Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Also called: Armored Truck Driver, Automotive Carrier Driver (Auto Carrier Driver), Automotive Crane Driver (Auto Crane Driver), Automotive Haulaway Driver (Auto Haulaway Driver), Automotive Hauler (Auto Hauler), Automotive Transport Driver (Auto Transport Driver), Basket Operator, Batch Mixing Truck Driver
Drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW).
What heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Maneuver trucks into loading or unloading positions, following signals from loading crew and checking that vehicle and loading equipment are properly positioned.
- Collect delivery instructions from appropriate sources, verifying instructions and routes.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary
The median annual wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers is $58,640 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $40,140 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $79,380. The mean annual wage is $59,710.
The mean hourly wage of $28.00 is 3.9× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $58,640 → in 3 years $64,200 → in 5 years $68,100 → in 10 years $79,200 (10-year range $68,100–$91,900). The model assumes pay growth of +3.0% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers United States | トラックドライバー Japan | トレーラートラックドライバー Japan | ダンプカー運転手 Japan | タンクローリー乗務員 Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $58,640 | ¥5.07M ≈ $32,257 | ¥5.07M ≈ $32,257 | ¥5.07M ≈ $32,257 | ¥5.07M ≈ $32,257 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $79,200 | ¥7.07M | ¥7.05M | ¥7.04M | ¥7.06M |
| Outlook score | 53 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| AI replacement risk | 42% Moderate | 23% Low | 26% Low | 28% Low | 25% Low |
| Workers | 2.1M | — | — | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★☆☆☆☆ Easy to enter (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.