While men continue to dominate the trucking industry, the number of women truck drivers is on the rise — and for good reason.
“This is one of the only industries that pays equally for men and women,” says Kayla Chavez, a truck driver whose handle on TikTok, @iamkaylachavez, has nearly 20,000 followers.
According to the Truck Driver Institute, a vocational training company, truck drivers are typically paid on a standard per-mile or hourly basis, so there’s not likely to be a discrepancy based on sex. Furthermore, the average truck driver salary with only one year’s experience or less nationwide is $72,571, according to Indeed.com.
Chavez, who previously worked in other industries and was dissatisfied with her schedule and pay, says trucking has given her more money and more freedom.
“I used to be a banker,” she says. “I quit that job to become a flight attendant, and it wasn’t paying well — $19 an hour. I was working two jobs, overwhelmed and broke.”
At first, when her boyfriend’s uncle suggested she get into trucking, Chavez was skeptical. But she soon took a leap of faith, and it has paid off.
“I thought, I’m 5’3”; these trucks are huge; I don’t know if I can handle this job,” she admits. “But I looked on YouTube [for inspiration], and …three months later, I got a grant from my state (Nevada) to get trained.”
After working for a megacarrier for six months, Chavez started her own business delivering dry goods with her own truck, which she affectionately named “Riggie Smalls.”
She and her boyfriend travel together with their dog, regularly making 4,400-mile trips over several days. The pair take turns driving and sleeping in their truck, where they also cook microwave meals. On their days off, they book hotel rooms and sample delicious foods all over the country. They shower at rest stops, do their laundry at laundromats, and make a point to exercise at gyms along the way.
If you’re looking for a high-paying and unique career, keep reading to learn how to become a truck driver:
- 5 steps to become a truck driver (with CDL)
- 3 steps to become a local truck driver (no CDL required)
- Where to find truck driving jobs
Women truck drivers? Yes! The trucking industry is recruiting more female drivers
According to the Women in Trucking Association, 13.7% of long-haul drivers are now female, compared with 10% in 2019. The trucking industry is making an effort to recruit more female drivers amid national driver shortages, fueled by early retirements and trucking school closures that happened during the pandemic.
The organization was founded in 2011 with the goal of:
- Raising awareness of women’s issues
- Promote career opportunities for women
- Improve conditions for women working in the industry
- Increase the number of women drivers
- Increase the number of women in leadership positions in the industry
- Gather data about women working in the trucking industry
Women in Trucking offers $1,000 scholarships for women truck drivers upon completion of an approved training program. The Foundation is supported by the Women In Trucking Association, is led by a board of directors and is a 501(c)(3) organization.
AllTrucking.com, which provides resources for people in the trucking industry, also has a $1,000 tuition scholarship for women truck drivers.
Check out the president of Women in Trucking talking about efforts to recruit women truck drivers:
What does a truck driver do?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another, often spending days or weeks at a time on the road.
How to become a truck driver with a Commercial Drivers License: 5 steps (no prior experience required!)
While you don’t need any prior experience to become a truck driver with a CDL, there are some prerequisites and required training:
1. Get a driver’s license.
You’ll first need a standard, non-commercial driver’s license, which will later be upgraded to your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).
2. Get a high school diploma or GED.
Most companies will require you to have a high school diploma or GED, but, as Chavez points out, no other education is necessary.
“You can earn so much and not have to go to college and get into debt,” she says.
3. Enroll in truck driver training.
Though larger companies advertise their own training, Chavez suggests choosing an independent training program so you aren’t contracted to drive for the company that trained you.
“The megacarriers will hire you quickly, but you tend to be just a number to them,” she says. “My school lasted two months, and then I could drive for anyone.”
4. Get a commercial driver’s license.
While requirements vary by state, you’ll likely have to apply for a CDL permit by passing a series of written exams and taking a vision test. Then, you’ll have to wait a specified period of time and pass a skills test to obtain your CDL.
Commercial driver’s licenses come in three different classes. Here is a breakdown of the three classes, what they mean, and which vehicles they allow you to drive:
Class A: Enables you to operate any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (also known as GVWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, provided the towed vehicle is heavier than 10,000 pounds.
What you can drive: Class A covers tractor-trailers, which are also known as semis, big rigs or 18-wheelers; truck and trailer combos; tankers; livestock carriers; and flat beds.
Class B: Required for a vehicle that isn’t hitched to a trailer — some commercial trucks that have an attached cab and cargo area with a combined weight greater than 26,000 pounds — or a truck with a towed cargo vehicle as long as it weighs less than 10,000 pounds.
What you can drive: Straight trucks; large buses, including city buses; box trucks (such as furniture trucks); and dump trucks with small trailers.
