Quick answer: truck driver salary in 2026
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earned a median of $58,640 a year ($28.19 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $47,960 to $69,120; the top 10% earned over $79,380. Light truck drivers, mostly non-CDL local delivery, had a median of $44,860.
That's the honest headline. The number you'll actually earn depends on the freight, the miles you're given, how you're paid and how many weeks you work. The rest of this guide shows each of those, with the source behind every figure.
Average truck driver salary, as a ladder
An average hides the spread, so here's the whole ladder for the two truck driving occupations BLS tracks, from the 10th percentile to the 90th. Switch to hourly, then enter an offer below to see where it lands.
BLS pay ladder, May 2025
- 10th
- $40,140
- 25th
- $47,960
- Median
- $58,640
- 75th
- $69,120
- 90th
- $79,380
- 10th
- $30,800
- 25th
- $37,270
- Median
- $44,860
- 75th
- $52,310
- 90th
- $80,310
Pale bar: 10th to 90th percentile. Dark bar: middle half (25th to 75th). Yellow line: median. Orange marker: your offer, from the scorecard below.
Offer scorecard
- Weekly gross
- $1,320
- Yearly gross (48 weeks)
- $63,360
- BLS median for comparison
- $58,640
This offer sits between the median and the 75th percentile for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
Gross pay, before taxes and deductions. Ask the recruiter how many paid miles or hours drivers on that account actually average, not the maximum.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-3032 (released May 15, 2026) · checked Oct 2026
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-3033 (released May 15, 2026) · checked Oct 2026
What changes how much truck drivers make
BLS doesn't publish separate pay figures for OTR, team, hazmat or flatbed drivers; all CDL truck drivers sit in one occupation. We won't invent numbers to fill that gap. Here's what moves pay within the ladder, and what to ask a recruiter about each one.
| Job type | What tends to move pay | Ask before you sign |
|---|---|---|
| OTR (long haul) | Paid miles per week; weeks out; home-time policy | Average paid miles for drivers on this fleet, not the max |
| Regional | Miles vs home time trade-off; stop pay | How many nights home a week, and the average weekly gross |
| Local | Hourly rate and overtime hours; starting time | Guaranteed hours and the usual start time |
| Team | Two drivers share one truck's miles and pay | Is pay per driver or split, and how |
| Hazmat and tanker | Endorsements (H, N, X) and the freight's risk | Premium per mile or per load, in writing |
| Flatbed | Securement work, tarping and the weather | Tarp pay, and how securement time is paid |
| Owner-operator | Rates, fuel and truck costs; this is net, not wage | Your own cost per mile, before you buy a truck |
Experience and record move you up the ladder inside any job type. A new CDL holder usually starts in the lower half: many fleets pay new drivers a training or starting rate, then raise it after months of clean driving. A clean driving record, no preventable crashes and added endorsements open the better-paying freight. That's why the 25th percentile and the 75th are about $21,160 apart for the same occupation.
Region matters too: pay and cost of living differ a lot from state to state. See truck driver salary by state.
How truckers get paid: the pay models
The same yearly figure can come from very different deals. Most offers use one of these:
- Per mile (CPM). The most common model for long haul. What counts is paid miles, and whether they're practical miles or a shorter mileage guide. See how much truck drivers make per mile.
- Percentage of the load. You get a share of each load's revenue. Good rates help you; cheap freight hurts you.
- Hourly. Common for local and some regional jobs. Ask how many hours drivers really get.
- Per load, day or salary. Simple to read, but check what happens on a long day or a cancelled load.
Extras can add up: stop pay, detention, layover, breakdown pay and bonuses. The full breakdown is in how truck drivers get paid, and the truck driver salary calculator runs the numbers.
Gross pay vs take-home
Every figure above is gross: before income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and any health insurance or other deductions. As a company driver on a W-2, your employer pays half of Social Security and Medicare for you. That changes if you go independent.
Check the pay sheet for deductions too, such as equipment, phones or training repayment, and read the contract before the first settlement, not after.
Company driver pay vs owner-operator net
An owner-operator's weekly revenue can be several times a company driver's paycheck, which is why the comparison is so often done wrong. Revenue pays for fuel, the truck, insurance, repairs, permits and taxes before anything is yours. And as a self-employed driver, you pay both halves of Social Security and Medicare.
Source: IRS, Self-employment tax · checked Oct 2026
Done right, owning a truck can lift income past the company ceiling. Done without numbers, it can pay less than a company job with more risk. Our company driver to owner-operator guide walks through an EXAMPLE month line by line. When you have your own authority, LaneSprint dispatch books loads for you: every load is offered to you first, the rate confirmation comes straight to you, and you can say no.
Method, data and how to cite this page
Method
- Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released May 15, 2026.
- Occupations: SOC 53-3032 heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (2,062,040 jobs) and SOC 53-3033 light truck drivers (983,300 jobs).
- Figures are wage and salary employees only. Self-employed owner-operators are not in OEWS.
- BLS calculates annual figures from hourly ones over a 2,080-hour year. Percentiles are as published; we haven't adjusted for inflation or region.
Cite this page
Henry, "How much do truck drivers make? 2026 pay, by the numbers," LaneSprint, updated October 2026, https://lanesprint.com/driver-guides/how-much-do-truck-drivers-make. Data: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Trucker salary questions
How much does a truck driver make a year?
The median heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver earned $58,640 in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $47,960 and $69,120, and the top 10% earned more than $79,380. Light truck drivers, mostly local delivery without a CDL, had a median of $44,860.
How much does a truck driver make an hour?
BLS puts the median hourly wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $28.19 (May 2025), with the 10th percentile at $19.30 and the 90th at $38.17. Most over-the-road drivers aren't paid by the hour, though. BLS publishes an hourly figure for every occupation and calculates annual pay from it over a 2,080-hour year.
How much do truck drivers make a week?
Dividing the BLS median of $58,640 by 52 gives about $1,128 a week before taxes for a heavy truck driver. Real weeks swing more than that: mileage-paid drivers earn less in a week of delays and more in a week of open road, so look at an average over a few months.
How much do semi truck drivers make?
Semi drivers fall under BLS's heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver occupation, which covers trucks over 26,000 lb and requires a CDL. The May 2025 median was $58,640 a year, with a mean of $59,710. Pay varies with the freight, the miles and the company's pay model.
How do truckers get paid?
Long-haul company offers are usually per mile. Others are paid a percentage of each load's revenue, by the hour (common for local work), by the load or day, or a weekly salary. Many offers add stop pay, detention, layover and bonuses. Compare offers by expected weekly gross, not by the headline rate.
Can truck drivers make $100,000 a year?
Some do, but it's rare for a company driver. BLS's 90th percentile for heavy truck drivers is $79,380, so fewer than 1 in 10 earned more than that in May 2025. Owner-operators can gross far more, but gross isn't pay: fuel, truck costs, insurance and taxes come out first.
Do owner-operators make more than company drivers?
They gross much more, and some net more, but no reliable public survey tracks owner-operator take-home pay. Net depends on the truck deal, freight rates, fuel and how many weeks the truck earns. Compare your expected net, after every cost and both halves of payroll taxes, with a company offer before you switch.