BLS mean annual wage
$59,710
Per year
Main/Salary
Reviewed August 21, 2026
CDL Truck Driver Salary: Average Pay 2026
Prepared by CDL Jobs Center Editorial Team
Compare official May 2025 BLS national and state wages by percentile, then use the gross-pay calculator to compare a written job offer.
What Is the Average Salary for a CDL Truck Driver in 2026?
The average salary for a CDL truck driver is best benchmarked with the latest available national BLS release for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers: mean pay of $59,710 per year or $28.71 per hour. Median pay is $58,640 per year or $28.19 per hour. These BLS employee wage estimates exclude self-employed owner-operators.
BLS mean hourly wage
$28.71
Per hour
BLS median annual wage
$58,640
Per year
BLS median hourly wage
$28.19
Per hour
Dividing the published mean annual wage by 12 or 52 gives gross equivalents of $4,976 per month or $1,148 per week before taxes. These rounded monthly and weekly figures are calculations, not separate BLS estimates.
National BLS wages run from $40,140 at the 10th percentile to $79,380 at the 90th percentile ($19.30 to $38.16 per hour).
BLS estimates 2,062,040 wage-and-salary jobs in this occupation. Self-employed drivers are excluded.
Current CDL job market snapshot
This snapshot uses active public listings from approved carriers. It changes as companies post or pause jobs and is separate from BLS wage data, which measures earned employee wages rather than advertised offers.
- Active listings
- 25
- Listed locations
- 15
- Listings showing pay
- 16
Most common route categories
- OTR: 11
- Regional: 5
- Dedicated: 4
Current advertised CDL pay examples
Showing 6 of 15 active public listings with a pay statement. These are current offer examples, not a market average or a promise of earnings; compare the full job details, home-time schedule, benefits, and pay conditions before applying.
Owner Operator
$2,000/week
United Global Carrier · Illinois · OTR · Dry Van
CDL OTR drivers
$0.65 - $0.75/mile
Ben Leppert · Nationwide · OTR · Refrigerated
Hourly Regional / OTR Van Driver
$24.00 - $32.00/hour
Watsontown Trucking Company · Milton, PA · Regional · Dry Van
CDL Class A Hazmat Tanker Driver
$70,000+/year
Coraluzzo/Torrissi Transport · East Coast terminals · Local · Tanker
CDL-A Team Driver
$0.52 - $0.74/mile
Covenant Transport · United States · OTR · Dry Van
CDL-A Heavy Haul Driver
$70,000 - $90,000/year
HWH Transport - Oversize Transport Company · Tampa, FL · Regional · Heavy Haul
The listing sample updates as approved carriers post, edit, or pause jobs. See the full CDL job directory for all current openings.
Gross Pay Calculator
Enter a positive rate and valid work schedule to estimate gross pay.
Estimates are gross pay before taxes, benefits, deductions, unpaid time, and owner-operator expenses. The calculator does not add overtime, bonuses, accessorial pay, or guaranteed minimums.
May 2025 BLS wages by state
These are the exact cross-industry state wage estimates published by BLS for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (SOC 53-3032), without inflation or cost-of-living adjustments.
| State | Mean annual | Mean hourly | Median annual | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $56,230 | $27.03 | $52,120 | $64,870 |
| Alaska | $69,520 | $33.42 | $70,100 | $78,060 |
| Arizona | $58,870 | $28.30 | $58,080 | $65,580 |
| Arkansas | $57,390 | $27.59 | $51,550 | $69,700 |
| California | $62,020 | $29.82 | $60,230 | $72,330 |
| Colorado | $63,650 | $30.60 | $61,500 | $70,220 |
| Connecticut | $61,980 | $29.80 | $60,490 | $69,970 |
| Delaware | $57,380 | $27.59 | $57,590 | $58,900 |
| District of Columbia | $67,710 | $32.55 | $64,170 | $74,440 |
| Florida CDL jobs | $54,850 | $26.37 | $50,640 | $62,380 |
| Georgia | $57,780 | $27.78 | $57,050 | $68,780 |
| Hawaii | $60,850 | $29.26 | $59,820 | $64,910 |
| Idaho | $59,160 | $28.44 | $58,770 | $64,260 |
| Illinois | $62,430 | $30.01 | $60,320 | $75,600 |
| Indiana | $60,950 | $29.30 | $60,290 | $72,260 |
| Iowa | $60,070 | $28.88 | $58,070 | $64,190 |
| Kansas | $60,480 | $29.08 | $58,920 | $71,080 |
| Kentucky | $59,870 | $28.78 | $56,340 | $70,020 |
| Louisiana | $51,930 | $24.96 | $49,320 | $58,780 |
| Maine | $55,980 | $26.91 | $57,050 | $62,210 |
| Maryland | $60,590 | $29.13 | $59,360 | $69,270 |
| Massachusetts | $63,570 | $30.56 | $63,030 | $72,150 |
| Michigan | $56,370 | $27.10 | $57,180 | $62,060 |
| Minnesota | $63,630 | $30.59 | $61,990 | $73,700 |
| Mississippi | $55,910 | $26.88 | $51,820 | $63,630 |
| Missouri | $56,830 | $27.32 | $54,550 | $63,400 |
| Montana | $59,180 | $28.45 | $58,870 | $63,660 |
| Nebraska | $60,070 | $28.88 | $58,390 | $75,830 |
| Nevada | $65,010 | $31.25 | $62,290 | $75,890 |
| New Hampshire | $60,600 | $29.13 | $60,280 | $65,140 |
| New Jersey | $66,770 | $32.10 | $63,570 | $76,450 |
| New Mexico | $53,100 | $25.53 | $50,500 | $60,320 |
| New York | $65,780 | $31.63 | $62,050 | $74,040 |
| North Carolina | $55,810 | $26.83 | $51,530 | $62,640 |
| North Dakota | $63,330 | $30.45 | $60,910 | $67,110 |
| Ohio | $60,660 | $29.16 | $59,800 | $71,260 |
| Oklahoma | $57,670 | $27.73 | $54,410 | $70,950 |
