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Truck drivers (CDL) in Arkansas: what they earn

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Arkansas earned a median $51,550 a year in May 2025, $24.79 an hour. 32,220 people held the job, 24.7 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 12% below the national figure of $58,640, and Arkansas ranks 45 of 51 by pay for this trade.

Median annual
$51,550
$24.79 an hour
Rank by pay
#45
of 51 states and DC
Employed in AR
32,220
24.7 per 1,000 jobs
Location quotient
1.86
1.00 = national concentration

The full wage spread in Arkansas

PointHourlyAnnualMeaning
10th percentile$17.68$36,770A tenth of the workforce earns less than this.
25th percentile$21.47$44,650A quarter earn less.
Median$24.79$51,550Half earn less, half earn more.
75th percentile$33.51$69,700A quarter earn more.
90th percentile$38.99$81,110A tenth earn more than this.
Mean$27.59$57,390The average. Pulled up by the top earners.

Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.

Arkansas against its neighbors on the pay ladder

#StateMedian annualEmployed
42 Oklahoma $54,410 27,840
43 Alabama $52,120 36,650
44 Mississippi $51,820 24,160
45 Arkansas $51,550 32,220
46 North Carolina $51,530 62,400
47 South Carolina $51,130 34,170
48 Florida $50,640 112,920

The complete ranking is on the Truck drivers (CDL) page.

Against the national figure

ArkansasUnited States
Median annual$51,550$58,640
Median hourly$24.79$28.19
10th percentile, annual$36,770$40,140
90th percentile, annual$81,110$79,380
Employed32,2202,062,040

Other trades in Arkansas

Electricians ($49,070) · Plumbers and pipefitters ($48,660) · HVAC technicians ($48,110) · Welders ($47,970)

See all five ranked by pay in Arkansas.

Licensing requirements, apprenticeship pay and the time it takes to reach journeyman in Arkansas are being collected from the state authority and will appear here once sourced and cited. Numbers on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates; see how the numbers are built.