Hiring guideRead at source, 30 September 2026
How to Recruit CDL-B Drivers: Where to Find Them and What to Say
To recruit CDL-B drivers, advertise the truck, the local schedule and the pay to Class B drivers at other local employers, delivery drivers ready to upgrade and Class A drivers who want to be home nightly. Most are employed and not searching job boards, so reach them on Facebook and Instagram, keep the form to three questions and call back the same day. In Boostpoint's 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, the CDL truck driver family ran a median $26.86 per applicant; Class B drivers are not reported separately.
Where to find CDL-B drivers, channel by channel
BLS does not count drivers by license class. It defines heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (SOC 53-3032) as drivers of a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds gross vehicle weight, so Class B straight-truck drivers sit inside that occupation, which has about 214,500 openings a year projected for 2025-35. Class B jobs are mostly local, and the drivers who want them are often employed or one license away, not searching job boards.
- Class B drivers at other local employers. Box truck, dump, concrete, refuse and delivery drivers who move for a better shift, pay or truck, and find you in a Facebook or Instagram feed.
- Non-CDL delivery and van drivers who want to move up. Light truck drivers are the natural upgrade pool if you pay for Class B training. Our delivery driver recruiting guide covers that group.
- Class A drivers who want to be home every night. A Class A license covers Class B vehicles with the right endorsements, and local work is the draw.
- Construction and equipment workers. For dump and mixer trucks, people already on job sites.
- Your own drivers' referrals. Pay the bonus after 90 days.
The wider channel picture, including job boards and agencies, is in our CDL recruiting guide.
What CDL-B drivers earn (BLS OEWS May 2025) and what they compare you on
BLS publishes no Class B pay figure. The table shows the heavy truck driver occupation Class B drivers belong to, light truck drivers (under 26,001 pounds, no CDL needed for most) as a comparison, and the two bus occupations that hire Class B drivers with passenger endorsements.
| Occupation | Employed, 2025 | Openings a year, 2025-35 | Median annual wage, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 2,221,200 | 214,500 | $58,640 |
| Light truck drivers | 1,068,500 | 107,200 | $44,860 |
| Bus drivers, school | 396,800 | 56,500 | $47,920 |
| Bus drivers, transit and intercity | 166,400 | 21,100 | $59,050 |
A Class B driver compares you on the shift and home time, the pay rate and overtime, how physical the job is (touch freight, liftgate deliveries, or none), and the truck. Most Class B jobs are local, so the schedule is often the first thing they read.
The job ad that works (sample Facebook ad)
Name the truck, the schedule and the physical work. Where a pay-transparency law applies, the range in the ad must be the range you pay; see pay transparency laws by state. Our CDL driver job description has a template for the full posting.
Sample Facebook ad. "CDL-B dump truck driver: home every night, Monday to Friday. Hourly pay with overtime, late-model trucks. Have a license but no Class B yet? We pay for training. Apply in one minute." Other headlines to test: "Box truck driver, Class B: local routes, no overnights." "Drive a school bus: split shift, summers off." Put your actual hourly rate in the second line of the ad.
Employment ads on Meta run in the Special Ad Category, which removes demographic and ZIP-code options and uses a 15-mile minimum location radius; see Meta Special Ad Category, explained.
Screening: knockout questions for a one-minute apply
- Do you hold a Class A or Class B CDL, or a learner's permit? (Knockout only if you will not train.)
- For bus jobs: do you hold the passenger (P) or school bus (S) endorsement? (Informational if you train.)
- How many years of verifiable CDL experience do you have? (Knockout at your insurer's minimum.)
- Name and mobile number.
Everything else waits for the call. Don't make a photo of the medical card part of the form either: since 23 June 2025, a CDL or CLP holder with a current medical examiner's certificate no longer has to carry it (49 CFR 391.41(a)(2)(i)(B)), so many drivers won't have it on them. For context, the CDL truck driver family in Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark had an 8% apply rate, and every extra field works against it. See pre-screening questions.
Role-specific: box trucks, dump, bus and local routes, and entry-level driver training for Class B
What Class B covers
Under 49 CFR 383.91, Group B is any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, or such a vehicle towing one rated at no more than 10,000 pounds. Heavy box trucks, dump trucks, mixers, refuse trucks and many buses fall here. A Class A holder may drive Class B vehicles with the required endorsements, and a Class B holder may drive Class C vehicles.
