How much does a route driver make?

The average route driver salary in the United States is $45,492. Route driver salaries typically range between $30,000 and $67,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for route drivers is $21.87 per hour. Route driver salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Route drivers earn the highest average salary in Massachusetts.

Route driver salary

Q: What state pays Route Drivers the most?

Massachusetts pays Route Drivers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $58,113 per year, or $27.94 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a route driver?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a route driver if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Maine you should be paid close to $56,590 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Route Driver?

A good starting salary for a route driver is $35,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a route driver in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for route drivers is $48,195, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a route driver can vary by state.

Q: Can you make good money being a delivery driver?

A delivery driver can make good money. There is a lot of variability in what a delivery driver can earn based on tips and deliveries per hour. GrubHub and Uber food delivery drivers can take home $2,000 a month. When averaged out, however, your typical delivery driver makes $11 to $14 an hour with tips.

Q: How much do Frito-Lay pay route drivers make?

A Frito-Lay pay route driver makes an average of $ 41,986 a year ($20 an hour). The range in pay for a pay route driver starts as low as $20,000 a year to as high as $69,000 a year. Factors such as location can play a big role in how much a Frito LAY pay route driver can earn.

Q: How much does a UPS route driver make?

A UPS route driver makes $38,562 a year. This is good money for an average route driver position. In fact, it's 38% above the national average. Factors such as location and driving experience play a role in how much a UPS route driver can earn.

Q: What CDL driver gets paid the most?

Ice road truckers typically get paid the most of all CDL drivers. Though any job that requires more experienced CDL Drivers to haul high priority and dangerous loads will pay significantly more than other trucking jobs.

Average route driver salary

$45,492

$21.87 hourly rate

Entry-level route driver salary

$30,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Route Driver Salary

The average salary for a route driver in the United States is $45,492 per year, translating to approximately $22 per hour. This figure varies based on experience, location, and specific employer. For instance, entry-level drivers might start at lower wages, while those with several years in the field can earn significantly more.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry-level route drivers typically earn around $35,000, while those with 5-10 years can see earnings rise to about $50,000 annually. For seasoned professionals, especially in high-demand regions, salaries can exceed $60,000.

Top Paying States

The highest paying states for route drivers include California, New York, and Texas. Each state offers unique opportunities for drivers, reflecting the cost of living and industry demand. For example, routes in urban areas often provide higher wages due to increased operational costs.

Job Opportunities

Route drivers can find positions in various sectors, including transportation, logistics, and delivery services. Companies are actively seeking qualified drivers, making this a stable career choice with growth potential.

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Route driver salary by:

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Where can a Route Driver earn more?

Compare salary by location

74k

54k

34k

14k

Columbus, OH$58,209

Atlanta, GA$43,548

Compare salary by company

82k

62k

42k

22k

Blank Rome$66,750

Oldcastle Infrastructure$52,287

Route driver salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level route driver	$41,500	$19.94
Mid-level route driver	$56,600	$27.20
Senior-level route driver	$56,100	$26.98

Route driver salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a route driver typically falls between $43,138 and $49,965.

zippia

$45,492yearly

glassdoor[1]

$49,965yearly

ZipRecruiter[2]

$43,138yearly

Average route driver salary by state

The highest-paying states for route drivers are Massachusetts, Maine, and New York. The lowest average route driver salary states are North Carolina, South Carolina, and Idaho.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for route drivers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Iowa	$51,649	$24.83
2	Michigan	$52,967	$25.46
3	Pennsylvania	$50,845	$24.44
4	Maine	$56,590	$27.21
5	Vermont	$54,141	$26.03
6	West Virginia	$46,946	$22.57
7	Massachusetts	$58,113	$27.94
8	Oregon	$55,028	$26.46
9	Indiana	$47,354	$22.77
10	Connecticut	$55,558	$26.71
11	California	$55,089	$26.49
12	Rhode Island	$52,987	$25.47
13	New York	$56,291	$27.06
14	Delaware	$47,684	$22.93
15	New Mexico	$47,591	$22.88
16	Washington	$54,006	$25.96
17	Montana	$50,288	$24.18
18	Virginia	$49,406	$23.75
19	Louisiana	$45,770	$22.00
20	Illinois	$46,763	$22.48
21	New Jersey	$52,036	$25.02
22	Alabama	$43,517	$20.92
23	Texas	$47,684	$22.93
24	North Dakota	$48,626	$23.38
25	Tennessee	$43,626	$20.97
26	Maryland	$49,434	$23.77
27	Alaska	$54,149	$26.03
28	Oklahoma	$43,816	$21.07
29	Wisconsin	$43,743	$21.03
30	District of Columbia	$54,600	$26.25
31	South Dakota	$44,564	$21.43
32	Ohio	$41,251	$19.83
33	Kentucky	$41,106	$19.76
34	Minnesota	$44,832	$21.55
35	Florida	$47,275	$22.73
36	Hawaii	$55,472	$26.67
37	Nevada	$44,759	$21.52
38	Georgia	$43,642	$20.98
39	New Hampshire	$44,410	$21.35
40	Arkansas	$40,009	$19.24
41	Arizona	$42,449	$20.41
42	Wyoming	$39,148	$18.82
43	South Carolina	$38,536	$18.53
44	Missouri	$39,665	$19.07
45	Kansas	$37,205	$17.89
46	Mississippi	$32,472	$15.61
47	Utah	$40,459	$19.45
48	North Carolina	$39,026	$18.76
49	Colorado	$40,293	$19.37
50	Nebraska	$38,019	$18.28
51	Idaho	$38,198	$18.36

