Transportation
Heavy Truck Drivers
SOC 53-3032
Haul freight long distances, manage your hours, and keep the load and rig safe.
The job
Median pay
$59k
$48k to $69k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+3.8% projected
Openings a year
215k
BLS projection
Typical education
Postsecondary plus CDL
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
25/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
54th pct
More exposed than 54% of occupations · modeled estimate · 48th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
48/100
Key skills
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Writing
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 209,680 | 14.9 | 1.1× | $56k |
| California | 205,090 | 11.3 | 0.8× | $60k |
| Florida | 112,920 | 11.4 | 0.9× | $51k |
| Pennsylvania | 87,550 | 14.4 | 1.1× | $59k |
| Illinois | 84,200 | 13.8 | 1.0× | $60k |
| Ohio | 83,060 | 15.0 | 1.1× | $60k |
| Georgia | 74,840 | 15.3 | 1.1× | $57k |
| Tennessee | 64,890 | 19.8 | 1.5× | $59k |
| New York | 63,700 | 6.6 | 0.5× | $62k |
| North Carolina | 62,400 | 12.6 | 0.9× | $52k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 60,800 | 13.8 | 1.0× | $57k |
| Indiana | 59,090 | 18.5 | 1.4× | $60k |
| Wisconsin | 53,330 | 18.1 | 1.4× | $59k |
| Virginia | 48,750 | 11.9 | 0.9× | $57k |
| New Jersey | 47,980 | 11.2 | 0.8× | $64k |
| Missouri | 47,760 | 16.3 | 1.2× | $55k |
| Washington | 40,530 | 11.4 | 0.9× | $65k |
| Arizona | 40,150 | 12.4 | 0.9× | $58k |
| Minnesota | 38,770 | 13.1 | 1.0× | $62k |
| Alabama | 36,650 | 17.3 | 1.3× | $52k |
| Iowa | 35,040 | 22.5 | 1.7× | $58k |
| South Carolina | 34,170 | 14.8 | 1.1× | $51k |
| Arkansas | 32,220 | 24.7 | 1.9× | $52k |
| Kentucky | 31,760 | 15.9 | 1.2× | $56k |
| Massachusetts | 30,890 | 8.5 | 0.6× | $63k |
| Maryland | 29,150 | 10.6 | 0.8× | $59k |
| Louisiana | 28,540 | 14.8 | 1.1× | $49k |
| Oklahoma | 27,840 | 16.3 | 1.2× | $54k |
| Colorado | 25,350 | 8.8 | 0.7× | $62k |
| Utah | 25,060 | 14.4 | 1.1× | $61k |
| Kansas | 24,220 | 16.8 | 1.3× | $59k |
| Mississippi | 24,160 | 20.8 | 1.6× | $52k |
| Oregon | 23,970 | 12.2 | 0.9× | $62k |
| Nebraska | 23,160 | 22.6 | 1.7× | $58k |
| Idaho | 15,920 | 18.6 | 1.4× | $59k |
| Connecticut | 15,740 | 9.3 | 0.7× | $60k |
| Nevada | 15,010 | 9.7 | 0.7× | $62k |
| West Virginia | 12,190 | 17.4 | 1.3× | $49k |
| North Dakota | 11,870 | 27.6 | 2.1× | $61k |
| New Mexico | 11,820 | 13.6 | 1.0× | $51k |
| Maine | 9,980 | 15.6 | 1.2× | $57k |
| Delaware | 9,040 | 18.6 | 1.4× | $58k |
| Montana | 7,830 | 15.3 | 1.1× | $59k |
| New Hampshire | 6,960 | 10.2 | 0.8× | $60k |
| South Dakota | 6,470 | 14.1 | 1.1× | $59k |
| Wyoming | 6,050 | 21.6 | 1.6× | $60k |
| Hawaii | 4,070 | 6.5 | 0.5× | $60k |
| Rhode Island | 3,620 | 7.2 | 0.5× | $60k |
| Vermont | 3,560 | 11.7 | 0.9× | $61k |
| Alaska | 3,420 | 10.5 | 0.8× | $70k |
| Washington DC | 830 | 1.2 | 0.1× | $64k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ65,100 jobs · $65k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN62,210 jobs · $62k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA61,270 jobs · $60k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX55,670 jobs · $60k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX49,750 jobs · $57k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA41,830 jobs · $59k median
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA40,230 jobs · $61k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD32,220 jobs · $59k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Heavy Truck Drivers interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.