Semi-truck drivers work long hours hauling cargo across cities, states and even the country to ensure people have groceries, office supplies and other necessities. Semi-truck drivers may be owner-operators of the semi or rig while others work for major retailers and chains to deliver product to each location. In Arizona, semi-truck drivers earn an average salary just above the national average.
Arizona Average Salary
As of May 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded a total of 22,030 semi-truck drivers working in the state of Arizona. They earned an average salary of $39,780 per year or $19.13 per hour. The median, or 50th percentile salary, was lower at $39,100 per year or $18.80 per hour.
In-State Salary Variance
Mean salaries vary by market and Arizona is no exception. A vast majority of semi-truck drivers in Arizona reside in the combined Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area, making up about 75 percent of the state’s semi driver population. In Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, the average salary in 2009 was $40,910 per year or $19.67 per hour, 2.8 percent higher than the state average. In Flagstaff, the mean salary was lower at $39,980 annually or $19.22 hourly. Yuma reported 520 semi truck drivers operating from the city with an average salary of $34,460 a year or $16.57 an hour.
State Average Comparisons
Market salary variance is not only by city but state as well. For example, Iowa paid their semi-truck drivers an average $37,780, 5.9 percent less than Arizona. Connecticut, on the other hand, paid more at $43,960 annually, 9.6 percent more than Arizona’s mean. Alaska paid more than any other state with an average salary of $49,480, 24.4 percent more than an Arizona semi-truck driver’s average of $39,780 per year.
National Average Comparison
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the national mean salary for truck drivers in the United States was $39,260 per year. Arizona’s average semi truck driver salary of $39,780 places it only a few hundred dollars higher than the national average and in the 50th to 75th percentile pay grade nationally. This means Arizona is one of the higher paying states in the U.S. for semi-truck drivers though some states still pay more.