Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Salary
In Louisiana, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn $49,320 at the median, or about $23.71 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $69K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.28), which stretches that salary to about $56,508 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,191/month, about 35.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Louisiana. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $49K actually covers in Louisiana, month by month
About heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
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What this looks like in Louisiana
Pay for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Louisiana runs about 16% below the U.S. median of $59K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,191/month, which is 35.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.28 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Louisiana
Entry-level heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $49K. Top earners bring in $69K or more, a $32K spread from bottom to top.
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary by metro in Louisiana
10 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | $55K | +11% | 5,830 |
| New Orleans-Metairie | $52K | +5% | 5,500 |
| Lake Charles | $50K | +1% | 1,340 |
| Lafayette | $49K | +0% | 2,920 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington | $49K | +0% | 1,040 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City | $49K | +0% | 3,060 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $49K | -0% | 1,460 |
| Hammond | $49K | -1% | 830 |
| Alexandria | $47K | -4% | 780 |
| Monroe | $47K | -4% | 1,240 |
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BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Louisiana numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver afford a 2BR apartment alone in Louisiana?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 35.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,191/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Louisiana?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,538/month. At HUD’s $1,191/month FMR, rent would take 47% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver a high-paying job in Louisiana?
Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $49K here vs. $59K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Louisiana compare to the national average for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers?
Louisiana pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $57K — below the national median.
How much do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers make in Louisiana?
The median is $49,320 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,710, and experienced heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers can clear $68,740. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $49K enough to live in Louisiana?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,346/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,191/month, which eats 35.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers salary go in Louisiana?
Louisiana has a Regional Price Parity of 87.28 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers salary is worth about $56,508 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.