How To Become A Semi Truck Driver: What It Is and Career Path

What is a semi truck driver and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a semi truck driver. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.75 an hour? That's $57,712 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 90,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSemi Truck DriverUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,712

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 3.49%

Black or African American 11.88%

Hispanic or Latino 17.14%

Unknown 4.60%

White 62.11%

Gender

female 9.84%

male 90.16%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.6

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

1.4

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a semi truck driver

Explore semi truck driver education requirements

Most common semi truck driver degrees

High School Diploma

40.1 %

Associate

20.9 %

Bachelor's

15.5 %

Start to develop specific semi truck driver skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	42.25%
DOT	14.66%
Log Book	5.97%
Asphalt	5.62%
OTR	4.30%

Complete relevant semi truck driver training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New semi truck drivers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a semi truck driver based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real semi truck driver resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed semi truck driver usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed semi truck driver in most of states. 13 states require semi truck drivers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Arkansas	Specific course required	State exam required	Commercial Driver (Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver)
California	-	State exam required	Commercial Driver License
Idaho	-	State exam required	Commercial Drivers
Massachusetts	-	State exam required	COMMERCIAL DRIVERS
Missouri	-	State exam required	Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer

Research semi truck driver duties and responsibilities

Complete training to obtain CDL 'S
Handle multiple projects simultaneously under OSHA and Hazmat.
45810419-759-2020Haul oversized loads, equipment hauling, OTR work.
Deliver aggregate and asphalt product to various job sites throughout Arizona.

Prepare your semi truck driver resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your semi truck driver resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a semi truck driver resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable semi truck driver resume templates

Build a professional semi truck driver resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your semi truck driver resume.