The box truck driver career has seen tremendous growth in the past few years.
It has become possible because around 90% of products like food, clothes, and other essentials, are transported through trucks.
As far as the salary of a box truck driver is concerned, multiple factors like the travel distance, employer, their base location, the size of the hiring company, driver’s qualifications, pay structure, seniority, and size of the vehicle influence it.
Making $100,000 a year might not be possible as a truck driver. Still, you can earn a good amount of money if you have CDL training, experience, previous experience, license, and specialization.
Read this post to get a better idea of how much a box truck driver makes.
How Much Do Box Truck Drivers Make a Year?
As we have already mentioned, truck driver salaries are influenced by multiple factors. These include driver’s experience, knowledge, reputation, and more.
A survey by the Bureau of Labor in 2018 has revealed that truck drivers make around $43,680.
But drivers who do not work full-time will make less. The scale of a truck driver’s salary can be as low as $28,160, and it can be as high as $65,260.
Another survey by American Trucking Associations has said that the wage of truck drivers must be steady as the transportation industry is struggling to find qualified drivers who can complete the work with dedication.
What’s the Average Salary of Trucking Types of Job Title?
Below is a complete list of trucker drivers with different job titles earned. Scroll down to have a look.
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What’s the Hourly Truck Driver’s Wage?
As a seasoned truck driver, you can earn between 60% per mile. If you negotiate the price per mile instead of per hour, you will profit.
Keeping in mind that your earnings are based on mileage and not around hours, you can earn $42 an hour for an average speed of 70 MPH.
But if you are an experienced driver or have a good reputation, you might not be able to negotiate.
So, if you have started your career as a truck driver, you must be ready to earn a low income until you get proper knowledge of the industry.
Not to mention, pay per mile might not be a good option if there’s a lot of traffic or the road conditions are not good.
RELATED: Guide about loaning or financing start box trucking!
What States Offer the Best Salaries to Truck Drivers?
Most companies like to pay their truck professionals based on miles instead of hours.
Besides this, how much you receive as pay can also change depending on your employer and location.
It’s important to remember that new drivers working for the same company might receive different pay at different locations.
Locations and employers profoundly influence the salaries, so many truck professionals struggle to make ends meet.
Here’s a list of the 10 best states that offer good truck driver salaries. It would be helpful if you had a driver’s license.
| State | Average Annual Truck Driver Wage | How Much More Truck Drivers Make Than Average Drivers |
| Nevada | $50,920 | +20.71% |
| Mississippi | $41,900 | +18.21% |
| Kentucky | $45,550 | +16.83% |
| Utah | $45,600 | +16.79% |
| South Carolina | $44,270 | +16.37% |
| Arizona | $45,430 | +16.31% |
| New Mexico | $44,460 | +15.61% |
| Indiana | $46,210 | +12.71% |
| Idaho | $42,010 | +12.00% |
| Montana | $46,100 | +11.68% |
What States Offer the Worst Salaries to Truck Drivers?
Here are 10 of the worst states that offer low salaries to truck professionals. If you do not have a license, your salary will be even less.
| State | Average Annual Truck Driver Wage | How Much Fewer Truck Drivers Make Than Average Drivers |
| Wyoming | $50,200 | -9.23% |
| Connecticut | $49,880 | -25.52% |
| Virginia | $42,660 | -18.18% |
| New Jersey | $49,080 | -17.90% |
| New Hampshire | $45,030 | -17.85% |
| Massachusetts | $50,310 | -17.57% |
| Maryland | $47,940 | -14.59% |
| New York | $50,460 | -12.56% |
| California | $47,300 | -10.16% |
| South Dakota | $41,590 | -7.58% |
It is important to know how much a truck driver earns concerning the state they live in because good locations and poor salaries hamper the trucker’s lifestyle. Also, you must have a license.
If you want to earn more, you must search for jobs, set the latest job alerts, have previous experience in the trucks world, and know-how to operate and maintain a truck.
How to Earn More Money?
If you are interested in becoming a truck driver and want to earn more money, you can join any of the truck driving careers that we have listed below.
- Ice Road Trucking
In the truck driving career, ice road truckers earn a huge amount of money. It is because of the danger that this job involves.
If ice road truck professionals are specialized as Hazmat haulers or oversized truck drivers, they can earn a year’s salary in just a few months.
- Oversized Load Drivers
Like ice road truckers, oversized load drivers also earn a good amount of money. Running an oversized load truck requires patience and dedication to learn how to keep the large road straight as there will always be incoming traffic.
- Owner-operators
Owner-operators also earn a huge amount of money. But the cost of truck maintenance and other important expenditures can cut the earnings potential in half.
FAQ About Box Truck Driving Salary / Earnings!
Is Becoming A Truck Driver A Good Option?
Becoming a truck driver is an ideal career choice as it will help you earn a decent income.
Your truck driver earnings will be influenced by where you drive, your employer, live, and other essential factors.
Is the truck driving hard?
Your career as a truck driver can be hard, but it will surely be rewarding.
Conclusion
If you are willing to become a dedicated truck driver, you need to do good research to understand what this career is all about.
If you want to increase your salary as a truck driver, you need to develop essential skills and have a valid driver’s license to polish your truck driving portfolio.
