How Much Do Semi-Truck Drivers Make?

Whether you're considering a career in trucking or have simply looked on with awe at the demanding work semi-truck drivers do, one question you may have asked yourself is: How much do the drivers we see hauling big rigs on our roads and highways make? It's a fair question. After all, we see the lives of truckers all around us: on the news, at rest stops on the highway during road trips, and even in pop culture, where movies like the classic Smokey and the Bandit come to mind.

On average, semi-truck drivers in the U.S. earn around $92,745 per year, according to self-reported salaries on Indeed. However, determining how much a truck driver makes isn't always straightforward and depends on a lot of factors, with experience and location often having a big impact on earnings. For example, data from Indeed shows that drivers in Washington, D.C. report making an average of $125,210 per year, while those in Atlanta say they earn around $95,988 annually. While location and experience are important, the type of cargo a driver is hauling, and their employer can also influence how much they get paid.

While the wages reported by drivers on Indeed indicate that the average semi-truck driver in the U.S. earns $92,745 per year, entry-level drivers make an average of $50,500 per year. It's important to keep in mind that these figures come from self-reported data and are not verified. Indeed's data can provide a general overview of what truckers may be making at any given point in time, but it may not be representative of the entire industry. A number of things can lead to discrepancies in the reported salaries, including regional differences, company size, and specific job roles. Like many of the top job search websites, Indeed can be a helpful starting point, but you'll want to double-check its data.

As a comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the median salary of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers is $57,440 per year or $27.62 per hour, with the top 10% earning more than $78,800 and the bottom 10% making less than $38,640 annually. A breakdown of the top industries shows that the median annual salary is $59,570 in truck transportation, $57,260 in wholesale trade, $54,860 in manufacturing, and $54,170 in construction. In the same way that the data on Indeed reveals differences in pay based on region, the BLS data also shows that semi-truck driver pay varies based on region. 

Most semi-truck drivers are paid based on the miles they drive in addition to bonuses. Long-haul drivers may also be paid a percentage of the freight revenue; this is more common among truck drivers who own their own trucks and work as owner-operators. BLS bases its estimates on employer data gathered across every industry in both urban and rural areas throughout the U.S.