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Cdl driver salary
Average cdl driver salary
$63,112
Understanding CDL Driver Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a CDL driver stands at $63,112 annually, translating to approximately $30 per hour. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, experience level, and specific job roles.
In states known for high demand, such as California, Texas, and New York, CDL drivers often earn more. For instance, drivers in California report average salaries exceeding $70,000 per year.
Additionally, experience plays a crucial role in salary determination. Entry-level drivers may start around $40,000, while those with several years in the industry can earn upwards of $80,000. Specialized roles, including hazmat drivers and long-haul truckers, tend to command higher wages due to the added responsibilities and skill requirements.
To get a clearer picture of potential earnings, check out our detailed salary estimates by state and experience level. This information is vital for anyone considering a career as a CDL driver.
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Where can a CDL Driver earn more?
Cdl driver salaries by experience level
Cdl driver salary estimates from across the web
Average cdl driver salary by state
The average cdl driver salary in Wyoming, Nevada, and Oklahoma are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average cdl driver salary states are Maine, California, and Oregon.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for cdl drivers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $67,750 | $32.57 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | $67,855 | $32.62 |
| 3 | Kansas | $67,477 | $32.44 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $73,856 | $35.51 |
| 5 | Nebraska | $66,636 | $32.04 |
| 6 | Kentucky | $65,012 | $31.26 |
| 7 | South Dakota | $64,319 | $30.92 |
| 8 | Missouri | $66,014 | $31.74 |
| 9 | Arkansas | $64,128 | $30.83 |
| 10 | Nevada | $69,353 | $33.34 |
| 11 | Tennessee | $64,436 | $30.98 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $65,105 | $31.30 |
| 13 | Utah | $67,164 | $32.29 |
| 14 | Indiana | $64,558 | $31.04 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $64,571 | $31.04 |
| 16 | Illinois | $66,496 | $31.97 |
| 17 | Mississippi | $63,731 | $30.64 |
| 18 | Georgia | $64,358 | $30.94 |
| 19 | Iowa | $63,505 | $30.53 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $63,386 | $30.47 |
| 21 | Delaware | $65,585 | $31.53 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $62,783 | $30.18 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $63,359 | $30.46 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $72,370 | $34.79 |
| 25 | Alabama | $62,306 | $29.95 |
| 26 | Montana | $65,576 | $31.53 |
| 27 | Ohio | $62,548 | $30.07 |
| 28 | Vermont | $64,496 | $31.01 |
| 29 | Rhode Island | $63,907 | $30.72 |
| 30 | Michigan | $62,419 | $30.01 |
| 31 | Arizona | $64,021 | $30.78 |
| 32 | Idaho | $61,982 | $29.80 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $64,227 | $30.88 |
| 34 | Colorado | $63,940 | $30.74 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $63,734 | $30.64 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $62,678 | $30.13 |
| 37 | Maryland | $64,356 | $30.94 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $63,374 | $30.47 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $61,578 | $29.60 |
| 40 | Texas | $62,320 | $29.96 |
| 41 | Virginia | $62,409 | $30.00 |
| 42 | New York | $63,051 | $30.31 |
| 43 | New Jersey | $63,220 | $30.39 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | $62,640 | $30.12 |
| 45 | Alaska | $57,187 | $27.49 |
| 46 | Washington | $60,488 | $29.08 |
| 47 | Oregon | $58,789 | $28.26 |
| 48 | Maine | $60,395 | $29.04 |
| 49 | California | $59,751 | $28.73 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $54,637 | $26.27 |
| 51 | Florida | $56,087 | $26.96 |
Highest paying cities for cdl drivers
The highest-paying cities for cdl drivers are Washington, DC, Oklahoma City, OK, and Kansas City, KS.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $72,415 | $34.81 |
| 2 | Oklahoma City, OK | $67,825 | $32.61 |
| 3 | Kansas City, KS | $67,365 | $32.39 |
| 4 | Salt Lake City, UT | $67,255 | $32.33 |
| 5 | Omaha, NE | $66,507 | $31.97 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | $66,452 | $31.95 |
| 7 | Kansas City, MO | $66,263 | $31.86 |
| 8 | Newark, DE | $65,661 | $31.57 |
| 9 | Bowling Green, KY | $65,224 | $31.36 |
| 10 | Columbus, IN | $64,700 | $31.11 |
| 11 | Memphis, TN | $64,611 | $31.06 |
| 12 | Milwaukee, WI | $64,597 | $31.06 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $64,579 | $31.05 |
| 14 | Columbia, MD | $64,400 | $30.96 |
| 15 | Jacksonville, AR | $64,150 | $30.84 |
| 16 | Phoenix, AZ | $64,108 | $30.82 |
| 17 | Columbus, MS | $63,943 | $30.74 |
| 18 | Denver, CO | $63,878 | $30.71 |
| 19 | Des Moines, IA | $63,644 | $30.60 |
| 20 | Charlotte, NC | $63,511 | $30.53 |
CDL Drivers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Cdl driver salary details
A cdl driver's salary ranges from $41,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $96,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a cdl driver's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $96,000 | $8,000 | $46 |
| 75th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| Average | $63,112 | $5,259 | $30 |
| 25th Percentile | $50,000 | $4,167 | $24 |
| 10th Percentile | $41,000 | $3,417 | $20 |
Highest paying cdl driver jobs
The highest paying types of cdl drivers are truck driver-over-the-road, company driver, and commercial truck driver.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truck Driver-Over-The-Road | $69,158 | $5,763 | $33.25 | 689,630 |
| Tractor-Trailer Driver | $58,498 | $4,875 | $28.12 | 690,787 |
| Truck Driver Class A | $63,270 | $5,272 | $30.42 | 709,900 |
| Over The Road Driver | $62,119 | $5,177 | $29.86 | 711,143 |
| Commercial Truck Driver | $64,512 | $5,376 | $31.02 | 719,069 |
| Haul Truck Driver | $60,932 | $5,078 | $29.29 | 704,286 |
Top companies hiring cdl drivers now:
Which companies pay cdl drivers the most?
