A CDL staffing agency employs the driver and rents them to you: the driver is on the agency's payroll, you pay a bill rate — the wage plus a markup — for every hour worked, and the agency carries payroll, workers' comp and most of the compliance file. For a seasonal surge, a driver out on leave, or a contract you're not sure will renew, that is exactly the right tool.
We are not a staffing agency, and this list is not a sales page for our model. It is the seven firms we would look at if we needed staffing drivers, described from their own websites, with one hard fact up front: none of them publishes a bill rate. Then a section on the case where staffing is the expensive answer — a seat you want filled for years — and what to call instead.
How we compared them
- 01
Who employs the driver?
Staffing means the agency does. Several sites describe handling payroll and benefits without literally saying W-2 or employer of record — we note where that's the case.
- 02
What models does it offer?
Temporary, temp-to-hire, dedicated or 'no hire' long-term leasing, and managed-workforce outsourcing are different products with different economics.
- 03
Does it publish bill rates or markups?
None of the seven do. Expect a quote; the markup over the driver's wage is the number to ask for.
- 04
Footprint
Staffing is local — a driver has to show up at your yard. Branch counts and listed states matter more than a 'nationwide' claim.
- 05
Trucking only?
Multi-industry staffing firms can be excellent; they are just not on the phone with CDL drivers all day.
The list
- 1centerlinedrivers.com
Centerline Drivers
Staffing agency
A TrueBlue company that calls itself a "staffing and compliance partner in the transportation business": Flexible Drivers (supplemental), Mobile Drivers (short-term relocation) and Driver Management Services, where Centerline manages drivers assigned exclusively to you while you keep the trucks, dispatch and routing. Claims 4,500 truck-driving jobs filled a year and a perfect DOT audit record over 45 years.
Fits
- Carriers with fluctuating volume that need drivers on short notice
- Fleets that want a dedicated, agency-managed driver pool without adding headcount
Doesn't fit
- Permanent seats you intend to keep for years
- Carriers outside its 26 listed states
- How you pay:
- Not published
- Who employs the driver:
- Centerline handles payroll, benefits, risk and HR for assigned drivers (site does not literally say W-2)
- Coverage:
- Locations in 26 states (AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, WA)
- Trucking only:
- yes
- 2transforce.com/carriers/driver-staffing
TransForce Driver Staffing
Staffing agency
The staffing line of TransForce: drivers are "employed on a TransForce W-2" with TransForce covering benefits, paid time off, payroll and workers' comp, and "priced at a mark-up based on your driver pay-rate and the location of the job." Reports 2,500–3,500 CDL drivers dispatched daily (the figure differs between pages) and 3,000+ carrier customers.
Fits
- Carriers that want the clearest W-2 employer-of-record statement on this list
- Fleets that may later want direct hire, marketing or veteran hiring from the same vendor
Doesn't fit
- Carriers that want a published markup — the pricing basis is stated, the figure is not
- Anyone who needs $1M auto and general liability plus a $1M+ umbrella waived (TransForce requires it and asks to be named additional insured)
- How you pay:
- Markup on your driver pay-rate, varies by location; figure not published
- Who employs the driver:
- TransForce (W-2, stated)
- Coverage:
- US, national locations directory
- Trucking only:
- no — one of several verticals
- 3prodrivers.com
ProDrivers
Staffing agency
An Employbridge specialty brand that says placing truck drivers in CDL and non-CDL jobs "is all we do," with 50+ locations. Three partnership levels: Conversion (the driver moves to your payroll after a set number of hours), No Hire (drivers stay ProDrivers associates long-term) and Client Services (custom). Drivers are ProDrivers associates with a W-2 information page on the site.
Fits
- Carriers that want a try-before-you-hire path with a defined conversion
- Fleets that want the agency to carry DOT compliance and admin until conversion
Doesn't fit
- Carriers that want to know the conversion hour threshold before the call (not published)
- Anyone wanting published rates
- How you pay:
- Not published
- Who employs the driver:
- ProDrivers (drivers are its W-2 associates until conversion)
- Coverage:
- US, 50+ locations listed by state
- Trucking only:
- yes
- 4platinumdrivers.com
Platinum Drivers
Staffing agency
A "driver recruiting, staffing and placement agency" for CDL and non-CDL drivers — temporary, temp-to-perm and direct hire — with regional headquarters in Arlington and Houston, TX, and offices in AZ, CO, LA, TN, GA, NC and FL. Verifies three years of employment and ten years of driving history and delivers a complete driver qualification file.
