Transportation

Truck Driver Salary in South Carolina (2026)

The average Truck Driver in South Carolina earns around $60,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $47,947/year ($3,996/month).

Take-Home Pay Breakdown

CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$47,947
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$3,996
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$1,844
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$23/hr
Federal Tax
$5,020
State Tax
$2,443
FICA Taxes
$4,590
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

20.09%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

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Truck Driver Salary Ranges in South Carolina

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

South Carolina's truck-driver market is anchored by I-95 east-coast corridor (Florida to Maine via SC eastern), I-26 east-west corridor (Charleston to Asheville NC connecting Port of Charleston with TN + Midwest freight), I-85 north-south corridor (Atlanta to Charlotte via Greenville-Spartanburg Upstate SC), substantial Port of Charleston intermodal (the deepest US East Coast container port post-2022), substantial BMW Spartanburg automotive logistics (~30,000+ inbound parts trailers daily at peak production) + Boeing 787 Charleston + Volvo + Mercedes-Benz Vans automotive logistics, plus Walmart + Costco + Publix DC networks.

Senior OTR Driver (Long-Haul)

$70,000–$118,000+ OT

Schneider National + Werner + JB Hunt + Crete Carriers SC-based · OBBBA OT applies

Senior Dedicated Route (BMW / Boeing logistics)

$72,000–$108,000+ OT

BMW Spartanburg + Boeing 787 + Volvo + Mercedes-Benz dedicated logistics · home-most-nights

Senior Regional LTL (FedEx / UPS / OD)

$72,000–$105,000

Regional LTL · FedEx Freight + UPS Freight + Old Dominion · home daily/weekly · pension premium

Senior Tanker Driver

$78,000–$115,000+ OT

Tanker hauler · fuel + chemical commodity · X endorsement premium

Senior Flatbed Driver

$75,000–$118,000+ OT

Flatbed hauler · BMW + Boeing components + lumber + building materials · oversized load

Senior Owner-Operator (Independent)

$105,000–$180,000

O/O leased to SC carriers · self-employed · Schedule C + Section 179 truck depreciation

Senior Hazmat Driver

$82,000–$120,000+ OT

Hazmat endorsement · chemical + fuel + Port of Charleston · H endorsement

Senior Port Driver (Charleston)

$75,000–$115,000+ OT

Port of Charleston intermodal drayage · TWIC credential + port operations specialty

Mid-Career CDL Driver (3-7 yrs)

$62,000–$82,000+ OT

Mid-career CDL-A driver · transitioning to senior route band

New CDL Driver (0-2 yrs)

$48,000–$62,000+ OT

New CDL-A driver · SC CDL training programs · entry band

Worth knowing: The Port of Charleston is the deepest US East Coast container port (post-2022 Charleston Harbor Deepening to 52 feet, the only US East Coast port capable of handling fully-laden Post-Panamax + Ultra Large Container Vessels at any tide) and the structural depth feature most national truck-driver surveys understate for SC. Port of Charleston (~$25B+ annual cargo volume, ~2.6M TEUs annually as one of the country's top-10 container ports + the country's #1 vehicle import/export port handling ~270K vehicles annually including BMW Spartanburg exports + Volvo Charleston + Mercedes-Benz Vans + substantial vehicle import operations) supports substantial intermodal drayage + port driver work. BMW Manufacturing Co. Spartanburg's ~$11B annual revenue is supported by approximately 30,000+ inbound parts trailers daily during peak production — making BMW one of the largest US single-facility logistics operations. The 2025 No Tax on Overtime federal deduction applies to non-exempt SC truck driver OT through 2028. For a senior OTR driver at $85K base + $20K OT premium ($105K total), OBBBA produces ~$4,400 federal + ~$1,300 SC savings (at SC's progressive brackets) = ~$5,700 through 2028. SC's 6.5% top bracket affects mainly senior owner-operator + specialty driver comp at $200K+ TC. SC is RTW since 1954.

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