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Truck Transportation Added 4,800 Jobs in August, New BLS Data Shows
The latest federal employment report shows a monthly gain in truck-transportation payrolls, while the sector remained below its August 2025 level.
Truck transportation employment rose in August
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported seasonally adjusted truck-transportation employment of 1.4703 million in August 2026, up from 1.4655 million in July. That is a preliminary month-over-month increase of 4,800 jobs. The data were released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on September 4 as part of the national Employment Situation report for August.
The one-month gain needs context
The same BLS table lists seasonally adjusted truck-transportation employment at 1.4802 million in August 2025. August 2026 was therefore about 9,900 jobs lower than a year earlier even after the latest monthly increase. One month does not establish a hiring trend, and both July and August figures are marked preliminary.
Transportation and warehousing also moved higher
The broader transportation-and-warehousing sector added 5,000 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis in August. Within that total, truck transportation gained 4,800, transit and ground passenger transportation gained 3,700, and support activities for transportation gained 3,100. Couriers and messengers lost 3,000 jobs, while warehousing and storage lost 2,600.
What CDL job seekers should take from the report
The monthly increase is a useful signal that reported payrolls improved, but it does not mean every region, carrier, or freight segment is expanding. Applicants should compare several employers, ask about typical weekly miles or hours, home time, equipment, paid training, benefits, and deductions, and verify that a position is open at the location where they expect to work.
How to read the next update
BLS payroll estimates are revised as additional employer responses arrive. Readers should watch the September Employment Situation release for revisions to the August estimate and another month of direction rather than treating the preliminary gain as a guarantee of sustained hiring.
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Official sources
BLS Employment Situation — August 2026 ↗BLS Table B-1 — Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry ↗ELDT.live independently creates and reviews its content. We do not present practice questions as official examination questions and do not guarantee a licensing result.