Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Salary
In Lake Charles, LA, tank car, truck, and ship loaders earn $63,170 at the median, or about $30.37 an hour. The range runs from $47K at the entry level to $82K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.85), which stretches that salary to about $73,582 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,217/month, or 29.3% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $63K get you in Lake Charles?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lake Charles’s Regional Price Parity (85.85). 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 Lake Charles
Tank car, truck, and ship loaders pay in Lake Charles tracks closely to the national median, $63K locally vs. $59K nationwide, a 7% difference. Rent runs $1,217/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 28.8% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.85 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in metros near Lake Charles, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans-Metairie | $62K | $67K |
| Baton Rouge | $50K | $55K |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $58K | $68K |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $61K | $62K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Lake Charles, LA
Entry-level tank car, truck, and ship loaders (10th percentile) start around $47K. Mid-career wages sit at $63K. Top earners bring in $82K or more, a $34K 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 Lake Charles numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a tank car, truck, and ship loader afford a 2BR apartment alone in Lake Charles?
Yes — at the median salary of $63K, rent takes 28.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,217/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in Lake Charles?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tank car, truck, and ship loaders typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,848/month. At HUD’s $1,217/month FMR, rent would take 43% 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 Lake Charles?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $63K locally vs. $59K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Lake Charles compare to the national average for tank car, truck, and ship loaders?
Lake Charles pays $63K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s +7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $74K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tank car, truck, and ship loaders make in Lake Charles, LA?
The median is $63,170 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,460, and experienced tank car, truck, and ship loaders can clear $81,720. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $63K enough to live in Lake Charles?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,224/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,217/month, which eats 28.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a tank car, truck, and ship loaders salary go in Lake Charles?
Lake Charles has a Regional Price Parity of 85.85 (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 $73,582 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.