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Best states for an over the road driver
Quoted expert
Martin Garsee
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Are you thinking of becoming an over the road driver and really want to work at Knight Transportation? Turns out, your chances to become an over the road driver are better in some states than others.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for over the road drivers. We found that Georgia is the best state in the nation for over the road drivers, and people in Atlantic City earn the most in the field.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for over the road drivers. Georgia is the best state for over the road drivers, where the median salary is $70,447.If you are currently seeking employment as an over the road driver, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for over the road drivers in 2026
1. Georgia
Total over the road driver jobs: 23,249 Average annual salary: $70,447 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.81
2. Kansas
Total over the road driver jobs: 5,378 Average annual salary: $68,698 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
3. Ohio
Total over the road driver jobs: 20,817 Average annual salary: $67,334 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.64
4. Missouri
Total over the road driver jobs: 8,216 Average annual salary: $69,794 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
5. Kentucky
Total over the road driver jobs: 7,138 Average annual salary: $67,062 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.56
6. Oklahoma
Total over the road driver jobs: 4,851 Average annual salary: $67,626 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
7. North Dakota
Total over the road driver jobs: 1,295 Average annual salary: $67,871 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
8. Wyoming
Total over the road driver jobs: 587 Average annual salary: $68,623 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
9. Tennessee
Total over the road driver jobs: 7,756 Average annual salary: $66,929 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
10. Pennsylvania
Total over the road driver jobs: 18,162 Average annual salary: $66,798 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
Over the road driver jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an over the road driver
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an over the road driver
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | $70,447 | $50,000 | 10,429,379 | 23,249 |
| 2 | Kansas | $68,698 | $49,000 | 2,913,123 | 5,378 |
| 3 | Ohio | $67,334 | $48,000 | 11,658,609 | 20,817 |
| 4 | Missouri | $69,794 | $50,000 | 6,113,532 | 8,216 |
| 5 | Kentucky | $67,062 | $48,000 | 4,454,189 | 7,138 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | $67,626 | $48,000 | 3,930,864 | 4,851 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $67,871 | $49,000 | 755,393 | 1,295 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $68,623 | $49,000 | 579,315 | 587 |
| 9 | Tennessee | $66,929 | $48,000 | 6,715,984 | 7,756 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $66,798 | $47,000 | 12,805,537 | 18,162 |
| 11 | Delaware | $69,304 | $49,000 | 961,939 | 1,666 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $65,906 | $47,000 | 3,004,279 | 4,084 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $63,857 | $45,000 | 1,815,857 | 4,387 |
| 14 | Indiana | $64,440 | $46,000 | 6,666,818 | 13,642 |
| 15 | Mississippi | $64,641 | $45,000 | 2,984,100 | 4,805 |
| 16 | Alabama | $64,759 | $46,000 | 4,874,747 | 7,127 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $70,966 | $50,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,886 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $72,092 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,899 |
| 19 | Illinois | $65,650 | $47,000 | 12,802,023 | 22,227 |
| 20 | Virginia | $67,506 | $48,000 | 8,470,020 | 13,752 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $68,654 | $49,000 | 1,342,795 | 783 |
| 22 | Arizona | $67,863 | $47,000 | 7,016,270 | 4,936 |
| 23 | Massachusetts | $70,097 | $50,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,732 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $66,380 | $47,000 | 10,273,419 | 9,953 |
| 25 | Maryland | $70,022 | $49,000 | 6,052,177 | 5,998 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $76,059 | $54,000 | 693,972 | 239 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $63,095 | $45,000 | 869,666 | 1,457 |
| 28 | Texas | $62,828 | $44,000 | 28,304,596 | 38,732 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $63,087 | $44,000 | 4,684,333 | 4,995 |
| 30 | New York | $67,214 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 12,212 |
| 31 | Michigan | $64,011 | $45,000 | 9,962,311 | 7,610 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $63,152 | $45,000 | 1,920,076 | 2,738 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $62,803 | $45,000 | 5,795,483 | 5,825 |
| 34 | Vermont | $64,561 | $46,000 | 623,657 | 591 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $64,105 | $45,000 | 1,059,639 | 685 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $61,098 | $43,000 | 5,024,369 | 7,706 |
| 37 | Maine | $64,129 | $46,000 | 1,335,907 | 740 |
| 38 | Iowa | $59,063 | $42,000 | 3,145,711 | 5,461 |
| 39 | Florida | $64,204 | $44,000 | 20,984,400 | 6,889 |
| 40 | Colorado | $61,792 | $44,000 | 5,607,154 | 6,508 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $62,176 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 5,464 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $57,142 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 2,102 |
| 43 | Utah | $56,836 | $39,000 | 3,101,833 | 3,798 |
| 44 | Montana | $61,290 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 803 |
| 45 | Nevada | $56,771 | $39,000 | 2,998,039 | 1,535 |
| 46 | California | $53,766 | $37,000 | 39,536,653 | 30,526 |
| 47 | Alaska | $54,937 | $45,000 | 739,795 | 149 |
| 48 | Idaho | $48,732 | $34,000 | 1,716,943 | 1,432 |
| 49 | Washington | $54,682 | $39,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,554 |
| 50 | Oregon | $51,216 | $36,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,967 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $48,517 | $39,000 | 1,427,538 | 161 |
Highest paying states for over the road drivers
| Rank | State | Avg. Over The Road Driver Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | $70,447 |
| 2 | Kansas | $68,698 |
| 3 | Ohio | $67,334 |
| 4 | Missouri | $69,794 |
| 5 | Kentucky | $67,062 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | $67,626 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $67,871 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $68,623 |
| 9 | Tennessee | $66,929 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $66,798 |
| 11 | Delaware | $69,304 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $65,906 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $63,857 |
| 14 | Indiana | $64,440 |
| 15 | Mississippi | $64,641 |
| 16 | Alabama | $64,759 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $70,966 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $72,092 |
| 19 | Illinois | $65,650 |
| 20 | Virginia | $67,506 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $68,654 |
| 22 | Arizona | $67,863 |
| 23 | Massachusetts | $70,097 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $66,380 |
| 25 | Maryland | $70,022 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $76,059 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $63,095 |
| 28 | Texas | $62,828 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $63,087 |
| 30 | New York | $67,214 |
| 31 | Michigan | $64,011 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $63,152 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $62,803 |
| 34 | Vermont | $64,561 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $64,105 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $61,098 |
| 37 | Maine | $64,129 |
| 38 | Iowa | $59,063 |
| 39 | Florida | $64,204 |
| 40 | Colorado | $61,792 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $62,176 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $57,142 |
| 43 | Utah | $56,836 |
| 44 | Montana | $61,290 |
| 45 | Nevada | $56,771 |
| 46 | California | $53,766 |
| 47 | Alaska | $54,937 |
| 48 | Idaho | $48,732 |
| 49 | Washington | $54,682 |
| 50 | Oregon | $51,216 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $48,517 |
Expert opinions on the best states for over the road drivers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for over the road 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.
Over the road driver best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025