Occupations · Transportation and Material Moving
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). May be required to unload truck. Requires commercial drivers' license. Includes tow truck drivers.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 53-3032.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 72% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $65,220 | 64,440 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $59,560 | 63,940 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $57,220 | 59,200 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $62,430 | 54,680 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $55,500 | 49,210 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $60,680 | 42,710 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $58,860 | 42,520 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $56,220 | 31,680 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $60,000 | 29,090 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $50,710 | 26,380 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $55,830 | 26,140 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $69,290 | 21,220 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Follow appropriate safety procedures for transporting dangerous goods.
- Secure cargo for transport, using ropes, blocks, chain, binders, or covers.
- Check all load-related documentation for completeness and accuracy.
- Inspect loads to ensure that cargo is secure.
- Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order.
- Crank trailer landing gear up or down to safely secure vehicles.
- Obtain receipts or signatures for delivered goods and collect payment for services when required.
- Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations.
- Read bills of lading to determine assignment details.
- Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles.
- Perform basic vehicle maintenance tasks, such as adding oil, fuel, or radiator fluid, performing minor repairs, or washing trucks.
- Couple or uncouple trailers by changing trailer jack positions, connecting or disconnecting air or electrical lines, or manipulating fifth-wheel locks.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2022-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Perform basic vehicle maintenance tasks, such as adding oil, fuel, or radiator fluid, performing minor repairs, or washing trucks.
O*NET 26.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 1 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 10
No longer listed 2
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| dangerous goods driver | 8332.4 | broader |
| cargo vehicle driver | 8332.2 | broader |
| refuse vehicle driver | 8332.8 | broader |
| rail intermodal equipment operator | 9333.5 | broader |
| concrete pump operator | 8332.3 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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