Fits
- Southern and Southwestern carriers that want temp, temp-to-perm and direct hire from one firm
- Fleets that value a delivered DQ file
Doesn't fit
- Carriers that need the employer of record stated before the call (the site doesn't say)
- Anyone outside its office footprint who needs local presence
- How you pay:
- Not published
- Who employs the driver:
- Not stated on the site
- Coverage:
- Claims all areas of the US; offices in TX, AZ, CO, LA, TN, GA, NC, FL
- Trucking only:
- yes
- 5trilliumstaffing.com/hire/by-industry/drivers
Trillium Driver Solutions
Staffing agency
The driver division of Trillium Staffing (founded 1984, Battle Creek, MI; 90+ offices): Casual Driver Staffing, Temp to Hire Driver Staffing, Dedicated Route Driver Staffing and on-site workforce management, with payroll administration, tax reporting and benefits for drivers. Promises "a predictable cost-per-driver" without stating one.
Fits
- Carriers near one of its 90+ offices that want casual or dedicated-route staffing
- Fleets that also use Trillium for other roles
Doesn't fit
- Carriers that want a trucking-only vendor — drivers are one of seven Trillium divisions
- Anyone who wants published pricing
- How you pay:
- "A predictable cost-per-driver"; no figures published
- Who employs the driver:
- Trillium handles payroll, taxes and benefits for drivers (site does not literally say W-2)
- Coverage:
- "Nationwide," 90+ offices
- Trucking only:
- no — one of several verticals
trilliumdrivers.com now redirects to the staffing site; there is no standalone driver brand site.
- 6speconthejob.com/employers/driver-staffing
Spec On The Job
Staffing agency
A blue-collar staffing agency (construction, solar, warehouse, manufacturing and a driver division) that sources and vets CDL and non-CDL drivers for temporary, temp-to-hire and permanent placements, handling recruiting, screening, onboarding and payroll. Publishes a five-step vetting process and guarantees a driver "for the first four hours of their initial start."
Fits
- Carriers that also staff yard, warehouse or construction roles
- Fleets that want a stated first-shift guarantee
Doesn't fit
- Carriers that want a trucking-only vendor
- Anyone who needs an office list — the site says to call to be connected to the closest one
- How you pay:
- Not published (quote form)
- Who employs the driver:
- Spec manages payroll for placed drivers (site does not literally say W-2)
- Coverage:
- "50 states" graphic; offices not listed on the page
- Trucking only:
- no — one of several verticals
- 7truckker.com
Truckker
Marketplace / lead platform
A Canadian driver-staffing marketplace: carriers post jobs and are matched to verified drivers for temporary, temp-to-perm, leased or direct-hire roles. Free to post temporary and agency jobs — "you only pay once you find and contract your driver" at "standard mark-ups" — with published monthly tiers for direct hires ($499 / $999 / $2,900, currency not stated).
Fits
- Ontario and Canadian carriers that want a self-serve platform
- Fleets that want published tiers rather than a quote
Doesn't fit
- US carriers, until the signup region dropdown says something other than "Ontario Only"
- Anyone who wants an account manager rather than a marketplace
- How you pay:
- Temp: standard markups (figure not stated). Direct hire: published $499 / $999 / $2,900 per month tiers
- Who employs the driver:
- Not stated
- Coverage:
- Canada per marketing; signup says Ontario only; a US page claims nationwide
- Trucking only:
- yes
Side by side
The same facts as the cards, in one table. "Not published" means the company's website doesn't say — we didn't guess.
| Company | Who employs the driver | Bill rate / markup | Footprint | Trucking only | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Centerline Drivers | Centerline handles payroll, benefits, risk and HR for assigned drivers (site does not literally say W-2) | Not published | Locations in 26 states (AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, WA) | Yes | Supplemental and dedicated staffing at scale |
| 2. TransForce Driver Staffing | TransForce (W-2, stated) | Markup on your driver pay-rate, varies by location; figure not published | US, national locations directory | No | Fleets that want a national W-2 staffing vendor with other lines available |
| 3. ProDrivers | ProDrivers (drivers are its W-2 associates until conversion) | Not published | US, 50+ locations listed by state | Yes | Temp-to-hire with a clear conversion path |
| 4. Platinum Drivers | Not stated on the site | Not published | Claims all areas of the US; offices in TX, AZ, CO, LA, TN, GA, NC, FL | Yes | Mixed temp and permanent hiring in the South and Southwest |
| 5. Trillium Driver Solutions | Trillium handles payroll, taxes and benefits for drivers (site does not literally say W-2) | "A predictable cost-per-driver"; no figures published | "Nationwide," 90+ offices | No | Casual and dedicated-route staffing from a large general staffing firm |
| 6. Spec On The Job | Spec manages payroll for placed drivers (site does not literally say W-2) | Not published (quote form) | "50 states" graphic; offices not listed on the page | No | Multi-trade staffing where drivers are one of several needs |
| 7. Truckker | Not stated | Temp: standard markups (figure not stated). Direct hire: published $499 / $999 / $2,900 per month tiers | Canada per marketing; signup says Ontario only; a US page claims nationwide | Yes | Canadian carriers comfortable with a marketplace |
Not a staffing agency: when to call a recruiter instead
Staffing solves a temporary problem at a permanent price. The markup on a staffed driver — typically 40–75% over the wage — is fair for a driver you need for six weeks, and expensive for a seat you intend to keep for six years. If the seat is permanent, the cheaper structure is to pay once for the hire and put the driver on your own payroll.
