CDL Truck Driver Pay Report 2026
What CDL drivers are actually being offered — based on 1,158 real, current truck-driving job postings aggregated by TruckersHire. Median advertised pay is $72,800/year.
Key Findings
- ›Across 1,158 current CDL truck-driving postings, the median advertised pay is $72,800/year (middle 50% range $57,200–$104,000).
- ›Flatbed is the highest-paying equipment type at a median of $104,000.
- ›Among route types, OTR (Over-the-Road) leads at $104,000 median.
- ›Michigan tops the states we measured at $101,400 median pay.
National Pay Overview
The median advertised salary across all analyzed CDL driving postings is $72,800 per year. The middle 50% of postings fall between $57,200 (25th percentile) and $104,000 (75th percentile), reflecting the spread between entry-level local routes and premium OTR, team, and specialized-freight roles.
Median Pay by Equipment Type
Specialized freight pays more. Here's the median advertised annual pay by trailer/equipment type:
Median Pay by Route Type
Route type drives the trade-off between pay and home time:
See our regional vs OTR vs local guide for the full breakdown.
Median Pay by CDL Class
- CDL Class A: $81,640 median (805 postings)
- CDL Class B: $59,800 median (119 postings)
- CDL Class C: $57,750 median (26 postings)
New to CDLs? Start with CDL classes explained.
Median Pay by State
States with at least 10 analyzed postings, ranked by median advertised pay. Click a state for current openings.
Methodology
This report analyzes 1,158 CDL truck-driving job postings aggregated by TruckersHire and current as of June 2026. Advertised pay is annualized to a yearly figure; each posting contributes the midpoint of its advertised range. Postings with an annualized midpoint below $25,000 or above $200,000 are excluded as data errors, part-time, or non-driving roles. All figures reported are medians (50th percentile), which resist distortion from outliers. State figures require a minimum of 10 postings to be listed. Because these are advertised pay figures from active listings, they reflect current market offers rather than IRS or BLS earned-wage averages.
Cite This Report
Free to cite with attribution. Suggested citation:
TruckersHire. (2026). CDL Truck Driver Pay Report 2026. Retrieved from https://truckershire.com/cdl-driver-pay-report-2026/
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