Endorsements by job
- Bus: passenger (P), and school bus (S) for school routes. Both need a knowledge and a skills test (383.93). See bus driver shortage for that market.
- Fuel or water straight trucks: tank (N), knowledge test only; X (tank plus hazmat) if the fuel load is placarded.
- Placarded loads: hazmat (H), which adds a TSA assessment; see recruiting hazmat drivers.
Entry-level driver training for Class B
Since 7 February 2022, a driver getting a Class B license for the first time, or upgrading to it, must complete entry-level driver training from a provider on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry (49 CFR 380.609, part of subpart F); so must a driver seeking P, S or H for the first time. Training includes theory and behind-the-wheel range and public-road portions, and, except for H, must be completed within one year of finishing the first portion (380.603). Drivers issued their Class B before 7 February 2022 do not need it for that license. If you train, you can register as a provider yourself or pay a registered school; say which in the ad. See entry-level driver training.
Local routes and hours
Most Class B work returns to the yard daily. The short-haul exception at 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1) exempts a driver from records of duty status when they stay within a 150 air-mile radius, are released within 14 consecutive hours and get 10 hours off between shifts, with the carrier keeping time records for six months.
Speed and the first 90 days
Local drivers compare offers from employers in the same town. Text within minutes and call the same day. Our recruiting text message templates include first-touch messages.
Federal rules set the order, and none of it has to come before the phone call. Before a new driver performs any safety-sensitive function, you must run a pre-employment Clearinghouse query (49 CFR 382.701) and have a verified negative pre-employment drug test result (382.301). Within 30 days of the start of employment, you must request the driver's motor vehicle record from every state that licensed them in the past three years and investigate their safety performance history with DOT-regulated employers (391.23). Our driver qualification file checklist lists every item.
What it costs to recruit CDL-B drivers (nearest benchmark role family)
In Boostpoint's 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, the CDL truck driver family had a median of $26.86 per applicant, with a middle half of $17.00 to $42.31 and an 8% apply rate. Boostpoint does not report Class B drivers separately from other CDL drivers; the CDL truck driver family is the nearest family. Across all roles in Boostpoint's benchmark, campaigns with a 20-35% apply rate paid $4.41 per applicant against $53.77 for campaigns under 5%, which is why the short form matters. Full data is on the benchmarks page. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Frequently asked questions
How do I recruit CDL-B drivers?
Advertise local Class B jobs on Facebook and Instagram. Name the truck, the schedule and how physical the work is, offer to pay for Class B training if you can, keep the application to three questions and call back the same day.
Where do I find CDL-B drivers to hire?
Class B drivers at other local employers, non-CDL delivery drivers who want to upgrade, Class A drivers who want to be home nightly, construction and equipment workers for dump trucks, and referrals from your own drivers.
What should a CDL-B drivers job ad say?
The truck (box, dump, mixer, bus), the schedule and home time, the hourly rate and overtime, how much lifting or touch freight is involved, the endorsements needed, and whether you pay for Class B training.
How much do CDL-B drivers make?
BLS does not report Class B drivers separately. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, which includes straight trucks of 26,001 pounds or more, had a May 2025 median annual wage of $58,640; school bus drivers had $47,920 and transit and intercity bus drivers $59,050.
How long does it take to hire CDL-B drivers?
A licensed driver can move from ad to call within days; before the first run you need a Clearinghouse query and a negative pre-employment drug test. A driver new to Class B must first finish entry-level driver training and pass the state skills test.
How much does it cost to recruit CDL-B drivers?
The CDL truck driver family in Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark had a median of $26.86 per applicant, with a middle half of $17.00 to $42.31. Class B drivers are not reported separately, and cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Fill your local Class B seats
Boostpoint Attract turns your Class B openings into Facebook and Instagram ads: the software builds and optimizes the campaigns and collects applicants through a one-minute mobile application. Fleets with a job feed can use Programmatic 2.0. Check pricing and book a demo.
Book a DemoSources: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 (SOC 53-3032, 53-3033, 53-3051, 53-3052); BLS, May 2025 median annual wage; BLS occupation definition for 53-3032; 49 CFR 383.91, 383.93, 380.603, 380.609, 380 subpart F, 395.1, 382.301, 382.701, 391.23 and 391.41 (eCFR); Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. General information, not legal advice. Read at source 30 September 2026.