Operate tractors and vacuum trailers servicing municipal, industrial and commercial customers with non-hazardous bulk liquid transportation and disposal services. Execute local pick up and deliveries Monday through Friday, work some weekends but always be home for the end of the day!
Transport sewerage sludge, industrial wastewater, groundwater and other non-hazardous bulk liquids from customer loading facilities to designated treatment facilities for disposal
Transport sanitary wastewater and grease trap waste from company owned and operated transfer stations to designated treatment facilities for disposal.
Operate vehicle PTO (power take off) to run vehicle mounted rotary vein vacuum pump to safely load liquids onto vacuum trailer.
Safely drive vehicle on customer property, public roadways and treatment facilities by obeying all traffic and safely laws. Deploy safety cones and take necessary precautions as required.
Work with company dispatchers, operations managers, safety personnel and customer contact to execute assigned work according to company work plan.
In Order to be Successful the candidate will be required to:
Complete vehicle pre-trip and post-trip inspections daily and immediately report deficiencies to on duty supervisor.
Carefully review daily work assignment to insure instructions are clear and immediately report deficiencies or questions to on duty supervisor.
Wear company issued uniform, safety vest, steel-toed boots, hardhat, safety glasses, hearing protection and any other personal protective equipment as necessary.
Successfully interface with company issued tablet and associated applications including but not limited to those used for hours of service, taking photographs, updating work orders, etc.
Immediately report spills, accidents, injuries, changes in scope of work or any other instance that is beyond the normal course of duty.
Never leave the tractor and trailer unattended while loading and unloading.
Properly execute company work orders and disposal manifests by capturing all necessary dates, times, signatures, waste types and any other necessary information in order to properly execute the assigned work.
Attend regular safety meetings, gate checks, training and other mandatory meetings assigned by on site supervisor.
Follow additional instruction from supervisor as assigned.
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How to hire a tractor-trailer driver
Tractor-trailer driver hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring tractor-trailer drivers in the United States:
- There are a total of 1,297,683 tractor-trailer drivers in the US, and there are currently 690,787 job openings in this field.
- The median cost to hire a tractor-trailer driver is $1,633.
- Small businesses spend $1,105 per tractor-trailer driver on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
- It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
- It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
- HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
- West Jefferson, OH, has the highest demand for tractor-trailer drivers, with 30 job openings.
How to hire a tractor-trailer driver, step by step
To hire a tractor-trailer driver, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a tractor-trailer driver:
Here's a step-by-step tractor-trailer 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 tractor-trailer driver job description
- Step 5: Post your job
- Step 6: Interview candidates
- Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new tractor-trailer driver
- Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
What does a tractor-trailer driver do?
A tractor-trailer driver is responsible for picking up and delivering goods and services from distribution centers and warehouses to different locations across the country as required. Tractor-trailer drivers manage the best route planning to prevent delays. They should also have extensive knowledge of the mechanical industry, inspecting the vehicle's condition regularly, repairing any inconsistencies, and replacing defective components to ensure smooth operations. A tractor-trailer driver must have excellent communication and organizational skills, responding to the clients' inquiries and concerns and escalating complaints to management for immediate resolution.
Post a tractor-trailer driver job for free, promote it for a fee
Identify your hiring needs
The tractor-trailer driver hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.
Determine employee vs contractor statusIs the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?A tractor-trailer driver's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, tractor-trailer 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 tractor-trailer driver salaries for various positions.
Type of Tractor-Trailer Driver Description Hourly rate Tractor-Trailer Driver Heavy 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 $19-40 Driver Trainer Driver trainers are instructors who teach their clients how to drive. They are often considered experts in driving, and they are credible enough to impart their driving knowledge to clients... Show more $14-33 Driver/Mover A driver/mover is responsible for preparing and arranging items for delivery from the distribution center to assigned destinations. Driver/movers assist with loading and unloading merchandise using various warehouse tools and equipment... Show more $11-21 Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:- DOT
- CDL
- OTR
- Customer Service
- Post-Trip Inspections
- Vehicle Inspections
- Hazmat
- Pallet Jack
- Commercial Vehicles
- Delivery Schedules
- Tractor-Trailer Combination
- Vehicle Service
- Safety Regulations
- FMCSA
Responsibilities:- Experience in semi driving, logging, managing bills of lading, light maintenance, vehicle inspections.
- Maintain air brake certification and CDL with tank endorsement.
- Maintain communication with dispatcher via GPS capable cellular phones.
- Lease purchase, OTR driver, all lower 48 and Canada.
- Perform duties of that require as an owner operator OTR truck driver.
- Attend annual re-licensing to learn about new laws and HAZMAT industry procedures.
Make a budget
Including a salary range in your tractor-trailer driver job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A tractor-trailer driver salary can vary based on several factors:- Location. For example, tractor-trailer drivers' average salary in florida is 38% less than in north dakota.
- Seniority. Entry-level tractor-trailer drivers earn 52% less than senior-level tractor-trailer drivers.
- Certifications. A tractor-trailer driver with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
- Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a tractor-trailer driver's salary.
Average tractor-trailer driver salary
$58,498yearly
$28.12 hourly rateEntry-level tractor-trailer driver salary$40,000 yearly salaryUpdated December 31, 2025Average tractor-trailer driver salary by state
Rank State Avg. salary Hourly rate 1 Georgia $70,035 $34 2 New York $69,081 $33 3 Indiana $68,022 $33 4 Minnesota $65,519 $32 5 Wisconsin $65,186 $31 6 Ohio $62,305 $30 7 New Jersey $62,267 $30 8 Michigan $61,810 $30 9 Pennsylvania $60,672 $29 10 Texas $52,275 $25 11 Arizona $51,173 $25 12 Florida $47,931 $23 Average tractor-trailer driver salary by company
Rank Company Average salary Hourly rate Job openings 1 Exel Inc. $68,802 $33.08 1 2 BJ's Wholesale Club $63,703 $30.63 21 3 Alex Lee $62,776 $30.18 3 4 Lowes Foods $62,608 $30.10 5 Price Chopper Supermarkets-Market 32 $62,597 $30.09 6 C.R. England $62,422 $30.01 129 7 UPS $62,028 $29.82 24 8 Rite Aid $61,130 $29.39 9 Casella Waste Systems $60,982 $29.32 45 10 F.W. Webb $60,173 $28.93 11 Jf $60,090 $28.89 12 Aramark $59,091 $28.41 43 13 Winebow $58,274 $28.02 2 14 Peterson Holding $58,245 $28.00 1 15 J.B. Hunt Transport Services $56,614 $27.22 256 16 DHL $56,247 $27.04 17 Schwebel's Bread $55,849 $26.85 2 18 Waste Industries $55,682 $26.77 56 19 International Paper $55,640 $26.75 7 20 Corovan $55,611 $26.74 8 Writing a tractor-trailer driver job description
A good tractor-trailer driver job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a tractor-trailer driver job description:
Tractor-trailer driver job description example
Post your job
There are various strategies that you can use to find the right tractor-trailer 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 tractor-trailer driver job on Zippia to find and recruit tractor-trailer driver candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
To successfully recruit tractor-trailer 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.
You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new tractor-trailer driver
Once you've selected the best tractor-trailer driver candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.
You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new tractor-trailer driver. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
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.)
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How much does it cost to hire a tractor-trailer driver?
Recruiting tractor-trailer drivers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.
Tractor-trailer drivers earn a median yearly salary is $58,498 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find tractor-trailer drivers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $19 and $40.
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Updated December 31, 2025