Salary Range & Percentiles
Pay distribution across experience levels
- 10th Percentile — Entry Level$40,140
- 25th Percentile — Junior$47,960
- 50th Percentile — Median$58,640
- 75th Percentile — Senior$69,120
- 90th Percentile — Top Earners$79,380
The top 10% of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn $79,380 or more per year. Entry-level professionals can expect to start around $40,140, with significant growth over the first 5 years.
What Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Do
Role, training and entry requirements
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers transport goods by truck with a gross vehicle weight over 26,000 pounds, often over long distances. They inspect their vehicles, plan routes, keep logs of hours, and sometimes load and unload cargo.
How to become one
Drivers need a commercial driver's license (CDL), usually earned through a professional truck-driving school. Federal rules set minimum ages and medical requirements, and endorsements for hazardous materials, tankers, or doubles open additional jobs.
Salary by State
Geographic salary comparison
| State | Avg Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $69,520 | +16.4% |
| Washington | $68,230 | +14.3% |
| District of Columbia | $67,710 | +13.4% |
| New Jersey | $66,770 | +11.8% |
| New York | $65,780 | +10.2% |
| Nevada | $65,010 | +8.9% |
| Oregon | $64,080 | +7.3% |
| Colorado | $63,650 | +6.6% |
| Minnesota | $63,630 | +6.6% |
| Massachusetts | $63,570 | +6.5% |
| North Dakota | $63,330 | +6.1% |
| Wyoming | $63,180 | +5.8% |
| Illinois | $62,430 | +4.6% |
| California | $62,020 | +3.9% |
| Connecticut | $61,980 | +3.8% |
| Vermont | $61,100 | +2.3% |
| Indiana | $60,950 | +2.1% |
| Utah | $60,900 | +2.0% |
| Hawaii | $60,850 | +1.9% |
| Ohio | $60,660 | +1.6% |
| New Hampshire | $60,600 | +1.5% |
| Maryland | $60,590 | +1.5% |
| Kansas | $60,480 | +1.3% |
| Tennessee | $60,440 | +1.2% |
| Iowa | $60,070 | +0.6% |
| Nebraska | $60,070 | +0.6% |
| Kentucky | $59,870 | +0.3% |
| Rhode Island | $59,660 | -0.1% |
| Pennsylvania | $59,640 | -0.1% |
| Montana | $59,180 | -0.9% |
| Idaho | $59,160 | -0.9% |
| Wisconsin | $58,890 | -1.4% |
| Arizona | $58,870 | -1.4% |
| South Dakota | $58,550 | -1.9% |
| Texas | $57,990 | -2.9% |
| Georgia | $57,780 | -3.2% |
| Virginia | $57,770 | -3.2% |
| Oklahoma | $57,670 | -3.4% |
| Arkansas | $57,390 | -3.9% |
| Delaware | $57,380 | -3.9% |
| Missouri | $56,830 | -4.8% |
| Michigan | $56,370 | -5.6% |
| Alabama | $56,230 | -5.8% |
| Maine | $55,980 | -6.2% |
| Mississippi | $55,910 | -6.4% |
| North Carolina | $55,810 | -6.5% |
| South Carolina | $55,680 | -6.7% |
| Florida | $54,850 | -8.1% |
| New Mexico | $53,100 | -11.1% |
| West Virginia | $52,440 | -12.2% |
| Louisiana | $51,930 | -13.0% |
What Factors Affect Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Salary?
Key factors affecting compensation
Pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is influenced by geographic location, years of experience, employer type, and educational background. Location alone is a large factor: Alaska pays an average of $69,520, while Louisiana pays $51,930 — a gap of $17,590 per year.
How drivers are paid shapes what they earn: many long-haul drivers are paid per mile, while local drivers are often paid hourly. Specialized freight such as hazmat, tankers, and oversized loads pays more, as do private fleets and union jobs. Owner-operators are not counted in these wage figures because they are self-employed.
These figures are the wages employers report to BLS: base pay plus commissions, production bonuses and tips. They exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, year-end bonuses, benefits and self-employed workers, so total compensation can be higher than the numbers shown.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) · May 2025
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this salary
What is the average salary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers?
The average salary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the United States is $59,710 per year, with a median of $58,640.
What is the starting salary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers?
Entry-level Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers typically earn between $40,140 and $47,960 per year depending on location and employer.
What state pays Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers the most?
Alaska pays Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers the most at $69,520 per year on average, followed by Washington ($68,230) and District of Columbia ($67,710).
How much do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers make per hour?
Based on the average annual salary of $59,710, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn approximately $28.71 per hour (based on 2,080 working hours/year).
Is Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers a good career in 2026?
BLS counts 2,062,040 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the United States, with a mean annual wage of $59,710 and a median of $58,640 (OEWS May 2025). This site does not publish job-growth projections; the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook covers the outlook for each occupation.
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