Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Average Salary in United States
$59,706 average · $59,710 median · BLS OEWS 2025
SOC Code: 53-3032What is this?
This page shows employer-reported wages for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in United States, drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey — median and mean pay, the full percentile distribution, and the industries that employ this occupation locally. Segment and carrier type dominate: specialized freight and unionized LTL out-earn general long-haul; dedicated local/regional routes trade some pay for home time. Endorsements (hazmat, tanker, doubles) are cheap relative to the wage premium. Detention, mileage vs. hourly pay, and owner-operator economics sit partly outside the employer-reported OEWS figures.
How much do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers make in United States?
The average heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers salary in United States is $59,706 per year, with a median of $59,710. That works out to about $28.70 per hour on average. BLS counts roughly 10,380,020 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers jobs in United States.
Mean and median are close, so pay is relatively concentrated around $59,710. Entry-level roles (10th percentile) report about $56,680; experienced workers at the 90th percentile report about $61,540 — a 9% spread from bottom to top. Figures are employer-reported wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — not self-reported survey averages — so they are the right baseline for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
How Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Careers Are Structured
Heavy truck drivers move freight in long-haul, regional, and dedicated lanes. The occupation is credential-gated (CDL), structurally in demand, and highly segmented — tanker, flatbed, refrigerated, and hazmat work are different economic lives under one SOC code.
The wage tables and percentile chart on this page show how heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers pay is distributed in United States specifically — and because state-level wages for the same occupation routinely differ by 30% or more, the local figures here are the ones that matter for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
What Moves Pay in This Field
Segment and carrier type dominate: specialized freight and unionized LTL out-earn general long-haul; dedicated local/regional routes trade some pay for home time. Endorsements (hazmat, tanker, doubles) are cheap relative to the wage premium. Detention, mileage vs. hourly pay, and owner-operator economics sit partly outside the employer-reported OEWS figures.
CDL training takes weeks and is often employer-funded with a contract. First-year pay and turnover are both harsh; a clean record plus the leverage to choose segment moves drivers up this distribution quickly. Compare local delivery and light-truck pages when weighing home-time against pay.
New to reading wage distributions? Our guide to salary percentiles explains how to place yourself on the chart above, and the negotiation playbook shows how to use these numbers in an actual conversation.
High Demand OccupationBright Outlook
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is in high demand with strong job growth projected over the next decade.
What Do Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Do?
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers positions belong to the heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers field. Heavy truck drivers move freight in long-haul, regional, and dedicated lanes. The occupation is credential-gated (CDL), structurally in demand, and highly segmented — tanker, flatbed, refrigerated, and hazmat work are different economic lives under one SOC code.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 53-3032
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay in United States
In United States, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers report a median of $59,710 and an average of $59,706 (about $28.70/hour) across roughly 10,380,020 jobs. The local pay band runs from about $56,680 at the 10th percentile to $61,540 at the 90th.
National figures average across high-cost coastal metros and lower-cost inland markets, so individual state pages on Wage Atlas are usually the better reference for a specific offer.
Income reality check
The median salary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in United States of $59,710 falls in the Middle class band of this framework - roughly ~10% of the U.S. population and ~10% of the global population sit in this band.
Illustrative relative standing for education only - this ladder is a simplified framework, not an official Census, BLS, or World Bank statistical series. Salary figures on Wage Atlas come from official BLS OEWS data.
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Job Outlook 2023-2033
Official BLS Employment Projections for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Skills & What You Do
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and a CDL
- Drive trucks to transport goods long distances
- Inspect vehicles for safety
- Follow routes and delivery schedules
- Maintain logs of working hours and mileage
Top Industries for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
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Viewing: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (SOC: 53-3032)