Class C: Allows you to operate a single vehicle with GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds, a vehicle towing another vehicle that weighs less than 10,000 pounds or transporting 16 or more passengers, including the driver.
What you can drive: Tripe trailers; regular buses; tank trucks and HAZMAT/emergency vehicles
You can also obtain one of six endorsements, which allow you to operate specific types of vehicles. These endorsements aren’t required but may help you secure a more specialized and potentially higher-paying job:
- (P) Passenger transport (for example, city buses)
- (S) School bus/passenger transport
- (T) Double/triple trailer
- (N) Tanker vehicle
- (H) Hazardous materials
- (X) Tanker/HAZMAT combo
5. Apply for truck driver jobs.
Chavez says Linkedin and Indeed.com are both great places to find truck driving jobs, or you can apply directly through specific brand or trucking company websites. Some top U.S. trucking employers are:
- UPS
- Fedex
- J.B. Hunt
- YRC Freight
- Old Dominion Freight Line
- Landstar System
- C.R. England
- Swift
- Schneider
- Western Express
- Werner Enterprises
- Amazon
- Walmart
How to become a local truck driver: 3 steps (no CDL or experience required!)
1. Get a driver’s license.
You can drive for Uber, DoorDash, Amazon, or another rideshare or delivery service without a commercial license.
2. Get a High school diploma or GED.
Most companies won’t hire a driver who hasn’t completed high school.
3. Pass a background check.
If you’re driving other people for a rideshare company, you’ll likely have to undergo a background check before you can start working.
Companies that pay you to drive (CDL required)
These are some companies that hire drivers with a CDL (salary information is from Ziprecruiter):
Food and Beverage
Coca Cola Driver
Pay: $46,327 per year average, up to $84,865
Requirements:
- High school diploma
- Class A CDL
- Clean driving record
- Expect to work about 45 hours per week, or 10 per shift, with occasional overtime
Frito-Lay Regional Class-A Truck Driver
Pay: $42,289 average, up to $69,500
Requirements:
- High school diploma
- Class A CDL
- At least 100,000 accident-free miles
- Ability to stand for long time periods
- Ability to lift between 15 and 50 pounds
- Hours vary by location, but expect to work long shifts of about 12 hours
Pepsi CDL Driver
Pay: $46,614 average, up to $71,188
Requirements:
- High school diploma
- At least 21
- Class A CDL
- Pass a drug test and physical
- Day shift can be as long as 12 hours
Delivery
FedEx City Driver or Road Driver
Pay: $35,472 average, up to $48,637
Requirements:
- High school diploma
- At least 21
- Class A CDL
- Clean driving record
- Clean background check
- Pass drug test
- FedEx trains drivers for about two weeks
UPS Tractor Trailer Driver
Pay: $50,465 average, up to $91,318
Requirements:
- High school diploma
- Class A CDL
- Clean driving record
- Pass a road test and physical
- Drivers work an average of 9 hours per shift, usually overnight
United States Postal Service Tractor Trailer Operator
Pay: $54,795 average, up to $91,318
Requirements:
- High school diploma
- At least 18
- Class A CDL
- Clean driving record
- Pass a background and drug check.
Trucking companies
Schneider
Pay: $58,387 average, up to $93,500
Requirements:
- Class A CDL
- Schneider offers a three-week driver training program
- Pass drug and background checks
- Clean driving record
- Pass a knowledge exam
- Expect to work about 10 or 11 hours per shift
Swift
Pay: $88,111 average, up to $178,500
Requirements:
- Swift drivers can earn their CDL in the “Swift Academy”
- Pass written and road tests
- Pass background checks
YRC Freight
Pay: $51,462 average, up to $84,500
Requirements:
- Good driving record,
- At least 21 years old
- Class A CDL
- At least a year of experience
- For inexperienced drivers (less than six months driving), there’s a training program where you’ll be paired with a veteran driver for 160 hours.
- Expect shifts to last between 8 and 11 hours
Companies that pay you to drive (CDL not required)
Coca Cola Delivery/Merchandising Driver
Pay: $33,089 average, up to $58,000
Requirements:
- Driver’s license
- Some customer service experience and/or merchandising experience preferred
- Expect to work 8-hour shifts and some weekends.
FedEx Casual Courier
Pay: $46,686 average, up to $78,500
Requirements:
- Driver’s license
- Courier license for your state, which may involve job shadowing
- Expect to work between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M.
