Trade hub · BLS OEWS May 2025
CDL Truck Driver
The short answer
CDL truck drivers earn a median $58,640 per year nationally, with the middle half between $47,960 and $69,120. Employment is projected to grow +4% by 2034, with about 237,600 openings a year. 50 states license CDL truck drivers statewide.
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. Requires commercial drivers' license. Includes tow truck drivers.
National wage distribution. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (SOC 53-3032)
Where the pay is
The gap between states is wide: Alaska pays about 42% more than Louisiana at the median. Cost of living closes part of that gap. In licensed states the credential itself also travels differently across borders, which changes what a move is worth.
| State | Median /yr | Licensing |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $70,100 | Statewide |
| Washington | $64,760 | Statewide |
| New Jersey | $63,570 | Statewide |
| Massachusetts | $63,030 | Statewide |
| Nevada | $62,290 | Statewide |
| ⋯ 40 states ⋯ | ||
| South Carolina | $51,130 | Statewide |
| Florida | $50,640 | Statewide |
| New Mexico | $50,500 | Statewide |
| West Virginia | $49,480 | Statewide |
| Louisiana | $49,320 | Statewide |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · licensing per state boards, verified July 2026
Outlook to 2034
BLS projects employment moving from 2,235,100 in 2024 to 2,324,400 in 2034 (+4%). Typical entry-level education: postsecondary nondegree award. Annual openings run near 237,600. That figure counts both new positions and replacements for workers leaving the occupation, which is why it exceeds the growth number. The 2024 figure here is larger than the employment count in the summary above because these are two different BLS programs: the summary counts jobs surveyed at employers, while the projections program also counts the self-employed, and this trade has a lot of them.
Licensing
50 states license CDL truck drivers statewide.
Requirements by state
0 of the 50 state pages built for this trade are released so far, each with the board pages its facts came from and the date they were checked. The rest are written and go out in later waves. That includes states where the license is issued by cities rather than the state, and states that regulate only at the contractor level: those pages say so plainly and name the authority that decides, because "no state license" is itself the answer someone is looking for.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | not published | Statewide |
| Alaska | not published | Statewide |
| Arizona | not published | Statewide |
| Arkansas | not published | Statewide |
| California | not published | Statewide |
| Colorado | not published | Statewide |
| Connecticut | not published | Statewide |
| Delaware | not published | Statewide |
| Florida | not published | Statewide |
| Georgia | not published | Statewide |
| Hawaii | not published | Statewide |
| Idaho | not published | Statewide |
| Illinois | not published | Statewide |
| Indiana | not published | Statewide |
| Iowa | not published | Statewide |
| Kansas | not published | Statewide |
| Kentucky | not published | Statewide |
| Louisiana | not published | Statewide |
| Maine | not published | Statewide |
| Maryland | not published | Statewide |
| Massachusetts | not published | Statewide |
| Michigan | not published | Statewide |
| Minnesota | not published | Statewide |
| Mississippi | not published | Statewide |
| Missouri | not published | Statewide |
| Montana | not published | Statewide |
| Nebraska | not published | Statewide |
| Nevada | not published | Statewide |
| New Hampshire | not published | Statewide |
| New Jersey | not published | Statewide |
| New Mexico | not published | Statewide |
| New York | not published | Statewide |
| North Carolina | not published | Statewide |
| North Dakota | not published | Statewide |
| Ohio | not published | Statewide |
| Oklahoma | not published | Statewide |
| Oregon | not published | Statewide |
| Pennsylvania | not published | Statewide |
| Rhode Island | not published | Statewide |
| South Carolina | not published | Statewide |
| South Dakota | not published | Statewide |
| Tennessee | not published | Statewide |
| Texas | not published | Statewide |
| Utah | not published | Statewide |
| Vermont | not published | Statewide |
| Virginia | not published | Statewide |
| Washington | not published | Statewide |
| West Virginia | not published | Statewide |
| Wisconsin | not published | Statewide |
| Wyoming | not published | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Price a credential with the license cost estimator, weigh training paths with the apprenticeship vs. school calculator, or set this trade against others in your state with the salary comparison.
Trades that pay similarly
Carpenter at $60,580, HVAC Technician at $61,010, Diesel Mechanic at $61,770, Electrician at $63,190. Full list on the trades index.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (SOC 53-3032) and Employment Projections 2024–2034.
- O*NET 30.1 occupation description (U.S. Department of Labor).
- State licensing boards, compiled and verified July 2026 — sources listed on each state page.
How figures are computed: methodology