That is what CDL Agency does. We don't employ drivers and we don't bill by the hour. Our recruiters screen and interview drivers by phone and submit ready-to-hire packets; you hire the ones you want onto your payroll and pay a placement fee — half when the driver starts, half after the first 14 days — with no retainer. The model is at cdlagency.com/pay-per-driver, the comparison of the two structures is at cdlagency.com/blog/cdl-staffing-agency-vs-recruiting-agency, and a worked example of what local staffing actually costs is at cdlagency.com/blog/cdl-driver-staffing-chicago-rates-agencies.
Use staffing when the need is genuinely temporary, when you cannot carry the driver on your books, or when you want a try-before-you-hire path — ProDrivers and Platinum Drivers both sell one. Use a recruiter when the seat is yours to fill for years.
Questions people ask
How much does a CDL staffing agency cost?
You pay a bill rate per hour worked: the driver's wage plus the agency's markup, which in our experience runs 40–75% over the wage depending on market, equipment and how long the assignment lasts. None of the seven agencies here publishes its rates or markup. TransForce states the basis — a markup on your driver pay-rate that varies by location — without the figure; the rest quote on a call.
Who employs the driver at a CDL staffing agency?
The agency, for the length of the assignment. TransForce says drivers are on a TransForce W-2; ProDrivers calls them its associates with a W-2 information page. Centerline, Trillium and Spec describe handling payroll and benefits for drivers without using the words W-2 or employer of record. Platinum Drivers and Truckker don't state it — ask before you sign.
When should a trucking company use a staffing agency?
For a seasonal surge, a driver out on leave, a contract that may not renew, or a try-before-you-hire period — anywhere the cost of a permanent hire that doesn't work out is higher than a few months of markup. It's also the right call if you cannot carry the driver on your books for insurance or payroll reasons.
When is a staffing agency the wrong choice?
For a seat you intend to keep for years. Paying a 40–75% markup on every hour for years costs several times what a one-time placement fee does, and the driver's loyalty is to the agency's paycheck, not yours. For permanent seats, a recruiting agency paid per hire — or your own recruiter — is the cheaper structure.
What is the difference between a CDL staffing agency and a recruiting agency?
Staffing employs the driver and bills you hourly for as long as they work; recruiting places the driver on your payroll and is paid once, per hire. Both get called 'recruiting' in this industry. Ask who employs the driver and when the money changes hands — the full comparison is at cdlagency.com/blog/cdl-staffing-agency-vs-recruiting-agency.
Can a staffed driver convert to my payroll?
Often, and the terms differ. ProDrivers publishes a Conversion level where the driver moves to your payroll after a set number of hours (the threshold isn't published). Trillium and Spec offer temp-to-hire; Platinum Drivers offers temp-to-perm; TransForce sells direct hire as a separate line. Ask for the conversion fee or hour threshold in writing before the driver starts.
Keep reading
- CDL staffing agency vs recruiting agency: what fleets actually need
- CDL driver staffing in Chicago: rates, agencies, and the better model
- The best truck driver recruiting agencies in 2026, compared
- How pay-per-driver recruiting works
- How to recruit truck drivers in 2026 — the step-by-step guide
Written by
Andrius Pletniovas — Founder, CDL Agency
Andrius Pletniovas (Andrius Digital) is the founder of CDL Agency, a truck-driver recruiting and marketing company that has placed 3,000+ CDL drivers for 50+ carriers across the U.S. He writes about driver recruiting, retention, and the trucking market from running the agency every day.
More about Andrius →Official personal website →