Salary Range & Percentiles
Pay distribution across experience levels
- 10th Percentile — Entry Level$30,800
- 25th Percentile — Junior$37,270
- 50th Percentile — Median$44,860
- 75th Percentile — Senior$52,310
- 90th Percentile — Top Earners$80,310
The top 10% of Light Truck Drivers earn $80,310 or more per year. Entry-level professionals can expect to start around $30,800, with significant growth over the first 5 years.
What Light Truck Drivers Do
Role, training and entry requirements
Light truck drivers operate trucks or vans with a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds or less to pick up, transport, and deliver packages and goods, usually within a local area.
How to become one
A regular driver's license and a clean driving record are usually enough, plus short on-the-job training. Commercial licenses are not required for most light vehicles.
Salary by State
Geographic salary comparison
| State | Avg Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $62,940 | +29.1% |
| Washington | $53,520 | +9.7% |
| California | $53,310 | +9.3% |
| Illinois | $53,300 | +9.3% |
| Maryland | $52,930 | +8.5% |
| Minnesota | $52,860 | +8.4% |
| Colorado | $52,270 | +7.2% |
| North Dakota | $51,940 | +6.5% |
| District of Columbia | $51,920 | +6.5% |
| Oregon | $51,440 | +5.5% |
| Massachusetts | $51,410 | +5.4% |
| Hawaii | $51,340 | +5.3% |
| Arizona | $50,900 | +4.4% |
| Idaho | $50,700 | +4.0% |
| Montana | $50,550 | +3.6% |
| New York | $50,330 | +3.2% |
| Missouri | $50,300 | +3.1% |
| Maine | $49,820 | +2.2% |
| New Jersey | $49,810 | +2.1% |
| Rhode Island | $49,580 | +1.7% |
| Connecticut | $49,430 | +1.4% |
| Indiana | $49,150 | +0.8% |
| Tennessee | $49,120 | +0.7% |
| Kentucky | $48,880 | +0.2% |
| Nebraska | $48,720 | -0.1% |
| Wisconsin | $48,570 | -0.4% |
| Vermont | $48,430 | -0.7% |
| Georgia | $48,290 | -1.0% |
| New Hampshire | $48,040 | -1.5% |
| Utah | $47,920 | -1.7% |
| Pennsylvania | $47,870 | -1.8% |
| Nevada | $47,610 | -2.4% |
| Texas | $46,950 | -3.7% |
| Mississippi | $46,940 | -3.8% |
| Michigan | $46,720 | -4.2% |
| Iowa | $46,700 | -4.2% |
| Wyoming | $46,620 | -4.4% |
| West Virginia | $46,530 | -4.6% |
| Delaware | $46,480 | -4.7% |
| Kansas | $45,930 | -5.8% |
| Virginia | $45,390 | -6.9% |
| Oklahoma | $45,250 | -7.2% |
| Louisiana | $44,940 | -7.9% |
| Florida | $44,580 | -8.6% |
| Ohio | $44,230 | -9.3% |
| South Dakota | $44,100 | -9.6% |
| Alabama | $43,930 | -9.9% |
| Arkansas | $43,670 | -10.5% |
| New Mexico | $43,090 | -11.6% |
| North Carolina | $42,660 | -12.5% |
| South Carolina | $41,510 | -14.9% |
What Factors Affect Light Truck Drivers Salary?
Key factors affecting compensation
Pay for Light 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 $62,940, while South Carolina pays $41,510 — a gap of $21,430 per year.
Delivery drivers for major parcel carriers, especially under union contracts, earn well above the median, while contract delivery work tends to pay less. Overtime during peak seasons adds to annual earnings.
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
Compare with Similar Jobs
Related career salary benchmarks
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- Commercial Pilots $146,080/yr United States +199.5% vs this role
- Air Traffic Controllers $146,490/yr United States +200.4% vs this role
- Driver Sales Workers $40,730/yr United States 16.5% vs this role
- Locomotive Engineers $85,900/yr United States +76.1% vs this role
- Registered Nurses $101,420/yr United States +108.0% vs this role
- Nurse Practitioners $137,300/yr United States +181.5% vs this role
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this salary
What is the average salary for Light Truck Drivers?
The average salary for Light Truck Drivers in the United States is $48,770 per year, with a median of $44,860.
What is the starting salary for Light Truck Drivers?
Entry-level Light Truck Drivers typically earn between $30,800 and $37,270 per year depending on location and employer.
What state pays Light Truck Drivers the most?
Alaska pays Light Truck Drivers the most at $62,940 per year on average, followed by Washington ($53,520) and California ($53,310).
How much do Light Truck Drivers make per hour?
Based on the average annual salary of $48,770, Light Truck Drivers earn approximately $23.45 per hour (based on 2,080 working hours/year).
Is Light Truck Drivers a good career in 2026?
BLS counts 983,300 Light Truck Drivers jobs in the United States, with a mean annual wage of $48,770 and a median of $44,860 (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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