Transportation

Truck Driver Salary in Louisiana (2026)

The average Truck Driver in Louisiana earns around $60,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $49,116/year ($4,093/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$49,116
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$4,093
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,889
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$24/hr
Federal Tax
$5,020
State Tax
$1,274
FICA Taxes
$4,590
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

18.14%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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Truck Driver Salary Ranges in Louisiana

Entry Level (0–3 yrs)

$48,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Mid Level (3–7 yrs)

$60,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Senior Level (7+ yrs)

$100,000

/year

See tax breakdown →

Not all Truck Drivers earn the same — not even close

Louisiana's truck driver market is anchored by the Port of South Louisiana (the country's #1 US port by total tonnage at ~250M tons/yr + substantial grain + petroleum + chemical + ag + raw materials handling) + Port of New Orleans + Port of Baton Rouge + Port Fourchon (the country's only US deepwater oil port via the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port LOOP) + Port of Lake Charles, the substantial LA petrochemical corridor + LNG export terminal cluster trucking demand (chemical hauling + tanker + bulk + flatbed + heavy haul + oversize/overweight permits), the substantial LA offshore + Gulf oil + gas service industry trucking (Edison Chouest + GIS + offshore equipment + frac sand + drilling fluids + cementing + completions), LA Department of Transportation and Development I-10 + I-12 + I-20 + I-49 corridor work, plus LA agriculture (LA #1 US crawfish + ~$3B+ LA sugar + LA rice + LA cotton + LA soybean + LA cattle).

Senior OTR Tanker Driver (Petrochem / LNG)

$78,000–$118,000+ OT + per-diem

OTR tanker hazmat + LNG + chemical hauling · CDL + Tanker + Hazmat + TWIC + OBBBA OT applies

Senior Owner-Operator (Port Drayage)

$108,000–$185,000+ gross

Owner-op port drayage at Port NOLA + Port South LA + Port Fourchon · per-load · book of business

Senior LTL Linehaul Driver

$82,000–$118,000+ OT

LTL linehaul · Old Dominion + Saia + ABF Freight + FedEx Freight · NOLA + BR + Shreveport hubs

Senior Frac Sand / Oilfield Driver

$82,000–$128,000+ OT

Frac sand + drilling fluids + cementing · Permian + Haynesville + LA offshore service

Senior Flatbed / Heavy Haul Driver

$78,000–$118,000+ OT

Flatbed + heavy haul + over-dimensional · LNG modular + petrochem equipment + ag · LA permit

Senior Local / Regional Driver

$68,000–$95,000+ OT

Local + regional LA driver · home most nights · LA petrochem + ag + retail distribution

Senior Driver-Trainer / Lead Driver

$82,000–$118,000+ OT

Driver-trainer at fleet carrier · CDL school + clean record + experience

Senior Auto-Hauler / Specialty

$78,000–$118,000+

Auto-hauler + heavy specialty · Schnitzer + Jack Cooper + LA + Gulf Coast specialty

Mid-Level Driver (3-5 yrs)

$58,000–$82,000+ OT

Mid-career LA driver · transitioning to specialty + senior band

New Grad Driver (0-2 yrs)

$48,000–$68,000+ OT

New grad CDL · LA community college CDL + carrier training program · entry band

Worth knowing: The Port of South Louisiana is the country's #1 US port by total tonnage and a feature most national truck driver compensation surveys understate for LA. The Port of South Louisiana (covering ~54 miles along the Mississippi River from St. Charles to St. John the Baptist Parish + ~250M tons annual cargo across grain + petroleum + chemical + ag + raw materials + the substantial Convent + Reserve + LaPlace + Norco + Garyville + Geismar + Sorrento port facilities + collectively the country's #1 US grain export port + the country's #1 US bulk export port) supports substantial LA port drayage + intermodal + tanker + bulk + flatbed trucking demand. The Port of New Orleans + Port of Baton Rouge + Port of Lake Charles + Port Fourchon collectively support the country's largest concentrated US port drayage market between Houston + Mobile. The substantial LA petrochemical corridor + LNG export terminal cluster supports substantial hazmat + tanker + bulk chemical + cryogenic + flatbed + heavy haul + over-dimensional trucking with substantial TWIC + hazmat + tanker + LNG specialty endorsement premiums. Senior LA OTR tanker drivers at LNG + petrochem hauling clear $78-118K + OT + per-diem. The substantial LA Haynesville Shale + LA offshore Gulf oil + gas service industry trucking demand at Lafayette + Houma + Morgan City supports substantial frac sand + drilling fluids + cementing trucking. LA's substantial agriculture (LA #1 US crawfish + ~$3B+ LA sugar + LA rice + LA cotton + LA soybean + LA cattle) supports substantial LA ag + bulk + reefer trucking. LA's substantial Port + LNG + petrochem trucking concentration + LA DOTD I-10 + I-12 + I-20 + I-49 corridor work supports substantial LA driver demand. LA's flat 3% (post-2024 Act 11) + LA RTW since 1976 + no state estate tax. The 2025 No Tax on Overtime federal deduction applies through 2028.

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