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Job outlook for equipment operators-driver in the United States
Equipment operator-driver job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected equipment operator-driver job growth rate is 5% from 2018-2028.
About 22,000 new jobs for equipment operators-driver are projected over the next decade.
Equipment operator-driver salaries have increased 8% for equipment operators-driver in the last 5 years.
There are over 151,057 equipment operators-driver currently employed in the United States.
There are 607,301 active equipment operator-driver job openings in the US.
The average equipment operator-driver salary is $36,429.
Are equipment operator-driver jobs in demand?
Equipment operator-driver job and salary trends over time
Equipment operator-driver jobs over time
Equipment operator-driver job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 151,057 | 0.04% |
| 2020 | 150,232 | 0.04% |
| 2019 | 151,352 | 0.05% |
| 2018 | 143,091 | 0.04% |
| 2017 | 136,341 | 0.04% |
Average equipment operator-driver salary over time
Equipment operator-driver salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $36,429 | $17.51 | +1.6% |
| 2025 | $35,851 | $17.24 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $34,995 | $16.82 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | $34,431 | $16.55 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | $33,589 | $16.15 | +2.9% |
Equipment operator-driver jobs by state
Most common states for equipment operators-driver
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 1,155 | 133% |
| 2 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 5,391 | 107% |
| 3 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 3,087 | 98% |
| 4 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 2,830 | 94% |
| 5 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 2,719 | 93% |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 1,750 | 91% |
| 7 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 10,082 | 86% |
| 8 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 5,276 | 79% |
| 9 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 3,525 | 79% |
| 10 | Delaware | 961,939 | 764 | 79% |
| 11 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 9,830 | 77% |
| 12 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 5,069 | 76% |
| 13 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 4,230 | 69% |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 2,615 | 67% |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 3,653 | 63% |
| 16 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 1,146 | 63% |
| 17 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 6,401 | 61% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 7,220 | 56% |
| 19 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 1,099 | 53% |
| 20 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 2,542 | 52% |
Most common cities for equipment operators-driver
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laplace | 1 | 3% | $32,432 |
| 2 | Decatur | 1 | 2% | $28,706 |
| 3 | Manassas | 1 | 2% | $33,021 |
| 4 | Pine Bluff | 1 | 2% | $29,908 |
| 5 | Boulder | 1 | 1% | $35,993 |
| 6 | Cedar Rapids | 1 | 1% | $36,368 |
| 7 | Grand Rapids | 1 | 1% | $37,928 |
| 8 | North Charleston | 1 | 1% | $32,391 |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $43,853 |
| 10 | Modesto | 1 | 0% | $45,027 |
| 11 | Omaha | 1 | 0% | $33,144 |
| 12 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $35,794 |
| 13 | San Jose | 1 | 0% | $45,311 |
Equipment Operator-Driver job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of equipment operator-driver experts
CVTA
NAPFTDS
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Equipment Operator-Driver job market given the pandemic?
Don Lefeve: The market for commercial drivers should remain strong for the foreseeable future due to older driver retirements, tight capacity, and the increase of home delivery of goods resulting from COVID. COVID has resulted in fewer commercial drivers being produced in 2020, compared to 2019. It is important to note that Class A Commercial Driver's License is as much of a requirement to drive large commercial trucks as it is an excellent safety credential for those who may not drive commercial trucks.
The biggest trend currently is tight capacity. What this means is there are too few drivers willing to move goods at the requested price. This means shippers need to pay more to move goods, which in turn, results in trucking companies charging more and driver pay rises. Pay has been rising, and commercial driving is a solid foundation for a career in trucking.
How do you envision technology impacting Equipment Operators-Driver in the next 5 years?
Martin Garsee: Technology has changed every aspect of the industry in the last few years. Many of the systems that are on trucks make them much safer.
Collision mitigation systems, Blind spot alerts, cameras inside and outside the cab, lane departure warnings, these are currently offered on the truck of today. We see these systems getting better, which makes the driver a safer driver.