State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Truck Driver Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn a median of $58,640 per year ($28.19/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.0% through 2034, with about 237,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.
SOC 53-3032Transportation and Material MovingLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $58,640
- Projected growth
- +4.0%
- Openings a year
- 237,600
- Typical education
- Certificate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: CDL Driver (Commercial Driver's License Driver), Driver, Line Haul Driver, Log Truck Driver, Over the Road Driver (OTR Driver), Production Truck Driver.
How much do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers make?
10th percentile$40,140
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$47,960
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$58,640
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$69,120
Upper quartile
90th percentile$79,380
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $58,640 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $28.19/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $59,710 |
| People employed | 2,062,040 |
Versus all US occupations
At $58,640, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn 15% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $7,660 a year.
Versus transportation and material moving occupations
The median is typical for the Transportation and Material Moving group, where the middle occupation pays $58,405.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $79,380 or more while the bottom 10% earn $40,140, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 40% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Alaska pays the most at $70,100, and still leads at $68,484 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $70,100 | $68,484 | 3,420 |
| Washington | $64,760 | $60,516 | 40,530 |
| District of Columbia | $64,170 | $58,389 | 830 |
| New Jersey | $63,570 | $58,426 | 47,980 |
| Massachusetts | $63,030 | $59,599 | 30,890 |
| Nevada | $62,290 | $62,303 | 15,010 |
| New York | $62,050 | $57,496 | 63,700 |
| Minnesota | $61,990 | $62,857 | 38,770 |
| Oregon | $61,980 | $59,965 | 23,970 |
| Colorado | $61,500 | $59,679 | 25,350 |
Is Truck Driver a growing career?
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers4.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers to change 4.0% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 89,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 237,600 openings are projected each year, 10.6% of the 2,235,100 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Trucks transport most of the freight in the United States. Truck drivers will be needed as households and businesses increase their spending and their demand for goods.
How to become a Truck Driver
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers usually have a high school diploma and attend a professional truck driving school. They must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
| Typical entry-level education | Postsecondary nondegree award |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
- High School Diploma54.3%
- Less than a High School Diploma25.9%
- Post-Secondary Certificate18.5%
- Some College Courses1.2%
What does a Truck Driver do?
Drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). May be required to unload truck. Requires commercial drivers' license. Includes tow truck drivers.
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another. Most tractor-trailer drivers are long-haul drivers and operate trucks with a total weight exceeding 26,000 pounds for the vehicle, passengers, and cargo. These drivers deliver goods over intercity routes that sometimes span several states.
Day-to-day tasks
- Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles.
- Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order.
- Operate equipment, such as truck cab computers, CB radios, phones, or global positioning systems (GPS) equipment to exchange necessary information with bases, supervisors, or other drivers.
- Maneuver trucks into loading or unloading positions, following signals from loading crew and checking that vehicle and loading equipment are properly positioned.
- Perform basic vehicle maintenance tasks, such as adding oil, fuel, or radiator fluid, performing minor repairs, or washing trucks.
- Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.
- Collect delivery instructions from appropriate sources, verifying instructions and routes.
- Drive trucks with capacities greater than 13 tons, including tractor-trailer combinations, to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers work
| Truck transportation | 40% |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade | 12% |
| Manufacturing | 7% |
| Self-employed workers | 7% |
| Construction | 6% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Reading Comprehension3.0/5
- Speaking3.0/5
- Critical Thinking3.0/5
- Active Listening2.9/5
- Writing2.8/5
- Active Learning2.5/5
- Mathematics2.0/5
Transferable skills
- Operations Monitoring3.8/5
- Operation and Control3.8/5
- Troubleshooting3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Equipment Maintenance2.9/5
- Repairing2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.8/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Desktop communications software
- Inventory management software
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
- Route navigation software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Truck Driver?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary7.0
Investigative1.9
Artistic1.0
Social1.3
Enterprising1.3
Conventionalprimary4.1
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Truck Driver: frequently asked questions
How much do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers make?
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn a median of $58,640 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 15% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $28.19/hr. The middle half earn between $47,960 and $69,120. The top 10% earn $79,380 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Truck Driver?
Not a degree, but you do need credentialled training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or licence programme) as the typical entry route for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 54.3% hold high school diploma.
Is Truck Driver a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 4.0% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 237,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Truck Driver do?
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another. A core O*NET task: report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers the most?
The highest state medians for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers are Alaska ($70,100), Washington ($64,760), District of Columbia ($64,170) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Truck Driver?
O*NET scores Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.