Cdl driver salaries at GCP Applied Technologies and Jordan Company are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average cdl driver salary at companies like Hobby Lobby and Univar are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GCP Applied Technologies | $98,104 | $47.17 |
| 2 | Jordan Company | $94,564 | $45.46 |
| 3 | Hobby Lobby | $90,007 | $43.27 |
| 4 | Univar | $87,947 | $42.28 |
| 5 | Marathon Petroleum | $85,973 | $41.33 |
| 6 | Air Products | $84,354 | $40.55 |
| 7 | Mid-South Management | $83,832 | $40.30 |
| 8 | Walmart | $83,114 | $39.96 |
| 9 | Xylem | $81,600 | $39.23 |
| 10 | Hydrite | $81,452 | $39.16 |
| 11 | Occidental Petroleum | $80,459 | $38.68 |
| 12 | Tyson Foods | $80,149 | $38.53 |
| 13 | PPG | $79,685 | $38.31 |
| 14 | Smithfield Foods | $78,807 | $37.89 |
| 15 | Covenant | $78,772 | $37.87 |
| 16 | Indian Creek Foundation | $77,254 | $37.14 |
| 17 | Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley | $75,903 | $36.49 |
| 18 | Alabama Motor Express, Inc - Amx Logistics | $75,836 | $36.46 |
| 19 | The Dart Network | $75,559 | $36.33 |
| 20 | Bob's Discount Furniture | $75,483 | $36.29 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
CDL Driver salary by industry
The average cdl driver salary varies across industries:
- The average cdl driver salary in the retail industry is $63,457, the highest of any industry.
- The average cdl driver salary in the finance industry is $62,373.
- Cdl drivers in the education industry earn an average salary of $49,386, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for cdl drivers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $63,457 | $30.51 |
| 2 | Transportation | $62,373 | $29.99 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $61,455 | $29.55 |
| 4 | Hospitality | $55,799 | $26.83 |
| 5 | Education | $49,386 | $23.74 |
High paying cdl driver jobs
Cdl driver salary trends
The average cdl driver salary has risen by $12,320 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average cdl driver earned $50,792 annually, but today, they earn $63,112 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for cdl drivers over the last decade.
Compare cdl driver salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average cdl driver salary over time
Compare cdl driver salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Cdl driver salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $63,100 | $30.34 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | $60,600 | $29.14 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $58,500 | $28.12 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $56,900 | $27.35 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $55,400 | $26.61 | +2.6% |
Recently added cdl driver salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sysco | CDL A Local Delivery Truck Driver | Noank, CT | 06/30/2025 | $20,870 |
| The Coca-Cola Company | CDL Class A Delivery Driver-Home Daily | Vernal, UT | 06/30/2025 | $58,000 |
| The Coca-Cola Company | CDL Driver Trainee | Billings, MT | 06/30/2025 | $37,566 |
| The Coca-Cola Company | CDL Driver Trainee | Bismarck, ND | 06/30/2025 | $39,653 |
| FCC Environmental Services | Non CDL REL Driver | Saint Paul, MN | 06/30/2025 | $52,175 |
| FCC Environmental Services | Non CDL-Truck Driver | Roseville, CA | 06/30/2025 | $50,088 |
| Smithfieldfoods | CDL A Driver-3Rd Party Driver Trainee Class | Waverly, VA | 06/30/2025 | $37,044 |
| Kenan Advantage Group | Cdl-A Truck Driver | Sparks, NV | 06/30/2025 | $65,728 |
| Kenan Advantage Group | Cdl-A Company Truck Drivers | Indianapolis, IN | 06/30/2025 | $66,668 |
| Kenan Advantage Group | Cdl-A Truck Driver | Southaven, MS | 06/30/2025 | $54,262 |
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