- February 14, 2016
Truck drivers transport foods, furniture, packages, clothing, and various other goods from one place to another. They have a high impact on the local, domestic, and international economy. It is indeed a great feeling to work as a truck driver, though the job is not easy. You have to be dedicated, hard-working, and agile to perform with consistency in this field. However, pursuing a career as a truck driver is lucrative in terms of payments. I have the liberty to earn as much as you can, as much as labor that you want to provide. So, how much salary a truck driver gets? Well, we shall try to find the answers below.
Average Salary of Truck Drivers in the USA
The salary of truck drivers varies from one person to another. It also depends on the type of vehicle that you drive and the type of goods that you transport. Depending upon a few factors, including the aforementioned factors, the salary of truck drivers varies. On average, a truck driver in the USA can earn from $18,000 to $40,000 per year. Different trucking companies have different salaries to offer to their drivers. Nevertheless, the truck driver has to be enthusiastic enough to cope with a higher workload to obtain a higher payout. While domestic truck drivers earn $15 per hour, long-distance truck drivers earn $20 or even more. Let us check our truck drivers’ salary as per the type of vehicle:
1. Heavy Trucks
Heavy trucks are generally referred to as the trucks that operate on long distances. They carry important goods, like food, furniture, raw materials for industries, etc. Heavy truck drivers have to be agile as the job is challenging. It demands driving for 2-3 nights and even more than that. Hence, it is expected that such drivers would get better salaries than other truck drivers. Generally, on average, heavy truck drivers obtain $19 to $25 per hour payment. A good truck driver can earn yearly $40,000 or even more.
2. Light Trucks
Light trucks are referred to as small-sized trucks, which operate with lesser than 26,000 pounds gross weight. Small truck drivers operate within a small region and this could involve 1 day’s full driving or something even more. They obtain lesser salaries than large truck drivers for obvious reasons. The minimum payout is around $15 to $20 per hour of driving. This means small truck drivers can possibly earn around $35,000 per year.
Truck Driver’s Experience
The salary of the truck driver often varies as per his experience. An experienced driver generally gets higher payouts than novice drivers. Experienced truck drivers are more preferred by the large industrial group, due to safety reasons. Salary can also vary depending upon the location of operation. In different states, different salaries are offered to truck drivers.
