Average Light Truck Driver Salary

How Much Does a Light Truck Driver Make?

On average, a Light Truck Driver make $46,090 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $28,070, while the top-paid 10 percent made $75,090.

Annually National Average Salary: $46,090

$28K

$35K

$46K

$51K

$75K

10%

25%

50%

75%

90%

* Based on information from the May 2023 salary report from the BLS.

Salary by State

Annually

Monthly

Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State	10% Annual	25% Annual	Avg. Annual	75% Annual	90% Annual
Alabama	$23,680	$29,830	$41,570	$46,350	$70,780
Alaska	$35,500	$39,060	$55,810	$69,920	$90,070
Arizona	$30,850	$38,230	$48,710	$51,830	$82,350
Arkansas	$26,110	$29,310	$44,630	$45,740	$83,800
California	$34,190	$37,530	$48,470	$51,540	$74,550
Colorado	$34,230	$39,220	$48,630	$50,820	$72,860
Connecticut	$30,160	$33,280	$45,420	$49,490	$70,250
Delaware	$26,680	$32,020	$44,080	$47,770	$66,860
District of Columbia	$38,770	$42,960	$49,980	$51,150	$67,950
Florida	$27,700	$35,310	$44,060	$47,490	$67,240
Georgia	$25,370	$33,780	$45,540	$51,470	$80,120
Hawaii	$31,260	$35,500	$46,350	$52,590	$63,320
Idaho	$27,590	$34,670	$47,850	$54,100	$87,210
Illinois	$28,850	$36,580	$50,940	$61,370	$84,210
Indiana	$26,540	$35,270	$45,600	$50,350	$81,630
Iowa	$26,410	$31,480	$45,260	$49,090	$84,200
Kansas	$23,850	$33,310	$45,250	$49,070	$85,910
Kentucky	$25,500	$34,320	$46,580	$53,340	$77,150
Louisiana	$22,230	$27,230	$41,010	$48,300	$73,150
Maine	$29,270	$33,550	$44,910	$49,180	$69,330
Maryland	$29,990	$37,520	$48,510	$56,220	$72,190
Massachusetts	$33,660	$36,730	$49,090	$53,340	$75,600
Michigan	$27,560	$31,090	$44,750	$48,660	$86,420
Minnesota	$29,900	$39,160	$48,890	$56,570	$69,080
Mississippi	$22,120	$28,470	$41,410	$47,230	$73,450
Missouri	$27,410	$34,170	$46,000	$53,420	$71,510
Montana	$30,300	$35,660	$46,670	$53,660	$63,790
Nebraska	$27,040	$35,350	$46,380	$49,170	$86,400
Nevada	$27,820	$35,360	$45,020	$49,510	$65,890
New Hampshire	$27,550	$35,360	$44,620	$49,810	$61,250
New Jersey	$33,540	$40,460	$48,460	$49,920	$72,150
New Mexico	$27,650	$31,070	$42,960	$51,220	$57,350
New York	$32,020	$37,300	$47,680	$52,510	$70,810
North Carolina	$23,420	$30,640	$41,590	$47,050	$63,910
North Dakota	$31,010	$39,260	$50,870	$58,220	$86,470
Ohio	$24,960	$33,180	$44,200	$47,110	$82,780
Oklahoma	$22,620	$27,120	$40,520	$46,820	$68,480
Oregon	$34,110	$38,210	$48,360	$52,160	$70,350
Pennsylvania	$22,450	$29,440	$42,610	$48,400	$67,860
Rhode Island	$28,460	$33,170	$46,380	$50,090	$87,480
South Carolina	$21,830	$28,820	$40,540	$46,090	$62,940
South Dakota	$27,610	$33,930	$43,830	$49,170	$59,310
Tennessee	$25,910	$33,140	$46,320	$54,010	$82,010
Texas	$26,210	$33,140	$45,220	$49,960	$81,990
Utah	$28,600	$37,850	$46,070	$52,380	$66,640
Vermont	$28,380	$30,550	$45,810	$54,970	$85,090
Virginia	$26,690	$32,960	$46,080	$52,450	$79,840
Washington	$35,570	$41,820	$51,650	$57,660	$74,790
West Virginia	$20,970	$23,340	$38,960	$45,540	$66,680
Wisconsin	$27,550	$35,170	$45,850	$52,000	$66,000
Wyoming	$18,020	$23,060	$37,720	$48,830	$55,440
Guam	$21,150	$22,120	$25,020	$26,230	$30,970
Puerto Rico	$18,270	$19,830	$26,110	$26,260	$38,820
Virgin Islands	$28,130	$31,360	$34,790	$36,410	$45,300

