Updated July 2026
CDL Driver Pay Benchmarks by Segment
What carriers actually pay, segment by segment: not a single average but the full weekly-pay distribution (median, quartiles, and the 90th percentile) computed from active job postings in Lanefinder's index. Pick your segment to see where your offer sits, or read how the benchmark is computed .
Flatbed driver pay
Flatbed pay carries a skill premium: load securement, tarping, and oversize/over-dimensional handling raise the bar on competence, and the physical work and weather exposure keep the labor pool tighter than dry van.
Reefer driver pay
Refrigerated pay reflects the added responsibility of temperature-controlled freight: reefer monitoring, tighter delivery windows, and food-safety/load-integrity stakes.
Dry van driver pay
Dry van is the largest and most competitive segment, so its distribution is the closest thing to a market baseline: high posting volume, broad experience range, and pay clustered around the median.
Tanker driver pay
Tanker pay reflects endorsement and handling requirements: the tanker (N) endorsement, surge/baffle handling, and often hazmat (H) on top.
Car carrier driver pay
Car-hauler pay reflects a specialized, equipment-intensive niche: high-value loads, exacting damage standards, and demanding load/unload skill.
Container driver pay
Drayage and container work is lane- and port-driven: short-haul intermodal moves, port/rail-yard turn times, and chassis logistics shape the pay structure more than long-haul mileage.
Dump driver pay
Dump work is construction- and aggregate-driven, so pay tracks regional building activity and is often seasonal and local/regional rather than over-the-road.
Hopper bottom driver pay
Hopper-bottom (grain/bulk-ag) pay is shaped by harvest seasonality and regional agricultural demand.
Livestock driver pay
Livestock hauling is a specialized segment with live-cargo welfare responsibilities, irregular hours, and load-handling skill that thin the operator pool.
Log driver pay
Log hauling is a heavy, off-highway, region-specific segment: rugged terrain, securement of heavy uneven loads, and forestry-cycle demand.
Hazmat tanker driver pay
Hazmat tanker sits near the top of the pay range: it stacks the tanker (N) and hazmat (H) endorsements, regulatory exposure, and elevated risk.
Pneumatic tanker driver pay
Pneumatic (dry-bulk) tanker work (cement, plastics, dry chemicals) requires blower/offload expertise and patience with long load/unload cycles.
Curtain van driver pay
Curtainside combines van-style enclosure with flatbed-style side access, so it spans general and specialized freight.
Double drop driver pay
Double-drop (lowboy) hauls tall and heavy specialized loads (machinery, equipment) with oversize/permit handling and securement skill.
Step deck driver pay
Step-deck (drop-deck) pay reflects taller-load capability beyond standard flatbed plus the same securement and tarping skill set.
Removable gooseneck (RGN) driver pay
RGN (removable gooseneck) is heavy-haul territory: the highest-skill flatbed-family work, hauling oversize and over-dimensional equipment under permits.
Walking floor driver pay
Walking-floor trailers self-unload bulk commodities (mulch, waste, aggregates) via a moving floor, a niche with specialized equipment and regional demand.
Home time & miles by segment
The other half of the offer: offered weekly miles, dedicated-route share, and home time, benchmarked from the same active postings.
Flatbed home time & miles
Flatbed freight skews regional and OTR: steel, lumber, and building materials move plant-to-site on irregular lanes, so dedicated runs are scarcer than in van freight.
Reefer home time & miles
Reefer work follows produce and food-service lanes: longer hauls, tighter delivery windows, and more weekend movement than dry freight, since the freight doesn't stop being perishable on Saturday.
Dry van home time & miles
Dry van is the baseline for lane structure: the biggest share of dedicated-route postings, the most regional and OTR variety, and offered miles that set the market's reference distribution.
Tanker home time & miles
Tanker lanes are shorter and more repeatable than general freight: fuel, chemicals, and food-grade liquid move on fixed origin-destination pairs, so local and dedicated work is common.
Car carrier home time & miles
Car-haul work clusters around ports, rail ramps, auctions, and dealer networks: repeatable regional loops with high-touch load/unload.
Container home time & miles
Drayage is the most local segment there is: port and rail-yard turns, often home daily, with mileage bounded by gate hours and chassis logistics rather than road time.
Dump home time & miles
Dump work is construction-driven and overwhelmingly local: quarry-to-site loops that start early and end at home.
Hopper bottom home time & miles
Hopper freight tracks the agricultural calendar: grain-belt loops that surge at harvest and slow in winter.
Livestock home time & miles
Live-haul runs are schedule-critical and often long: animals move when they need to move, including nights and weekends.
Log home time & miles
Log hauling is short-loop, off-highway regional work: woods-to-mill circuits concentrated in timber regions, usually home daily.
Hazmat tanker home time & miles
Hazmat tanker lanes mirror standard tanker structure (fixed, repeatable origin-destination pairs) with added routing constraints (tunnel and route restrictions) that keep hauls planned and regional.
Pneumatic tanker home time & miles
Dry-bulk pneumatic work runs plant-to-site on regional loops (cement, sand, and plastics) with long blower unload cycles that cap weekly mileage.
Curtain van home time & miles
Curtainside freight blends van lane structure with flatbed-style cargo, so lanes look like dry van (regional, with meaningful dedicated share) while load handling adds site time that trims offered miles..
Double drop home time & miles
Double-drop and lowboy moves are project freight: machinery and equipment on planned, often permitted routes.
Step deck home time & miles
Step-deck lanes look like flatbed (regional and OTR, plant-to-site, modest dedicated share) with taller loads adding permit and routing considerations.
Removable gooseneck (RGN) home time & miles
RGN heavy-haul is planned-move freight: oversize equipment on permitted routes with escort and daylight-driving constraints.
Walking floor home time & miles
Walking-floor freight (mulch, waste, ag byproducts) runs short regional loops with self-unloading at the destination.
Carrier response times by segment
How many applications get a genuine carrier response, and how fast. Most applicants never hear back, and speed wins the hire.
Benchmark your offer
If applications are slow, pay is the first thing to rule out. Tell us what you're offering and we'll show you where it sits in the current distribution, and how the fastest-hiring carriers on Lanefinder structure their offers.