| Oregon | $64,080 | $30.81 | $61,980 | $72,870 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,640 | $28.67 | $58,580 | $65,830 |
| Rhode Island | $59,660 | $28.68 | $60,190 | $64,250 |
| South Carolina | $55,680 | $26.77 | $51,130 | $62,660 |
| South Dakota | $58,550 | $28.15 | $58,690 | $64,480 |
| Tennessee | $60,440 | $29.06 | $58,620 | $73,420 |
| Texas | $57,990 | $27.88 | $56,290 | $64,820 |
| Utah | $60,900 | $29.28 | $60,620 | $68,460 |
| Vermont | $61,100 | $29.37 | $60,830 | $64,900 |
| Virginia | $57,770 | $27.78 | $56,860 | $63,200 |
| Washington | $68,230 | $32.80 | $64,760 | $75,530 |
| West Virginia | $52,440 | $25.21 | $49,480 | $58,720 |
| Wisconsin | $58,890 | $28.31 | $58,610 | $63,870 |
| Wyoming | $63,180 | $30.37 | $60,310 | $73,000 |
CDL job benefits and salary: what changes pay?
OEWS does not publish CDL pay by route, years of experience, endorsement, or per-mile rate. Compare the complete written offer rather than treating an unsourced estimate as a guarantee.
Pay method
Per-mile, hourly, salary, load-percentage, and guaranteed-pay offers are not directly comparable until paid miles, overtime, accessorials, and eligibility rules are written down.
Route and schedule
Local, regional, dedicated, and OTR jobs differ in home time, unpaid waiting, shift length, physical work, and available miles or hours.
Freight and endorsements
Tanker, HazMat, doubles/triples, flatbed, and other specialized work may pay differently when a carrier has freight that actually uses the skill or endorsement.
Experience and safety record
Verified experience, equipment familiarity, attendance, and a safe driving record can affect eligibility and offers, but BLS does not publish wages by years of CDL experience.
Location and industry
State, metro area, freight market, industry, commute, and cost of living all affect whether a nominal wage is competitive for a specific driver.
Employee versus owner-operator
Owner-operator gross revenue is business income before fuel, insurance, maintenance, truck payments, taxes, and other expenses. It is not comparable to employee wages or take-home pay.
Benefits and total compensation
Health coverage, retirement contributions, paid time off, paid orientation or training, bonuses, and out-of-pocket costs can change the value of an offer. Compare eligibility rules and employee costs alongside the headline wage.
Read how truck driver pay structures work before comparing mileage, hourly, percentage, or guaranteed-pay offers.
Sources and methodology
Official benchmark: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 national wage table reports the mean and median figures shown above for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (SOC 53-3032).
Official state data: The BLS May 2025 OEWS state file supplies the state means and percentiles shown above exactly as published, with no inflation, cost-of-living, or other adjustment.
Scope and limitations: OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers and excludes self-employed owner-operators. It does not publish wages by CDL class, route, years of experience, endorsement, or per-mile rate. Calculator results are arithmetic gross-pay estimates, not forecasts or job guarantees. See the editorial standards and corrections policy.
CDL salary FAQ
What is the average salary for a CDL truck driver in 2026?
The latest available national BLS benchmark (May 2025) reports mean pay of $59,710 per year ($28.71 per hour) and median pay of $58,640 per year ($28.19 per hour) for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. The 10th-to-90th percentile range is $40,140 to $79,380. The mean annual wage equals about $4,976 per month or $1,148 per week before taxes when divided by 12 or 52; those monthly and weekly figures are calculated equivalents, not separate BLS estimates. BLS employee wage estimates exclude self-employed workers.
Which CDL jobs usually pay the most?
BLS does not publish an official wage ranking by CDL route, endorsement, or freight type. Compare actual written offers for mileage or hourly rate, guaranteed pay, overtime, bonuses, accessorials, home time, and benefits. Keep owner-operator gross business revenue separate from employee wages because business expenses can materially change take-home income.
How can a driver increase CDL pay?
Drivers can increase CDL pay by building clean experience, adding Tanker or HazMat endorsements, comparing route types, targeting higher-paying freight, keeping a safe record, and applying to carriers with transparent pay ranges.
How much do CDL drivers make a month?
Using the latest available national BLS mean annual wage of $59,710, a simple gross equivalent is about $4,976 per month before taxes. This divides the annual wage by 12; it is not a separate BLS monthly estimate and does not account for a specific carrier's pay method, overtime, bonuses, deductions, or benefits.
How much do CDL drivers make a week?
Using the latest available national BLS mean annual wage of $59,710, a simple gross equivalent is about $1,148 per week before taxes. This divides the annual wage by 52; it is not a guaranteed weekly paycheck. Compare the written offer's paid miles or hours, overtime, bonuses, deductions, home time, and benefits.