,662$25
    11Louisiana$51,067$25
    12Indiana$50,641$24
    13Alabama$50,570$24
    14West Virginia$50,149$24
    15Missouri$49,847$24
    16Michigan$49,800$24
    17Arkansas$49,784$24
    18Mississippi$49,454$24
    19Kansas$49,331$24
    20Florida$47,411$23

    Average professional truck driver salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Wellpath$50,890$24.47225
    2McKesson$48,021$23.094
    3Cecil College$40,710$19.57
    4Allied Universal$38,029$18.28
    5Tulsa Tech$37,397$17.98
  4. Writing a professional truck driver job description

    A job description for a professional truck driver role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a professional truck driver job description:

    Professional truck driver job description example

    GardaWorld -

    Security Services

    Security Officer - Now Hiring! Work today, get paid today, with DailyPay!

    You've got the right skills. What you need is the right opportunity to unleash your potential. We agree, and we're hiring!

    Every day is different at GardaWorld with diverse work assignments and flexible schedules. We are leaders in Professional training programs that cover every aspect of delivering world class security services. And every industry counts on us because we're the very best at what we do. Perhaps you are, too.

    In our complex world today, GardaWorld stands out as the largest privately owned security services company in the world. We're experts at protecting people and assets. We're also growing everywhere and expanding in multiple locations. If you're a sharp, talented, self-confident individual who excels in customer service, you can build a future here. We give you all the tools you need to expand your skills and grow your career with exceptional opportunities for advancement. You can stand out - and thrive - here, too, as a Security Officer.

    At GardaWorld, we know your compensation is important so we provide competitive hourly starting rates for every market we're in. We're growing our team here in Bethel, PA:

    Compensation: $16.50 / Hour - $250 Sign - On Bonus After 90 days

    Shift:

    * Part-Time and Full-Time Evening and Overnight Shift - Rotating Days + Weekends (16-24hrs/wk)
    * Full-Time and Part Time 1st Shift - Rotating Days + Weekends (40hrs/wk)

    About the job:

    * Excellent customer service is always your top priority.
    * You observe, survey the area and provide reporting on activity at your assigned location.
    * You provide rapid response in critical situations.
    * You're good with reading and writing detailed reports.
    * You know when and how to enforce customer procedures, regulations and standards.

    Your background:

    * You have a high school education or equivalent (GED)
    * You're able to ace (and pass) an extensive screening process
    * If you have Security, Military, Law Enforcement experience - even better!
    * You have worked in a logistics environment before.

    If you want a real career opportunity where you're part of a dynamic supportive team that's dedicated to your success, check us out. We're a global organization that embraces our cultural diversity and we promote engagement, communication, and sharing ideas across all our teams. At GardaWorld, you'll have plenty of room to grow - and that's just for starters. Explore your future with us today.

    Work today, get paid today, with DailyPay!

    GardaWorld offers DailyPay - a voluntary benefit that allows you to access your pay on day 1 of work.

    If you're hired for a role at GardaWorld, you'll never have to wait for a paycheck again! DailyPay's most used features include:

    * PAY: Get instant access to your money as you earn it
    * SAVE: Automatically save a portion of every paycheck
    * BALANCE ALERTS: Track your real-time earnings & budget for upcoming bills or expenses

    Qualifications

    Education
  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right professional truck driver for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your professional truck driver job on Zippia to find and recruit professional truck driver candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit professional truck drivers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new professional truck driver

    Once you've found the professional truck driver candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a professional truck driver?

Before you start to hire professional truck drivers, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire professional truck drivers pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

You can expect to pay around $48,577 per year for a professional truck driver, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for professional truck drivers in the US typically range between $15 and $33 an hour.

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