How much do ltl drivers make in 2026?
Less-than-truckload drivers are counted in the BLS heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 53-3032 national median at $58,640 a year ($28.19 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $40,140 and the top 10% at $79,380. Less-than-truckload work sits at and above that pooled median, and it is structurally different from truckload driving. The work splits into two: pickup and delivery, where a driver runs a city route making multiple stops, handles freight on and off the trailer with a pallet jack or liftgate and interacts with customers all day; and linehaul, where a driver runs freight between terminals overnight, often pulling doubles, with minimal freight handling. Pay is typically hourly or hourly plus mileage rather than pure cents per mile, which means dock time and delays are paid — one of the main reasons drivers move here. Much of the sector is unionised or pays against union scale, so pension, health coverage and seniority-based route bidding matter as much as the rate. Doubles and triples endorsement is standard for linehaul. The trade-off in pickup and delivery is physical: it is real freight handling, all day, in all weather. Employment is projected to grow 4% through 2034 with roughly 237,600 openings a year. → Full ltl driver career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $58,640 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- LTL Drivers earn a national median $58,640/yr ($28.19/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-3032); the P10 to P90 range is $40,140 to $79,380.
- Less-than-truckload work sits at and above the $58,640 pooled median for heavy truck drivers, inside a $40,140 to $79,380 band.
- Pay is typically hourly or hourly plus mileage, so dock time and delays are compensated — the main structural advantage over cents-per-mile truckload work.
- Much of the sector pays against union scale with pension, health coverage and seniority route bidding, and linehaul positions are among the most sought-after jobs in trucking.
US LTL Driver Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do ltl drivers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 53-3032; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 53-3032, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a ltl driver earn at each career stage?
Less-than-truckload pay progresses by seniority and by moving from city work to linehaul. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 53-3032.
By State
Which states pay ltl drivers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Less-than-truckload geography follows terminal networks and union density: states with major freight terminals and agreement-covered carriers offer both more positions and higher scale, while thin-network regions have fewer opportunities at any rate.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($67,440), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay ltl drivers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro premiums are real in pickup and delivery, where congestion, dock access and stop density make city routes slower and better paid, and where the largest terminals and the best linehaul bids are located.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a ltl driver’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does ltl driver pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. LTL Drivers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify ltl driver wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a ltl driver actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
LTL Driver Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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