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $55,810.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $55,810

Washington - $51,650

Illinois - $50,940

North Dakota - $50,870

District of Columbia - $49,980

Monthly Salary by State

State	10% Monthly	25% Monthly	Avg. Monthly	75% Monthly	90% Monthly
Alabama	$1,917	$2,417	$3,417	$3,833	$5,833
Alaska	$2,917	$3,250	$4,583	$5,750	$7,500
Arizona	$2,500	$3,167	$4,000	$4,250	$6,833
Arkansas	$2,167	$2,417	$3,667	$3,750	$6,917
California	$2,833	$3,083	$4,000	$4,250	$6,167
Colorado	$2,833	$3,250	$4,000	$4,167	$6,000
Connecticut	$2,500	$2,750	$3,750	$4,083	$5,833
Delaware	$2,167	$2,667	$3,667	$3,917	$5,500
District of Columbia	$3,167	$3,500	$4,083	$4,250	$5,583
Florida	$2,250	$2,917	$3,667	$3,917	$5,583
Georgia	$2,083	$2,750	$3,750	$4,250	$6,667
Hawaii	$2,583	$2,917	$3,833	$4,333	$5,250
Idaho	$2,250	$2,833	$3,917	$4,500	$7,250
Illinois	$2,333	$3,000	$4,167	$5,083	$7,000
Indiana	$2,167	$2,917	$3,750	$4,167	$6,750
Iowa	$2,167	$2,583	$3,750	$4,083	$7,000
Kansas	$1,917	$2,750	$3,750	$4,083	$7,083
Kentucky	$2,083	$2,833	$3,833	$4,417	$6,417
Louisiana	$1,833	$2,250	$3,417	$4,000	$6,083
Maine	$2,417	$2,750	$3,667	$4,083	$5,750
Maryland	$2,417	$3,083	$4,000	$4,667	$6,000
Massachusetts	$2,750	$3,000	$4,083	$4,417	$6,250
Michigan	$2,250	$2,583	$3,667	$4,000	$7,167
Minnesota	$2,417	$3,250	$4,000	$4,667	$5,750
Mississippi	$1,833	$2,333	$3,417	$3,917	$6,083
Missouri	$2,250	$2,833	$3,833	$4,417	$5,917
Montana	$2,500	$2,917	$3,833	$4,417	$5,250
Nebraska	$2,250	$2,917	$3,833	$4,083	$7,167
Nevada	$2,250	$2,917	$3,750	$4,083	$5,417
New Hampshire	$2,250	$2,917	$3,667	$4,083	$5,083
New Jersey	$2,750	$3,333	$4,000	$4,083	$6,000
New Mexico	$2,250	$2,583	$3,500	$4,250	$4,750
New York	$2,667	$3,083	$3,917	$4,333	$5,833
North Carolina	$1,917	$2,500	$3,417	$3,917	$5,250
North Dakota	$2,583	$3,250	$4,167	$4,833	$7,167
Ohio	$2,000	$2,750	$3,667	$3,917	$6,833
Oklahoma	$1,833	$2,250	$3,333	$3,833	$5,667
Oregon	$2,833	$3,167	$4,000	$4,333	$5,833
Pennsylvania	$1,833	$2,417	$3,500	$4,000	$5,583
Rhode Island	$2,333	$2,750	$3,833	$4,167	$7,250
South Carolina	$1,750	$2,333	$3,333	$3,833	$5,167
South Dakota	$2,250	$2,750	$3,583	$4,083	$4,917
Tennessee	$2,083	$2,750	$3,833	$4,500	$6,833
Texas	$2,167	$2,750	$3,750	$4,083	$6,750
Utah	$2,333	$3,083	$3,833	$4,333	$5,500
Vermont	$2,333	$2,500	$3,750	$4,500	$7,083
Virginia	$2,167	$2,667	$3,833	$4,333	$6,583
Washington	$2,917	$3,417	$4,250	$4,750	$6,167
West Virginia	$1,667	$1,917	$3,167	$3,750	$5,500
Wisconsin	$2,250	$2,917	$3,750	$4,333	$5,500
Wyoming	$1,500	$1,917	$3,083	$4,000	$4,583
Guam	$1,750	$1,833	$2,083	$2,167	$2,500
Puerto Rico	$1,500	$1,583	$2,167	$2,167	$3,167
Virgin Islands	$2,333	$2,583	$2,833	$3,000	$3,750

