Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Salary
In Columbus, OH, tank car, truck, and ship loaders earn $57,030 at the median, or about $27.42 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $60K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.47), that's roughly $59,736 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,430/month, about 38.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $57K get you in Columbus?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Columbus’s Regional Price Parity (95.47). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Columbus
Tank car, truck, and ship loaders pay in Columbus tracks closely to the national median, $57K locally vs. $59K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,430/month, which is 36.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.47) 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.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in metros near Columbus, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | $50K | $53K |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $60K | $60K |
| Louisville/Jefferson County | $63K | $68K |
| Charleston | $55K | $62K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Columbus, OH
Entry-level tank car, truck, and ship loaders (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $57K. Top earners bring in $60K or more, a $23K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when Columbus numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a tank car, truck, and ship loader afford a 2BR apartment alone in Columbus?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $57K, rent takes 36.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,430/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/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 Columbus?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tank car, truck, and ship loaders typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,252/month. At HUD’s $1,430/month FMR, rent would take 63% 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 Columbus?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $57K locally vs. $59K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Columbus compare to the national average for tank car, truck, and ship loaders?
Columbus pays $57K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.47), the purchasing-power equivalent is $60K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tank car, truck, and ship loaders make in Columbus, OH?
The median is $57,030 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,530, and experienced tank car, truck, and ship loaders can clear $60,320. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $57K enough to live in Columbus?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,916/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,430/month, which eats 36.5% 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 Columbus?
Columbus has a Regional Price Parity of 95.47 (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 $59,736 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.