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Operator and truck driver salary
Average operator and truck driver salary
$250,847
Average Operator and Truck Driver Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for Operators and Truck Drivers in the United States is approximately $250,847 per year or $121 per hour. This figure reflects various factors, including location, experience, and industry sector. Operators with specialized skills or certifications often see higher pay.
Salary Breakdown by State
Salaries for this role can differ significantly by state. For example, states like California and Texas typically offer higher wages due to increased demand and living costs. Knowing the salary landscape in your state can help you make informed career decisions.
Experience Level Impact
Experience plays a critical role in salary determination. Entry-level Operators might start at a lower wage, while seasoned professionals can earn significantly more. Understanding these dynamics will help you strategize your career progression.
Top Paying Cities
Cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Houston are among the highest-paying locations for Operators and Truck Drivers. These metropolitan areas not only provide better job opportunities but also higher average salaries, making them attractive for professionals in this field.
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Where can an Operator And Truck Driver earn more?
Operator and truck driver salaries by experience level
Average operator and truck driver salary by state
The average operator and truck driver salary in Alaska, North Dakota, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average operator and truck driver salary states are Texas, Maine, and North Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for operators and truck driver
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $214,285 | $103.02 |
| 2 | South Dakota | $198,997 | $95.67 |
| 3 | Kansas | $192,145 | $92.38 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $197,274 | $94.84 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $197,698 | $95.05 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | $190,671 | $91.67 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $194,057 | $93.30 |
| 8 | Iowa | $192,157 | $92.38 |
| 9 | Alaska | $226,037 | $108.67 |
| 10 | Washington | $210,018 | $100.97 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $187,540 | $90.16 |
| 12 | Ohio | $188,307 | $90.53 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $201,918 | $97.08 |
| 14 | Nevada | $200,951 | $96.61 |
| 15 | Oregon | $208,362 | $100.17 |
| 16 | Missouri | $189,152 | $90.94 |
| 17 | Mississippi | $184,617 | $88.76 |
| 18 | Arizona | $193,612 | $93.08 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $185,196 | $89.04 |
| 20 | Colorado | $193,361 | $92.96 |
| 21 | Michigan | $187,376 | $90.08 |
| 22 | Arkansas | $180,027 | $86.55 |
| 23 | Montana | $191,541 | $92.09 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $193,780 | $93.16 |
| 25 | California | $194,841 | $93.67 |
| 26 | Utah | $184,411 | $88.66 |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $188,901 | $90.82 |
| 28 | Vermont | $186,889 | $89.85 |
| 29 | Illinois | $180,521 | $86.79 |
| 30 | Indiana | $173,677 | $83.50 |
| 31 | Delaware | $183,711 | $88.32 |
| 32 | Georgia | $174,182 | $83.74 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $173,445 | $83.39 |
| 34 | New York | $185,868 | $89.36 |
| 35 | Connecticut | $186,629 | $89.73 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $172,485 | $82.93 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $168,502 | $81.01 |
| 38 | Alabama | $163,479 | $78.60 |
| 39 | Rhode Island | $180,578 | $86.82 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $186,900 | $89.86 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $172,918 | $83.13 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $150,663 | $72.43 |
| 43 | Virginia | $175,060 | $84.16 |
| 44 | Texas | $163,172 | $78.45 |
| 45 | Maryland | $179,466 | $86.28 |
| 46 | Idaho | $170,961 | $82.19 |
| 47 | District of Columbia | $182,302 | $87.65 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $158,306 | $76.11 |
| 49 | Maine | $158,695 | $76.30 |
| 50 | Florida | $149,288 | $71.77 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $149,320 | $71.79 |
Highest paying cities for operators and truck driver
The highest-paying cities for operators and truck driver are Portland, OR, Minneapolis, MN, and Milwaukee, WI.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland, OR | $283,079 | $136.10 |
| 2 | Minneapolis, MN | $281,314 | $135.25 |
| 3 | Milwaukee, WI | $271,453 | $130.51 |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | $266,265 | $128.01 |
| 5 | Omaha, NE | $263,689 | $126.77 |
| 6 | Dover, NH | $260,492 | $125.24 |
| 7 | Kansas City, KS | $260,028 | $125.01 |
| 8 | Des Moines, IA | $257,990 | $124.03 |
| 9 | Tulsa, OK | $257,318 | $123.71 |
| 10 | Richmond, CA | $257,043 | $123.58 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $256,280 | $123.21 |
| 12 | Denver, CO | $255,477 | $122.83 |
| 13 | Bowling Green, OH | $255,317 | $122.75 |
| 14 | Kansas City, MO | $255,306 | $122.74 |
| 15 | Bowling Green, KY | $253,750 | $122.00 |
| 16 | Hartford, CT | $251,743 | $121.03 |
| 17 | Columbus, MS | $251,142 | $120.74 |
| 18 | Newark, NJ | $250,535 | $120.45 |
| 19 | Memphis, TN | $249,412 | $119.91 |
| 20 | Jackson, MI | $245,722 | $118.14 |
Operators And Truck Driver are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Operator and truck driver salary details
An operator and truck driver's salary ranges from $126,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $497,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an operator and truck driver's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $497,000 | $41,417 | $239 |
| 75th Percentile | $359,000 | $29,917 | $173 |
| Average | $250,847 | $20,904 | $121 |
| 25th Percentile | $174,000 | $14,500 | $84 |
| 10th Percentile | $126,000 | $10,500 | $61 |
Highest paying operator and truck driver jobs
The highest paying types of operators and truck driver are driver/owner operator, owner/operator, and truck driver-over-the-road.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver/Owner Operator | $169,793 | $14,149 | $81.63 | 170,784 |
| Equipment Operator | $31,739 | $2,645 | $15.26 | 62,473 |
| Driver | $34,771 | $2,898 | $16.72 | 1,017,998 |
| CDL Driver | $63,112 | $5,259 | $30.34 | 784,044 |
| Professional Driver | $49,556 | $4,130 | $23.83 | 1,043,986 |
| Owner/Operator | $167,288 | $13,941 | $80.43 | 119,599 |
Top companies hiring operators and truck driver now:
Which companies pay operators and truck driver the most?
