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Best states for a line haul driver
Quoted expert
Martin Garsee
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and transportation careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to line haul driver jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for line haul drivers.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for line haul drivers. We found that Tennessee is the best state in the nation for line haul drivers, and people in South Kingstown earn the most in the field.
The median salary for line haul drivers in Tennessee is $64,303. Compare that to the median salary in Nevada of $49,317, which ranked worst for line haul drivers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Tennessee is the best state for line haul driver jobs, whereas Nevada is the worst.
10 best states for line haul drivers in 2026
1. Tennessee
Total line haul driver jobs: 16,222 Average annual salary: $64,303 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 2.51
2. North Dakota
Total line haul driver jobs: 1,635 Average annual salary: $65,532 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.6
3. Rhode Island
Total line haul driver jobs: 806 Average annual salary: $69,317 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 0.6
4. Kentucky
Total line haul driver jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $67,269 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 0
5. South Dakota
Total line haul driver jobs: 1,712 Average annual salary: $62,861 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
6. Louisiana
Total line haul driver jobs: 11,343 Average annual salary: $61,267 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 3.23
7. Washington
Total line haul driver jobs: 8,931 Average annual salary: $66,766 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
8. Minnesota
Total line haul driver jobs: 15,743 Average annual salary: $63,119 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 2.16
9. Vermont
Total line haul driver jobs: 620 Average annual salary: $64,763 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
10. Kansas
Total line haul driver jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $64,581 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 0
Line haul driver jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a line haul driver
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a line haul driver
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | $64,303 | $43,000 | 6,715,984 | 16,222 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $65,532 | $45,000 | 755,393 | 1,635 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $69,317 | $47,000 | 1,059,639 | 806 |
| 4 | Kentucky | $67,269 | $46,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 5 | South Dakota | $62,861 | $43,000 | 869,666 | 1,712 |
| 6 | Louisiana | $61,267 | $41,000 | 4,684,333 | 11,343 |
| 7 | Washington | $66,766 | $45,000 | 7,405,743 | 8,931 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $63,119 | $43,000 | 5,576,606 | 15,743 |
| 9 | Vermont | $64,763 | $44,000 | 623,657 | 620 |
| 10 | Kansas | $64,581 | $44,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $67,050 | $45,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $62,658 | $43,000 | 1,920,076 | 3,253 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $61,232 | $41,000 | 5,795,483 | 13,516 |
| 14 | Iowa | $63,076 | $43,000 | 3,145,711 | 0 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $61,144 | $41,000 | 579,315 | 1,214 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $65,717 | $45,000 | 6,859,819 | 0 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $62,924 | $43,000 | 1,342,795 | 838 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $59,518 | $40,000 | 3,930,864 | 13,386 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $70,018 | $47,000 | 693,972 | 336 |
| 20 | Virginia | $63,309 | $42,000 | 8,470,020 | 16,122 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $64,466 | $43,000 | 9,005,644 | 4,284 |
| 22 | Alabama | $61,044 | $41,000 | 4,874,747 | 0 |
| 23 | Illinois | $62,774 | $42,000 | 12,802,023 | 0 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $56,006 | $38,000 | 1,815,857 | 5,030 |
| 25 | Maryland | $63,394 | $42,000 | 6,052,177 | 7,091 |
| 26 | Montana | $60,683 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 0 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $57,008 | $38,000 | 12,805,537 | 21,080 |
| 28 | Texas | $57,481 | $38,000 | 28,304,596 | 47,884 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $55,866 | $37,000 | 2,984,100 | 5,358 |
| 30 | Maine | $58,524 | $40,000 | 1,335,907 | 856 |
| 31 | Colorado | $61,063 | $41,000 | 5,607,154 | 0 |
| 32 | Alaska | $59,169 | $46,000 | 739,795 | 173 |
| 33 | Idaho | $58,215 | $39,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 34 | New York | $58,870 | $40,000 | 19,849,399 | 15,341 |
| 35 | Florida | $58,674 | $39,000 | 20,984,400 | 0 |
| 36 | Arizona | $57,681 | $39,000 | 7,016,270 | 0 |
| 37 | Delaware | $58,685 | $39,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $53,967 | $36,000 | 10,273,419 | 19,664 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $59,543 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 40 | Oregon | $55,813 | $37,000 | 4,142,776 | 7,401 |
| 41 | Michigan | $53,369 | $36,000 | 9,962,311 | 15,521 |
| 42 | Indiana | $55,173 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 0 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $54,273 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $51,132 | $34,000 | 2,088,070 | 5,320 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $47,688 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 14,102 |
| 46 | Georgia | $53,974 | $36,000 | 10,429,379 | 0 |
| 47 | California | $53,073 | $36,000 | 39,536,653 | 34,221 |
| 48 | Ohio | $50,931 | $34,000 | 11,658,609 | 0 |
| 49 | Utah | $47,871 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 4,638 |
| 50 | Missouri | $50,475 | $34,000 | 6,113,532 | 0 |
| 51 | Nevada | $49,317 | $33,000 | 2,998,039 | 0 |
Highest paying states for line haul drivers
| Rank | State | Avg. Line Haul Driver Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | $64,303 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $65,532 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $69,317 |
| 4 | Kentucky | $67,269 |
| 5 | South Dakota | $62,861 |
| 6 | Louisiana | $61,267 |
| 7 | Washington | $66,766 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $63,119 |
| 9 | Vermont | $64,763 |
| 10 | Kansas | $64,581 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $67,050 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $62,658 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $61,232 |
| 14 | Iowa | $63,076 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $61,144 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $65,717 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $62,924 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $59,518 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $70,018 |
| 20 | Virginia | $63,309 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $64,466 |
| 22 | Alabama | $61,044 |
| 23 | Illinois | $62,774 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $56,006 |
| 25 | Maryland | $63,394 |
| 26 | Montana | $60,683 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $57,008 |
| 28 | Texas | $57,481 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $55,866 |
| 30 | Maine | $58,524 |
| 31 | Colorado | $61,063 |
| 32 | Alaska | $59,169 |
| 33 | Idaho | $58,215 |
| 34 | New York | $58,870 |
| 35 | Florida | $58,674 |
| 36 | Arizona | $57,681 |
| 37 | Delaware | $58,685 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $53,967 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $59,543 |
| 40 | Oregon | $55,813 |
| 41 | Michigan | $53,369 |
| 42 | Indiana | $55,173 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $54,273 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $51,132 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $47,688 |
| 46 | Georgia | $53,974 |
| 47 | California | $53,073 |
| 48 | Ohio | $50,931 |
| 49 | Utah | $47,871 |
| 50 | Missouri | $50,475 |
| 51 | Nevada | $49,317 |
Expert opinions on the best states for line haul drivers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for line haul drivers to find work opportunities?
Martin Garsee
Executive Director, NAPFTDS
Many over the road trucking companies will hire you from any location in the 48 contiguous states. Companies that have more set routes in a region of the country, will only hire in that region. Most companies, on their website, have a hiring area located. Where there is a dense population, there are more jobs available. Where there is a port, there are jobs that have to get the goods from the port to a warehouse for distribution, which may be local or hundreds of miles away. Where there is a concentration of manufacturing, raw material has to be brought in and completed products have to be shipped to their final destination.
In large cities there are a lot of delivery jobs to retail outlets.
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Updated January 8, 2025