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Want to Earn Your Class A CDL?
The Class A CDL that can be obtained after a certain training can influence significantly a truck driver salary.
CDL A is a classification of various types of driving certifications.
Usually, it is related to Gross Vehicle Weight Rating which is related to loads of more than 26 001 pounds and tows of more than 10 000 pounds.
Of course, an experienced truck driver can have a higher salary than unexperienced one or a student.
There are some requirements for those who want to get CDL Class A so you need to know Over The Road (OTR) Experience or Total Truck Driving experience requirements.
Many truck drivers prefer driving lower-class trucks that don’t require CDL and it is a great option to get some experience required for this certification.
Article Table of Contents
CDL Endorsements for Class A
You need to know that various CDL Endorsements can influence significantly the salary of Class A truck driver.
It can be obtained together with the official DMV Commercial Drivers License.
If you want to increase your salary, there are four types of Class A Endorsements:
- Hazardous Materials / Hazmat = H Endorsement;
- Tank Vehicles / Tanker = N Endorsement;
- Double / Triple Trailers = T Endorsement;
- Air Brake Restriction = K Endorsement.
CDL A Endorsement Salary Comparisons
As we said before, CDL Endorsements can have a significant impact on your salary as a truck driver.
According to the Indeed Salary Comparison tool, you can expect as high difference as $6000 per year.
Of course, it doesn’t represent the difference completely as most CDL drivers get paid per mile but still, the difference is significant.
In other words, a Tanker Endorsement or Hazardous Materials endorsement can provide you with a higher salary.
Also, considering the fact that only Class A drivers can perform Hazard & Tanker jobs, the demand for drivers in this sphere is very big.
According to the data, CDL Tanker drivers have a salary that is about 11% higher than others.
If you need to get more info on the salaries, you can use the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
You just need to keep in mind that they have some general data about this career option but there is no info about various CDL Classifications or Endorsements.
Speaking of a Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver salary, it is about $37 770 annually which is $18,16 per hour.
Also, according to BLS data, there are about 1 604 800 job offers for truck drivers in the country and the expected job growth rate is about 21% in the nearest future.
It means that about 330 100 jobs will appear in the nearest future which is a significant scale.
Class A CDL Job Availability & Demand
If you still aren’t convinced, you need to know that there are other ways to reveal the situation on the market.
To get more info on the issue, you can use data provided by WANTED Analytics that includes info on the job market and new positions for truck drivers.
The agency presents its report every 4 years and every time the data shows that there is an incredible demand for qualified truck drivers and the number of job offers will be increasing constantly.
As the data shows, only in 5 months, about 20,35% of new job offers for truck drivers appear.
Overall CDL A Salary Growth Rates
As you can see, there is a significant growth of job offers for qualified CDL truck drivers.
The question is whether there is a salary growth that can be expected in the future.
According to the National Salary trend tool at the Indeed service, you can expect a significant salary growth in the future.
The increase in salaries for Class A CDL truck drivers is caused by an incredible demand for these specialists.
CDL Resources
- Highest Paying Trucking Jobs: Truck Driving Like a Boss!
- First Year as a Truck Driver: Here’s What to Expect
- How to Become a Truck Driver: Definitive Guide
- Car Hauling Driving Jobs FAQs
- CDL Schools by State
Read the full guide: How to Become a Truck Driver