Truck Driver: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of truck drivers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $40,140
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of truck drivers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $47,960
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of truck drivers earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $58,640
- Hourly
- $28.19
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of truck drivers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $69,120
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of truck drivers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $79,380
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Truck Drivers drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). May be required to unload truck. The median pay is $58,640 a year ($28.19 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (54% of workers surveyed by O*NET).
- Median pay
- $58,640
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 2,062,040
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- some preparation
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 54% of workers
Data Government data groups this job as Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (O*NET-SOC 53-3032.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
Every page for Truck Drivers
Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.
Open →How to becomeTruck Driver how to becomeEducation, training and the skills to build first.
Open →ResumeTruck Driver resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Career changeTruck Driver career changeWhere these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →What truck drivers do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Check all load-related documentation for completeness and accuracy.
- Inspect loads to ensure that cargo is secure.
- Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order.
- Crank trailer landing gear up or down to safely secure vehicles.
- Obtain receipts or signatures for delivered goods and collect payment for services when required.
- Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.
- Read bills of lading to determine assignment details.
- Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Law and Government.
Software truck drivers use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- ADP ezLaborManagerTime accounting software
- ALK Technologies PC*MilerRoute navigation software
- Computerized inventory tracking softwareInventory management software
- EkoDesktop communications software
- Inventory tracking softwareInventory management software
- MarcoSoft Quo VadisRoute navigation software
- Omnitracs Performance MonitoringAnalytical or scientific software
- PeopleNetMaterials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
- YouTubeVideo creation and editing software
- Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
- Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
- Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
Also called: Cdl Driver, CDL Driver (Commercial Driver's License Driver), Driver, Line Haul Driver, Log Truck Driver, Over the Road Driver (OTR Driver), Production Truck Driver.
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How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).