Average CDL Driver Salary

Yes, truckers make good money. While there is a great deal of variability in earning depending on the type of truck driver and whether you own your own trucking driving company.

For example, the average salary for a truck driver is $68,000 per year but can range from anywhere from $25,740 per year up to $100,000 per year. A truck driver who owns his own truck can even earn upwards of $150,000 a year.

What a truck driver is paid is largely dependent on where the job is, the truck's size and the distance covered, the degree of danger in the job, and which company you're hauling for, or whether you own your own truck.

The United States is currently facing a truck driver shortage and has over 60,000 positions that need to be filled. The high demand for truck drivers has led some companies to offer $80,000 per year to start with a signing bonus (up to $10,000).

Mean Salary Rates Based on Trucking Type:

• Flatbed Truckers average $62,400 per year ($32 per hour)

• Dry Van Truckers average $56,714 per year ($26 per hour)

• Tanker Truckers average $75,709 per year ($38.83 per hour)

• Freight Hauler Truckers average $40,821 per year ($19.63 per hour)

• LTL Freight Truckers average $48,000 per year ($25.62 per hour)

• Local Truck Drivers average $54,884 per year ($26.39 per hour)

• Oilfield Truck Drivers average $74,173 per year ($36 per hour)

• Ice Road Truck Drivers average $60,425 per year ($29 per hour)

CDL drivers make between $0.48 to $0.75 per mile. While a company solo truck driver might earn around $0.40 to $0.68 per mile, an owner-operated driver earns between $0.94 to $1.79 per mile.

Many companies pay their truck drivers by the mile. The average local truck driver's pay per mile is between $.28 and $.40 per mile. Most drivers complete between 2,000 and 3,000 miles per week. If you drove all 52 weeks in a year at those rates, you would earn between $29,120 and $62,400.

The average pay for a truck driver is impacted by the company the driver works for, whether they are solo drivers or a team driver and if they are independent contractors. Variations in pay also reflect the type of truck you drive, including refrigerated (reefer), flatbed, or tanker.

• Refrigerated solo company drivers earn $.44- $.49 cents per mile. A company refrigerated driver typically logs between 2,400 and 2,800 miles in a week and would earn between $1,128 and $1,316.

• Flatbed solo company drivers earn $.46 per mile. Like the example above, a flatbed driver typically drives between 2,200 and 2,600 miles in a week and earns $968 to $1,144.

• Tanker solo company drivers earn $.51 per mile. If the driver were to complete a typical 1,800 to 2,200 miles a week, earnings would range from $882 to $1,078 per week.

CDL drivers make $52,154 a year starting out. A CDL driver's salary has the potential to range from as high as $78,500 a year and as low as $23,500 a year. For example, the top 90% earn around $72,500 a year, while the bottom 10% earn around $27,000.

This high variation in the pay range for a CDL driver reflects differences based on skill level (e.g., CDL A versus CDL C), location (e.g., California versus Kentucky), and years of experience.

Top 5 Cities in starting salary for a CDL driver.

• Lakes, AK. averages $60,675 a year ($29.17 an hour)

• San Francisco, CA. averages $60,429 ($29.05 an hour)

• Santa Clara, CA. averages $59,729 ($28.72 an hour)

• Washington, DC. averages $58,922 ($28.33 an hour)

• Los Angeles, CA. averages $58,245 ($28.00 an hour)

Type of CDL driver and starting salary

• CDL Team Driver. averages $73,170 a year ($35.18 an hour)

• CDL Team Truck Driver. averages $70,781 a year ($34.03 an hour)

• CDL Team. averages $68,660 a year ($33.01 an hour)

• Team CDL Driver. averages $66,855 a year ($32.14 an hour)

• Class A CDL Oilfield. averages $65,555 a year ($31.52 an hour)