Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Salary
In Virginia, tank car, truck, and ship loaders earn $41,190 at the median, or about $19.81 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $71K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $43,454 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 58.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Virginia. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $41K get you in Virginia?
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What this looks like in Virginia
Pay for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in Virginia runs about 30% below the U.S. median of $59K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,646/month, which is 59.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% 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 loaderss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia
Entry-level tank car, truck, and ship loaders (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $41K. Top earners bring in $71K or more, a $39K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Virginia numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tank car, truck, and ship loader afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $41K, rent takes 59.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/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 Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tank car, truck, and ship loaders typically earn — is $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,906/month. At HUD’s $1,646/month FMR, rent would take 86% 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 Virginia?
Local pay runs 30% below the national median — $41K here vs. $59K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for tank car, truck, and ship loaders?
Virginia pays $41K median vs. the U.S. average of $59K — that’s -30%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $43K — below the national median.
How much do tank car, truck, and ship loaders make in Virginia?
The median is $41,190 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,760, and experienced tank car, truck, and ship loaders can clear $70,880. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $41K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,774/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 59.3% 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 Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (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 $43,454 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.