Operator and truck driver salaries at York and A & A are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average operator and truck driver salary at companies like Midwest Refrigerated Services and RJW Transport are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York | $307,411 | $147.79 |
| 2 | A & A | $302,840 | $145.60 |
| 3 | Midwest Refrigerated Services | $295,156 | $141.90 |
| 4 | RJW Transport | $292,811 | $140.77 |
| 5 | Steak 'n Shake | $289,380 | $139.13 |
| 6 | Clean Harbors | $289,013 | $138.95 |
| 7 | Roadrunner Transportation Systems | $287,455 | $138.20 |
| 8 | Geodis Wilson USA Inc | $287,116 | $138.04 |
| 9 | Pace Logistics | $284,326 | $136.70 |
| 10 | EnviroVac | $281,203 | $135.19 |
| 11 | Recruiting Solutions | $280,291 | $134.76 |
| 12 | Moran Environmental Recovery | $280,148 | $134.69 |
| 13 | Colas USA | $278,527 | $133.91 |
| 14 | Walther Farms | $278,090 | $133.70 |
| 15 | Kennedy Industries | $278,088 | $133.70 |
| 16 | Vortex Companies | $278,088 | $133.70 |
| 17 | Sky View | $278,088 | $133.70 |
| 18 | Synagro | $278,044 | $133.68 |
| 19 | Schneider | $277,785 | $133.55 |
| 20 | Veho | $276,944 | $133.15 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Operator And Truck Driver salary by industry
The average operator and truck driver salary varies across industries:
- The average operator and truck driver salary in the transportation industry is $191,534, the highest of any industry.
- The average operator and truck driver salary in the finance industry is $190,339.
- Operators and truck driver in the government industry earn an average salary of $169,253, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for operators and truck driver
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transportation | $191,534 | $92.08 |
| 2 | Energy | $190,339 | $91.51 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $185,526 | $89.20 |
| 4 | Construction | $185,039 | $88.96 |
| 5 | Government | $169,253 | $81.37 |
High paying operator and truck driver jobs
Operator and truck driver salary trends
The average operator and truck driver salary has risen by $48,967 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average operator and truck driver earned $201,880 annually, but today, they earn $250,847 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for operators and truck driver over the last decade.
Compare operator and truck driver salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average operator and truck driver salary over time
Compare operator and truck driver salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Operator and truck driver salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $251,000 | $120.60 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | $241,000 | $115.81 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $232,000 | $111.77 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $226,000 | $108.70 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $220,000 | $105.78 | +2.6% |
Recently added operator and truck driver salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHS, Inc. | Truck Driver/Operations Specialist | Brewster, KS | 06/30/2025 | $39,340 |
| CHS, Inc. | Operations Specialist/Truck Driver | Valley City, ND | 06/30/2025 | $39,340 |
| Brown Trucking | Class A Owner Operator Truck Driver | Montgomery, AL | 06/30/2025 | $166,960 |
| Brown Trucking | Class A Owner Operator Truck Driver | Charlotte, NC | 06/30/2025 | $166,960 |
| Brown Trucking | Class A Owner Operator Truck Driver | Bowling Green, KY | 06/30/2025 | $166,960 |
| Brown Trucking | Class A Owner Operator Truck Driver | Atlanta, GA | 06/30/2025 | $166,960 |
| Brown Trucking | Class A Owner Operator Truck Driver | Knoxville, TN | 06/30/2025 | $166,960 |
| Transporting Logistics | Cdl-A Truck Operator-Minimum Experience-Home Weekly | Centennial, CO | 06/27/2025 | $78,263 |
| Transporting Logistics | Cdl-A Truck Operator-Home Weekly ! VA Based | Richmond, VA | 06/27/2025 | $13,044 |
| City of Wheeling | Truck Driver-Operations | Wheeling, WV | 06/27/2025 | $37,336 |
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