Monthly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $4,583.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $4,583

Washington - $4,250

Illinois - $4,167

North Dakota - $4,167

Massachusetts - $4,083

Hourly Salary by State

State	10% Hourly	25% Hourly	Avg. Hourly	75% Hourly	90% Hourly
Alabama	$11.38	$14.34	$19.99	$22.28	$34.03
Alaska	$17.07	$18.78	$26.83	$33.61	$43.31
Arizona	$14.83	$18.38	$23.42	$24.92	$39.59
Arkansas	$12.56	$14.09	$21.46	$21.99	$40.29
California	$16.44	$18.04	$23.30	$24.78	$35.84
Colorado	$16.46	$18.86	$23.38	$24.43	$35.03
Connecticut	$14.50	$16.00	$21.84	$23.79	$33.77
Delaware	$12.83	$15.39	$21.19	$22.96	$32.15
District of Columbia	$18.64	$20.65	$24.03	$24.59	$32.67
Florida	$13.32	$16.98	$21.18	$22.83	$32.33
Georgia	$12.20	$16.24	$21.89	$24.75	$38.52
Hawaii	$15.03	$17.07	$22.29	$25.28	$30.44
Idaho	$13.27	$16.67	$23.01	$26.01	$41.93
Illinois	$13.87	$17.59	$24.49	$29.50	$40.48
Indiana	$12.76	$16.96	$21.92	$24.21	$39.25
Iowa	$12.70	$15.14	$21.76	$23.60	$40.48
Kansas	$11.47	$16.02	$21.75	$23.59	$41.30
Kentucky	$12.26	$16.50	$22.39	$25.64	$37.09
Louisiana	$10.69	$13.09	$19.72	$23.22	$35.17
Maine	$14.07	$16.13	$21.59	$23.64	$33.33
Maryland	$14.42	$18.04	$23.32	$27.03	$34.71
Massachusetts	$16.18	$17.66	$23.60	$25.65	$36.35
Michigan	$13.25	$14.95	$21.51	$23.39	$41.55
Minnesota	$14.38	$18.83	$23.51	$27.20	$33.21
Mississippi	$10.63	$13.69	$19.91	$22.71	$35.31
Missouri	$13.18	$16.43	$22.12	$25.68	$34.38
Montana	$14.57	$17.15	$22.44	$25.80	$30.67
Nebraska	$13.00	$16.99	$22.30	$23.64	$41.54
Nevada	$13.38	$17.00	$21.65	$23.81	$31.68
New Hampshire	$13.24	$17.00	$21.45	$23.95	$29.45
New Jersey	$16.13	$19.45	$23.30	$24.00	$34.69
New Mexico	$13.29	$14.94	$20.65	$24.63	$27.57
New York	$15.39	$17.93	$22.92	$25.24	$34.04
North Carolina	$11.26	$14.73	$20.00	$22.62	$30.72
North Dakota	$14.91	$18.87	$24.46	$27.99	$41.57
Ohio	$12.00	$15.95	$21.25	$22.65	$39.80
Oklahoma	$10.87	$13.04	$19.48	$22.51	$32.92
Oregon	$16.40	$18.37	$23.25	$25.08	$33.82
Pennsylvania	$10.79	$14.16	$20.49	$23.27	$32.63
Rhode Island	$13.68	$15.95	$22.30	$24.08	$42.06
South Carolina	$10.49	$13.86	$19.49	$22.16	$30.26
South Dakota	$13.27	$16.31	$21.07	$23.64	$28.52
Tennessee	$12.46	$15.93	$22.27	$25.97	$39.43
Texas	$12.60	$15.93	$21.74	$24.02	$39.42
Utah	$13.75	$18.20	$22.15	$25.18	$32.04
Vermont	$13.65	$14.69	$22.03	$26.43	$40.91
Virginia	$12.83	$15.85	$22.15	$25.22	$38.39
Washington	$17.10	$20.10	$24.83	$27.72	$35.96
West Virginia	$10.08	$11.22	$18.73	$21.90	$32.06
Wisconsin	$13.24	$16.91	$22.05	$25.00	$31.73
Wyoming	$8.67	$11.09	$18.14	$23.47	$26.65
Guam	$10.17	$10.64	$12.03	$12.61	$14.89
Puerto Rico	$8.79	$9.54	$12.55	$12.63	$18.66
Virgin Islands	$13.53	$15.08	$16.73	$17.50	$21.78

