You are getting to engage in a truck driving career with a class A CDL, and now you might wonder about class A CDL salary. Fortunately, you are now in the right place! Although Class A CDL salary can vary according to driving location, drivers’ company, working sector as well as the experience of the drivers, in average, class A CDL salary is approximately $79,176 per year. In this blog post we will comprehensively provide you with detailed information about how much a class A CDL driver can earn as a beginner or an experienced one, and how this earning is affected by several factors.
What are you still waiting for? Scrolling down and boosting your class A salary now!
How much is Class A CDL salary?
According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary of a class A CDL driver on the October 24th of 2025 in the United States is approximately $79,239. Here is the breakdown:
Average salary
Since class A CDL salary varies according to many external factors, this salary range changes significantly each time you search for it. However, in average class A CDL salary is right now about $38 per hour. It means class A drivers can earn $1,522 per week, $6,603 in a month.
Entry-level salary
As a beginner, a class A CDL driver can expect to be paid from around $800 to $1000 per week. This wage can; however, vary according to the driver’s driving location as well as the company they are working for. Specifically, according to the Indeed, wage per week of an entry-level class A CDL driver is as below:
- Lowest: $766.
- Average: $951.
- Highest: $1180.
Accordingly, the lowest salary a class A CDL driver can get as an entry-level person is approximately $42,000 and the highest one can reach up to $65,000 per year.
Highest salary
The highest salary you can get from driving as an experienced driver can be up to $150,000 per year, which is far much higher than that of entry-level drivers.
There is something you should know is that the highest salary can only be obtained when you are fully equipped with driving experiences that are counted by years or miles. Therefore, in order to be paid with the highest salary you should master driving, or at least achieve the number of miles required to be considered an experienced driver.
However, it is worth noting that the class A CDL salary constantly changes with uprising direction as it is affected by several other factors. Therefore, you can definitely expect a higher salary as long as you gain more experience, and importantly find a suitable working location in which a more competitive salary is offered.
What affects your Class A Salary?
There are some factors affecting your class A CDL salary that you can take advantage of to boost your average income. Now let’s dive in to see what can make your Class A salary different!
Experience
As discussed above, driving experience is one of the important elements that affect your range of salary as a class A CDL driver. Accordingly, a class A CDL driver can earn about $40,000 as a beginner and up to $65,000 if they have three to five years’ worth of experience.
Driving location
Location is another factor that determines your class A CDL salary. This table from ZipRecruiter belows show the top 10 cities that has highest class A CDL salary, let’s check it out:
| City | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
| Gonzales, CA | $118,910 | $9,909 | $2,286 | $57.17 |
| Soledad, CA | $110,528 | $9,210 | $2,125 | $53.14 |
| Blythe, CA | $102,262 | $8,521 | $1,966 | $49.16 |
| Berkeley, CA | $101,594 | $8,466 | $1,953 | $48.84 |
| Bumpass, VA | $99,771 | $8,314 | $1,918 | $47.97 |
| Wasco, CA | $98,707 | $8,225 | $1,898 | $47.46 |
| Two Rivers, WI | $98,260 | $8,188 | $1,889 | $47.24 |
| San Bruno, CA | $97,809 | $8,150 | $1,880 | $47.02 |
| Martinez, CA | $96,798 | $8,066 | $1,861 | $46.54 |
| Bailey’s Crossroads, VA | $96,417 | $8,034 | $1,854 | $46.35 |
However, you should keep in mind that this figure changes by time, so it is recommended for you to regularly check to prepare for the best choice.
Driving sector
Due to specific features of each driving sector, its class A CDL salary also varies:
- Hazmat: $50,549.
- Tank vehicle: $78,526.
- Owner-operator: $143,029.
- Oversized loads: $58,523.
- Intermodal positions: $55,763.
Company
The last to be mentioned to influence your class A CDL salary is the company that you work for. Due to operation scales as well as resources, different companies will offer different range of salaries for class A CDL drivers.
FAQs
1. What states is the top pay for a class A CDL holder?
Top-paying states for class A CDL drivers include California, New York, and Massachusetts, where high demand, dense traffic, and cost of living drive up wages, averaging $65,000-$80,000 annually. Washington, Alaska, and Illinois also offer high salaries due to challenging routes, weather conditions, and major logistics hubs requiring skilled drivers.
2. How do I know if I’m being paid fairly as a CDL Class A Driver?
To determine if you are being paid fairly as a CDL class A driver, it is recommended that you compare your wage to industry avengers, factoring in experience, location, and type of driving sector.
Final thoughts
In short, class A CDL salary varies from around $42,000 to approximately 150,000 per year depending on several factors such as: experience of the drivers, driving locations and sectors, or even the company that the class A CDL drivers work for. Reinforce your experiences, and wisely choose driving cities and companies are key to boost your class a CDL salary. Hope this blog is helpful; otherwise, you can leave questions below for further discussion.
