Straight answer
What does driver recruiting cost?
We charge $650 per placed driver, or $349 a month on retainer if you're hiring continuously. The US market for CDL recruiting generally runs $500 to $2,000 per hire depending on the agency and the market. Our fee is due when the driver completes their first week, not when we send you a résumé.
What you actually get for it is the screening. Anyone can post an ad and forward you fifty applications. The work is in the ten calls that eliminate forty-five of them before they waste your day.
Process
How we screen
Role definition
Equipment, lanes, home time, pay structure, whether it's percentage or cents per mile, and the deal-breakers. Most bad hires trace back to a role that was described vaguely.
Sourcing
Driver job boards, CDL school placement offices, regional Facebook groups and referral networks. Ads written honestly — inflated pay claims produce drivers who quit in three weeks.
Phone screen
Experience verified, endorsements confirmed, gaps in employment discussed, expectations on pay and home time matched against what you're actually offering.
Records check
You run the MVR, PSP and pre-employment Clearinghouse query under your own authority — FMCSA puts those on the hiring employer, not on a recruiter. We tell you exactly what to pull and when, chase the previous employers for the safety performance history, and turn every result into a file that survives an audit.
DQ file built
The complete driver qualification file assembled and handed to you audit-ready, so the driver's first day doesn't create a compliance gap.
First 60 days
We check in at week two and week six. If the driver leaves or is terminated for cause inside 60 days, we replace them at no charge.
Honest limits
What we can't do
- We can't make a bad job attractive. If your pay is below market for your lanes, we will tell you the number you need to hit rather than recruiting people who'll leave.
- We don't employ the drivers. You hire them, you're the employer of record, and all employment law obligations are yours.
- We can't guarantee retention past 60 days. Anyone offering a twelve-month guarantee is pricing that risk into the fee and hoping you don't notice.
- We don't recruit drivers away from other carriers we work with. Ever.
Market comparison
How our price compares
Market figures are published 2026 US industry ranges, not our own estimates.
| Option | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Job board posting only | $100 – $400 | You do all the screening and record checks |
| Truck Dispatching USA | $650 per hire | Screened, records organised, DQ file built, 60-day guarantee |
| Recruiting agencies | $500 – $2,000 | Typical US market range per placement |
Answers
Driver recruiting — questions
How much does it cost to recruit a CDL driver?
We charge $650 per placed driver, payable once the driver completes their first week, or $349 per month on retainer for continuous hiring. Typical US recruiting agency fees run $500 to $2,000 per placement. A 60-day replacement guarantee is included.
What checks are run before a driver starts?
The motor vehicle record, PSP report and pre-employment FMCSA Clearinghouse query are run by you as the hiring carrier — FMCSA puts those on the employer, and the Clearinghouse query can only be run by the carrier or a C/TPA it has designated. We verify experience and endorsements by phone, request the previous employer safety performance history on your behalf, tell you exactly what to pull and when, and assemble every result into a complete driver qualification file so the hire doesn't create a compliance gap on day one.
Do you employ the drivers?
No. You hire the driver directly and you are the employer of record. All employment, payroll, tax and workers' compensation obligations are yours. We source, screen and assemble the paperwork.
What if the driver quits?
If a driver we placed leaves or is terminated for cause within 60 days, we recruit a replacement at no additional fee. Beyond 60 days, retention is a function of the job, and we'll talk to you honestly about pay and home time if it keeps happening.
Start here
Which side are you on?
I need drivers
Flat placement fee from 0, invoiced only when a driver starts. Free replacement if they leave inside 90 days. Tell us the seat and the pay and we will come back the same day.
Show me who is available
Every driver currently looking — experience, endorsements, equipment and state. Names stay private until the driver agrees to talk to you.
I'm a driver looking for work
Free, always. Your current employer never sees your name. We check every carrier against FMCSA records before we introduce you, and you decide.
Want this handled?
Tell us where you are — brand new authority, adding a truck, or drowning in paperwork. We'll tell you which of these you actually need and which you don't.