Light Truck Drivers Salary
Light Truck Drivers in Texas make a median of $42,500 a year, or about $20.43 an hour. The range runs from $28K at the entry level to $91K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.49), which stretches that salary to about $46,453 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,415/month, about 46.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Texas. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $43K get you in Texas?
About light truck drivers
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What this looks like in Texas
Light truck drivers pay in Texas tracks closely to the national median, $43K locally vs. $45K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,415/month, which is 46.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.49 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Texas
Entry-level light truck drivers (10th percentile) start around $28K. Mid-career wages sit at $43K. Top earners bring in $91K or more, a $63K spread from bottom to top.
Light Truck Drivers salary by metro in Texas
26 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midland | $47K | +11% | 540 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $46K | +8% | 6,380 |
| Killeen-Temple | $45K | +5% | 640 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $44K | +4% | 25,890 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $44K | +3% | 19,050 |
| Waco | $43K | +0% | 660 |
| Odessa | $42K | -1% | 480 |
| Corpus Christi | $42K | -1% | 780 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $42K | -2% | 7,010 |
| Wichita Falls | $39K | -8% | 250 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $39K | -9% | 790 |
| Texarkana | $39K | -9% | 440 |
| Amarillo | $39K | -9% | 670 |
| Abilene | $38K | -10% | 400 |
| Tyler | $38K | -10% | 830 |
| Sherman-Denison | $38K | -12% | 310 |
| Victoria | $38K | -12% | 280 |
| Lubbock | $37K | -12% | 1,100 |
| College Station-Bryan | $37K | -12% | 520 |
| San Angelo | $37K | -14% | 230 |
| Eagle Pass | $36K | -15% | 80 |
| El Paso | $36K | -15% | 1,990 |
| Laredo | $36K | -16% | 850 |
| Longview | $36K | -16% | 440 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | $35K | -17% | 580 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $35K | -17% | 1,610 |
Showing 1–10 of 26 metros
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Track light truck drivers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Texas numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a light truck driver afford a 2BR apartment alone in Texas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $43K, rent takes 46.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,415/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 Texas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new light truck drivers typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,687/month. At HUD’s $1,415/month FMR, rent would take 84% 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 Texas?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $43K locally vs. $45K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Texas compare to the national average for light truck drivers?
Texas pays $43K median vs. the U.S. average of $45K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do light truck drivers make in Texas?
The median is $42,500 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,120, and experienced light truck drivers can clear $91,280. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $43K enough to live in Texas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,016/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,415/month, which eats 46.9% 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 Texas?
Texas has a Regional Price Parity of 91.49 (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 $46,453 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.