Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Salary
In Baton Rouge, LA, tank car, truck, and ship loaders earn $49,700 at the median, or about $23.89 an hour. The range runs from $45K at the entry level to $62K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 90.78), which stretches that salary to about $54,748 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,204/month, about 35.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $50K actually covers in Baton Rouge, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Baton Rouge’s Regional Price Parity (90.78). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About tank car, truck, and ship loaders
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What this looks like in Baton Rouge
Pay for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in Baton Rouge 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 $1,204/month, which is 35.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 90.78 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% 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 tank car, truck, and ship loaders.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in metros near Baton Rouge, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie | $62K | $67K |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $61K | $62K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $77K | $75K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Baton Rouge, LA
Entry-level tank car, truck, and ship loaders (10th percentile) start around $45K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $62K or more, a $17K spread from bottom to top.
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | $81K | +38% | 110 |
| South Carolina | $81K | +37% | 90 |
| Montana | $80K | +36% | 80 |
| Minnesota | $77K | +30% | N/A |
| Alabama | $75K | +28% | 240 |
| Oregon | $74K | +26% | N/A |
| Massachusetts | $72K | +22% | 140 |
| New Hampshire | $70K | +19% | 40 |
| California | $69K | +17% | 110 |
| New Jersey | $65K | +10% | 120 |
| North Dakota | $61K | +4% | 310 |
| Texas | $61K | +4% | 1,620 |
| Louisiana | $59K | +0% | 500 |
| Michigan | $58K | -2% | 200 |
| Missouri | $58K | -2% | 180 |
| Ohio | $58K | -2% | 820 |
| Wisconsin | $57K | -3% | 170 |
| West Virginia | $55K | -7% | 90 |
| Utah | $53K | -9% | N/A |
| Kentucky | $53K | -10% | 130 |
| Iowa | $51K | -13% | 180 |
| Colorado | $51K | -13% | 80 |
| Georgia | $51K | -13% | 50 |
| New York | $48K | -18% | 110 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | -18% | 90 |
| New Mexico | $48K | -18% | 80 |
| Nebraska | $46K | -21% | N/A |
| Florida | $46K | -23% | 430 |
| Hawaii | $45K | -23% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $45K | -24% | 240 |
| Indiana | $44K | -25% | 250 |
| Idaho | $42K | -29% | 80 |
| Virginia | $41K | -30% | 60 |
| Oklahoma | $35K | -40% | 170 |
| Arkansas | $34K | -43% | 150 |
Showing 1–10 of 35 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track tank car, truck, and ship loaders salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Baton Rouge numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a tank car, truck, and ship loader afford a 2BR apartment alone in Baton Rouge?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 35.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,204/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 tank car, truck, and ship loaders in Baton Rouge?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tank car, truck, and ship loaders typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,073/month. At HUD’s $1,204/month FMR, rent would take 39% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tank car, truck, and ship loader a high-paying job in Baton Rouge?
Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $50K here vs. $59K nationally. Cost of living is 9% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Baton Rouge compare to the national average for tank car, truck, and ship loaders?
Baton Rouge pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 90.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $55K — below the national median.
How much do tank car, truck, and ship loaders make in Baton Rouge, LA?
The median is $49,700 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,070, and experienced tank car, truck, and ship loaders can clear $61,830. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Baton Rouge?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,370/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,204/month, which eats 35.7% 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 tank car, truck, and ship loaders salary go in Baton Rouge?
Baton Rouge has a Regional Price Parity of 90.78 (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 tank car, truck, and ship loaders salary is worth about $54,748 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tank car, truck, and ship loaders 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.