Light Truck Drivers Salary
Light Truck Drivers in Florida make a median of $41,810 a year, or about $20.1 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $62K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.58), that's roughly $42,412 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,658/month, about 55.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Florida. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $42K get you in Florida?
About light truck drivers
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What this looks like in Florida
Light truck drivers pay in Florida tracks closely to the national median, $42K locally vs. $45K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,658/month, which is 55.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.58) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Florida
Entry-level light truck drivers (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $42K. Top earners bring in $62K or more, a $32K spread from bottom to top.
Light Truck Drivers salary by metro in Florida
22 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland-Winter Haven | $46K | +10% | 2,650 |
| Punta Gorda | $46K | +9% | 380 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $43K | +2% | 20,000 |
| Naples-Marco Island | $42K | +1% | 1,130 |
| Ocala | $42K | +0% | 1,260 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $42K | +0% | 9,590 |
| Jacksonville | $42K | +0% | 5,290 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | $42K | -1% | 2,560 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin | $42K | -1% | 760 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent | $41K | -2% | 1,440 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | $41K | -2% | 2,510 |
| Port St. Lucie | $41K | -3% | 1,440 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | $41K | -3% | 1,320 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $40K | -3% | 9,710 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor | $39K | -7% | 300 |
| Gainesville | $39K | -7% | 860 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | $39K | -8% | 1,400 |
| Panama City-Panama City Beach | $38K | -8% | 550 |
| Tallahassee | $38K | -10% | 1,030 |
| Wildwood-The Villages | $37K | -12% | 130 |
| Sebring | $37K | -12% | 120 |
| Homosassa Springs | $35K | -17% | 160 |
Showing 1–10 of 22 metros
Compare to other states
Track light truck drivers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Florida numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a light truck driver afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florida?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $42K, rent takes 55.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,658/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for light truck drivers in Florida?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new light truck drivers typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,793/month. At HUD’s $1,658/month FMR, rent would take 92% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is light truck driver a high-paying job in Florida?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $42K locally vs. $45K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Florida compare to the national average for light truck drivers?
Florida pays $42K median vs. the U.S. average of $45K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.58), the purchasing-power equivalent is $42K — below the national median.
How much do light truck drivers make in Florida?
The median is $41,810 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,880, and experienced light truck drivers can clear $62,330. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $42K enough to live in Florida?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,969/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,658/month, which eats 55.8% 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 light truck drivers salary go in Florida?
Florida has a Regional Price Parity of 98.58 (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 light truck drivers salary is worth about $42,412 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do light 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.