Top route driver jobs near you

Highest paying cities for route drivers

The highest-paying cities for route drivers are Boston, MA, Santa Rosa, CA, and Portland, ME.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Boston, MA	$58,209	$27.99
2	Santa Rosa, CA	$57,267	$27.53
3	Portland, ME	$57,209	$27.50
4	New York, NY	$56,559	$27.19
5	Hartford, CT	$55,267	$26.57
6	Portland, OR	$54,983	$26.43
7	Seattle, WA	$54,243	$26.08
8	Grand Rapids, MI	$52,112	$25.05
9	Jersey City, NJ	$51,971	$24.99
10	York, PA	$50,896	$24.47
11	Des Moines, IA	$50,720	$24.38
12	Baltimore, MD	$49,518	$23.81
13	San Antonio, TX	$48,798	$23.46
14	Tampa, FL	$47,504	$22.84
15	Chicago, IL	$47,110	$22.65
16	Indianapolis, IN	$47,076	$22.63
17	Minneapolis, MN	$44,945	$21.61
18	Milwaukee, WI	$43,884	$21.10
19	Oklahoma City, OK	$43,830	$21.07
20	Atlanta, GA	$43,548	$20.94

Route Drivers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Route driver salary details

A route driver's salary ranges from $30,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $67,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average route driver salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a route driver's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$67,000	$5,583	$32
75th Percentile	$55,000	$4,583	$26
Average	$45,492	$3,791	$22
25th Percentile	$36,000	$3,000	$17
10th Percentile	$30,000	$2,500	$14

Highest paying route driver jobs

The highest paying types of route drivers are company driver, truck driver class a, and over the road driver.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Delivery Driver/Warehouse	$33,816	$2,818	$16.26	453,210
Customer Service And Driver	$35,518	$2,960	$17.08	465,140
Delivery Truck Driver	$55,563	$4,630	$26.71	837,326
Truck Driver Class A	$63,270	$5,272	$30.42	709,900
Class B Driver	$44,233	$3,686	$21.27	703,020
Class A Driver	$56,620	$4,718	$27.22	706,950

Top companies hiring route drivers now:

Which companies pay route drivers the most?

Route driver salaries at Blank Rome and BASi are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average route driver salary at companies like East Penn Manufacturing and Gordon Food Service are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Blank Rome	$66,750	$32.09
2	BASi	$61,523	$29.58
3	East Penn Manufacturing	$58,282	$28.02
4	Gordon Food Service	$57,524	$27.66
5	US Foods	$56,720	$27.27
6	Culligan	$56,330	$27.08
7	Style Crest	$54,481	$26.19
8	Clean Harbors	$54,261	$26.09
9	Airgas	$53,926	$25.93
10	Ilitch Holdings	$53,873	$25.90
11	Arrow Electronics	$53,770	$25.85
12	UPS	$53,369	$25.66
13	Kemps	$53,257	$25.60
14	Polaris	$53,176	$25.57
15	Dairy Farmers of America	$53,035	$25.50
16	Safety-Kleen	$52,969	$25.47
17	Reyes Holdings	$52,773	$25.37
18	Greater Omaha	$52,733	$25.35
19	United Service Technologies	$52,508	$25.24
20	Oldcastle Infrastructure	$52,287	$25.14

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$45,000$43,800$42,600$41,400$40,200$39,000

MaleFemale

Route Driver salary by industry

The average route driver salary varies across industries:

The average route driver salary in the manufacturing industry is $47,349, the highest of any industry.
The average route driver salary in the finance industry is $43,556.
Route drivers in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $43,186, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for route drivers

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Manufacturing	$47,349	$22.76
2	Hospitality	$43,556	$20.94
3	Retail	$43,476	$20.90
4	Transportation	$43,186	$20.76

High paying route driver jobs

Route driver salary trends

The average route driver salary has risen by $8,445 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average route driver earned $37,047 annually, but today, they earn $45,492 a year. That works out to a 22% change in pay for route drivers over the last decade.

Compare route driver salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average route driver salary over time

Compare route driver salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Route driver salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$45,500	$21.87	+7.5%
2024	$42,100	$20.23	+4.5%
2023	$40,200	$19.32	+2.7%
2022	$39,100	$18.80	+5.0%
2021	$37,100	$17.86	+1.7%

Recently added route driver salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Red By SFR	Route Driver	Concord, NC	06/30/2025	$37,566
Packard Culligan Water	Route Delivery Driver	Boise, ID	06/29/2025	$39,653
Performance Food Group	Route Delivery Driver-Foodservice	Wytheville, VA	06/28/2025	$75,000
Performance Food Group	Route Delivery Driver-Foodservice	Fletcher, NC	06/28/2025	$75,000
Performance Food Group	Route Delivery Driver-Foodservice	Greenville, SC	06/28/2025	$75,000
Pacific Seafood	Route Delivery Driver	Mukilteo, WA	06/28/2025	$52,175
Reyes Holdings	Class A Route Delivery Driver	Conroe, TX	06/28/2025	$100,000
K&M Tire	Route Driver	Houston, TX	06/28/2025	$36,523
K&M Tire	Warehouse Back-Up Route Driver	Lawrence, KS	06/28/2025	$35,479
Wdi	Route Driver Helper (Beverages)	Madison, WI	06/28/2025	$44,000