Hourly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $26.83.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $26.83

Washington - $24.83

Illinois - $24.49

North Dakota - $24.46

District of Columbia - $24.03

Light Truck Drivers: Salary Overview

Light truck drivers operate trucks and vans that have a capacity of fewer than 26,001 pounds (Gross Vehicle Weight).

They typically transport merchandise and packages but may also be responsible for loading and unloading the vehicle.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage reported by light truck drivers in the United States was $34,730 as of May 2019, which means that half of all workers in this profession earned less than this amount while half earned more.

This is lower than the national average salary across all occupations- which in May 2019 was $39,810 according to BLS.

Salaries vary depending on a wide range of factors such as experience level, the industry of employment, region, skills, and local economy.

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Light Truck Driver Salary by Industry

Salaries for this profession vary widely depending on the industry of employment.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest employers for light truck drivers in 2019 were couriers and express delivery services, and automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores.

Salaries for light truck drivers vary widely between these two industries.

Those who worked for couriers and express delivery services companies reportedly earned $54,110 on average as of May 2019 while those who worked for automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores made less than half this amount.

The average annual wage for drivers employed by stores that sell automotive parts, accessories, and tires was only $25,130.

Light truck drivers employed in the field of truck transportation reportedly earned $43,150.

The average annual wage was calculated at $38,750 for light truck drivers who worked in the field of local messengers and local delivery and $38,470 for those who worked for merchant wholesalers of nondurable goods.

The report published by BLS shows that higher-than-average salaries were typically reported in industries that don’t typically hire many truck drivers such as the natural gas distribution field, electric power generation, transmission and distribution, and the postal service.

Light truck drivers employed in the field of natural gas distribution reportedly took home $64,600 per year on average.

The average annual wage was $58,980 for light truck drivers who worked in the field of electric power generation, transmission, and distribution and $55,520 for those who worked for the postal service.

However, as the numbers show, the industry with the highest level of employment for this profession, couriers and express delivery services, offers a salary that is close to the one offered by these high-paying fields.

Having good driving skills qualifies you for employment in a variety of sectors.

You can work for florists, for wholesalers of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and supplies, or even for promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events.

The only things that limit you are the weight limit, the type of vehicle that you are allowed to drive, and the type of cargo that you can carry.

Better career opportunities may occur if you also get a commercial driver’s license which will qualify you for multiple types of vehicles, including CMVs that carry more than 16 passengers, carrying hazardous materials, and driving trucks that are above the 26,000-pound weight limit.

According to BLS, on average, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earned more than light truck drivers.

The median annual wage reported by drivers of vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds was $45,260 as of May 2019.

So getting a CDL license for heavier trucks can improve your earning prospects.

* Based on information from the May 2023 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Light Truck Drivers. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.

* Employment conditions in your area may vary.