Truck Driver Jobs: BLS Employment Results for April

April Report Shows Growth in Truck Driver Jobs and Stable U.S. Hiring

Truck Driver Jobs Increase in April 2025

The U.S. trucking industry added more positions in April 2025, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Truck Transportation subsector brought in an estimated 2,100 new workers. That brings the total number of truck driver jobs to around 1,609,800, up from 1,607,700 in March.

Although the gain is modest, it reflects ongoing stability in truck driver employment. Over the past year, the sector has seen some ups and downs. April’s job numbers suggest that truck driver jobs are holding steady despite broader shifts in the freight market.

Wages and Hours for Truck Driver Jobs Stay Consistent

Average hourly wages for truck driver jobs came in at $29.47 in April. This is slightly down from $29.50 in March, but still marks a 3.3% increase compared to the $28.53 average from April 2024.

Drivers in production and nonsupervisory roles worked an average of 41.1 hours per week in April, the same as March. Weekly earnings dipped slightly to $1,211.22 from $1,214.90. This change reflects the minor drop in hourly pay, not a reduction in hours worked.

Truck Driver Jobs Benefit from Sector-Wide Growth

The broader Transportation and Warehousing sector experienced strong growth in April, adding 29,000 jobs overall. This far exceeds the sector’s 12-month average of 12,000 new positions per month. Key contributors included:

• Warehousing and storage: +10,000 jobs

• Couriers and messengers: +8,000 jobs

• Air transportation: +3,000 jobs

This growth highlights rising demand for logistics and delivery services. That demand may lead to more truck driver jobs in the near future.

U.S. Employment Picture Steady Outside of Trucking

Nationwide, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 177,000 in April. The unemployment rate remained at 4.2%, consistent with figures since January. The BLS noted that unemployment has stayed between 4.0% and 4.2% for nearly a year.

Health care added the most jobs, with 51,000 new positions. Transportation and warehousing followed close behind. Financial activities and social assistance also saw moderate growth. However, federal government employment declined by 9,000 jobs in April and has dropped by 26,000 since January.

Other sectors—including construction, retail, and manufacturing—saw little to no change.

Wages and Hours Across the Broader Economy

Workers across all private nonfarm sectors earned an average of $36.06 per hour in April. This marks a 6-cent increase from March. Over the last 12 months, wages have risen by 3.8%.

Production and nonsupervisory employees earned $31.06 per hour, up 10 cents from the previous month.

The average workweek remained unchanged at 34.3 hours. In the manufacturing sector, the workweek dipped slightly to 40.0 hours, while overtime stayed at 2.9 hours.

Labor Force Trends Behind Truck Driver Jobs Stability

The labor force participation rate held steady at 62.6%. The U.S. labor force participation rate measures the percentage of the working-age population (16 and older) who are either employed or actively seeking employment.

The employment to population ratio remained at 60.0%. This is a metric that measures the proportion of the population employed. It’s calculated by dividing the total number of employed individuals by the total working-age population.

Neither of these figures have changed much over the past year.

Long-term unemployment rose to 1.7 million in April. These individuals have been jobless for 27 weeks or more and now make up 23.5% of the unemployed population.

An estimated 4.7 million people worked part time for economic reasons, unchanged from March. Another 5.7 million people were not in the labor force but said they wanted a job. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they had not actively searched for work in the four weeks prior to the survey.

Outlook for Truck Driver Jobs Moving Forward

April’s job report offers a cautiously positive outlook for truck driver jobs. Employment levels in trucking remain strong, and wages have continued to rise over the past year. While April’s gains were small, they reflect an industry that is currently stable and resilient.

The continued expansion in warehousing, air freight, and delivery services could create more opportunities for truck drivers in the months ahead.