Skilled trades
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver in the United States
49 postings read · sampled 2026-10-01 · source ats · 18 employers · largest 24% of it
What employers actually ask for
Credentials named in the 49 postings we read, ranked by how many mentioned each one.
- CDL-AState DMV / FMCSA27%
What it costs
Exam and application fees plus typical self-study hours. Almost nobody needs every credential on this list — start with the top line.
What the official taxonomy says
O*NET surveys people already doing this job. That describes who got hired over a long window, not what employers are asking for now — where it disagrees with the counts above, the counts are the more current answer.
- High school diploma or equivalent54%
- Less than high school diploma26%
- Post-secondary certificate19%
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
O*NET 53-3032.00 · pulled 2026-10-01 · percentages are of surveyed workers, each rounded separately, so they need not total 100
What it pays
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. A different survey from the postings above, so the two do not share a sample.
Every credential above costs $200 — less than a day's pay at the median.
Who was hiring
Employers with at least one matching posting in this sample.
Manitoulin Group of Companies · Charlie's Produce · Tomra · Misfits Market · Premier Truck Group · Kodiak Robotics · PS Logistics · Qualdoc · Steel Fabricators LLC · DeAngelo Contracting Services · Lucid Motors · McWane Inc · Redwood Materials · Sila Services · Specialized Recruiters · Torc Robotics · Truck Centers Inc · Via
Next
- Roast and Resolve — Now aim your résumé at this target. Free roast, paid rewrite.
- Synap — Two-minute daily lessons to drill the skills underneath the credential.