Kroger Delivery Driver
Pay: $37,642 average, up to $65,000
Requirements:
- At least 21
- Driver’s license
- Good driving record
- Good communication skills,
- Ability to lift boxes up to 50 pounds
Frito-Lay Delivery Specialist (Local Driver)
Pay: $42,289 average, up to $69,500
Requirements:
- Driver’s license
- Good driving record
Pepsi Driver Merchandiser
Pay: $32,353 average, up to $58,000
Requirements:
- At least 18
- Driver’s license
- Insurance and your own vehicle
- Positions can be full-time or part-time
UPS Package Delivery Driver
Pay: $35,168 average, up to $56,577
Requirements:
- Driver’s license
- Expect to work longer shifts, between 8 and 12 hours
UPS Personal Vehicle Driver
Pay: $46,486 average, up to $79,000
Requirements:
- At least 21
- Driver’s license and a car
- Ability to lift boxes up to 70 pounds
United States Postal City Carrier
Pay: $41,788 average, up to $74,000
Requirements:
- U.S. citizen
- Valid driver’s license
- Pass a written exam
- Shifts are typically 8 hours
Apps that pay you to drive (CDL not required)
AmazonFlex
Pay: $43,009 average, up to $64,500
Requirements:
- Midsize vehicle or larger
- At least 21
- Driver’s license
- Smartphone
DoorDash
Pay: Doordashers make between $15 and $25 per hour, depending on mileage, delivery fees, and tips.
Requirements:
- At least 18
- Car and driver’s license (you can use a bike or scooter)
GrubHub
Pay: Similar to DoorDash, you’ll be paid based on mileage, delivery fees, and tips, but most drivers make an average of $18.28 per hour.
Requirements:
- At least 19
- Driver’s license
- Car (or a bike in some places)
- Smartphone
Instacart
Pay: $27,018 average, up to $46,556 per year
Requirements:
- At least 18
- Car and license
- Smartphone
- Able to lift 50 pounds.
Shipt
Pay: $42,900 average
Requirements:
- At least 18
- Car newer than 1997
- Smartphone
- Driver’s license
- Ability to lift 45 pounds
- Valid mailing address
Uber and UberEats
Uber pay: $42,257 average a year
Ubereats pay: $48,645 average a year
Requirements:
- At least 19 years old
- Car newer than 15 years
- Pass a background check
Where to find a job as a woman truck driver
WomenInTrucking.org career center
WomenInTrucking.org posts trucking industry jobs, as well as career-related advice. You can sign up for email alerts related to your keywords and filter through your search by location, position title, and job functions.
Indeed.com
One of the most popular job search sites, Indeed allows you to search keywords, locations, salary and more, plus sign up for email alerts. Create a profile with a resume and cover letter, and you can easily apply to multiple jobs in one sitting.
ZipRecruiter
Ziprecruiter walks you through questions about your job search and gives you estimates on what salary you can expect to make and shows you matching jobs.
FAQs about becoming a truck driver
Is it worth it becoming a truck driver?
Yes! Because truck driving doesn’t require a college degree, you can make money without paying back hefty loans, Chavez says.
“Even if you don’t have a diploma, just get a GED. No other education is required,” she says. “You can earn so much and not have to go to college and get into debt.”
Chavez does her best to encourage the women who reach out to her on social media and says that a career in truck driving can be a great opportunity.
“I get questions and messages on Instagram since TikTok doesn’t allow much communication,” Chavez says. “I message the women back, and if they are interested [in truck driving] I tell them to get a grant to pay for the training. It’s still a man’s world right now, but I feel like once more women get into it, like it, and become confident, they'll love it as much as I do.”
Is truck driving a good career for a woman?
Although the field is still dominated by men, the number of women in the field is growing, from 10% in 2019 to 13.7% in 2021.
“I’ve talked to so many trainers and so many people in HR who say that women are better at driving commercial vehicles,” Chavez says. “We’re diligent and careful. I think if more women are interested, that’s a good thing. There’s no micromanaging or corporate ladder to climb.”
What is the percentage of female truck drivers?
According to the Women in Trucking Association, 13.7% of long-haul drivers are now female.
What to expect for a female truck driver’s salary?
The average truck-driving salary in the United States is about $66,667 for less than one year of experience.
Is it hard becoming a truck driver?
No. The only thing you need to get started is a driver’s license and a diploma or GED. If you want to drive larger trucks and semis, you will need to go through a brief training program and earn a commercial license.
How do I get started as a truck driver?
Enroll in a CDL driving school — either an independent one in your state or one through a major carrier. Make sure you have a diploma or GED and regular license.
Can you make a living by being a truck driver?
Absolutely. The average salary for drivers with a year’s experience or less nationwide is $66,667.
Truck driving not for you? Check out these other job posts:
Great, informative article with resources. Fantastic.
How can I get a grant for CDL training?