Light Truck Drivers
Also called: Delivery Driver, Driver, Package Car Driver, Truck DriverDrive a light vehicle, such as a truck or van, with a capacity of less than 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), primarily to pick up merchandise or packages from a distribution center and deliver. May load and unload vehicle.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 13 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 6.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 4.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Driver/sales workers and truck drivers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.0 hires for every 10 job openings in transportation, warehousing, and utilities, which employs about 48% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,490 | $31,390 to $48,030 | 13,980 |
| Alaska | $57,190 | $48,620 to $82,740 | 1,790 |
| Arizona | $45,140 | $39,400 to $53,240 | 18,400 |
| Arkansas | $37,080 | $30,770 to $48,040 | 9,340 |
| California | $46,790 | $42,160 to $56,840 | 111,950 |
| Colorado | $48,410 | $43,190 to $56,040 | 15,810 |
| Connecticut | $44,500 | $37,310 to $52,910 | 10,720 |
| Delaware | $43,990 | $34,620 to $48,050 | 4,200 |
| District of Columbia | $49,330 | $45,930 to $57,160 | 540 |
| Florida | $41,810 | $37,200 to $46,880 | 67,390 |
| Georgia | $44,050 | $35,880 to $53,340 | 26,050 |
| Guam | $25,100 | $22,790 to $29,310 | 350 |
| Hawaii | $45,930 | $37,930 to $58,740 | 3,690 |
| Idaho | $44,370 | $38,230 to $57,320 | 7,120 |
| Illinois | $47,380 | $39,820 to $60,290 | 47,190 |
| Indiana | $44,560 | $37,090 to $51,110 | 19,880 |
| Iowa | $42,750 | $37,090 to $47,500 | 9,680 |
| Kansas | $43,730 | $36,710 to $47,690 | 9,140 |
| Kentucky | $43,230 | $33,510 to $57,950 | 15,630 |
| Louisiana | $39,440 | $30,880 to $50,840 | 14,300 |
| Maine | $44,550 | $34,190 to $56,130 | 3,120 |
| Maryland | $48,150 | $38,350 to $62,010 | 18,420 |
| Massachusetts | $48,110 | $40,860 to $56,930 | 23,350 |
| Michigan | $43,000 | $35,570 to $48,440 | 26,160 |
| Minnesota | $48,880 | $39,760 to $60,530 | 17,360 |
| Mississippi | $38,140 | $31,120 to $52,120 | 7,030 |
| Missouri | $45,500 | $36,570 to $57,410 | 16,210 |
| Montana | $46,420 | $37,070 to $55,570 | 2,960 |
| Nebraska | $44,120 | $37,270 to $49,440 | 4,210 |
| Nevada | $43,760 | $38,440 to $51,130 | 9,520 |
| New Hampshire | $46,260 | $38,730 to $53,540 | 4,670 |
| New Jersey | $46,820 | $41,000 to $53,250 | 33,900 |
| New Mexico | $42,360 | $34,740 to $47,140 | 4,220 |
| New York | $46,330 | $39,390 to $55,240 | 56,490 |
| North Carolina | $39,910 | $32,750 to $46,700 | 31,810 |
| North Dakota | $47,950 | $37,950 to $56,160 | 1,950 |
| Ohio | $42,600 | $33,710 to $46,260 | 35,130 |
| Oklahoma | $39,840 | $30,690 to $49,080 | 10,020 |
| Oregon | $47,150 | $42,360 to $54,040 | 11,120 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,120 | $35,140 to $54,630 | 42,380 |
| Puerto Rico | $24,430 | $22,160 to $27,930 | 5,760 |
| Rhode Island | $45,660 | $35,820 to $53,680 | 3,110 |
| South Carolina | $37,680 | $29,830 to $47,370 | 11,950 |
| South Dakota | $43,240 | $34,230 to $48,720 | 4,820 |
| Tennessee | $45,050 | $38,150 to $54,110 | 33,710 |
| Texas | $42,500 | $34,800 to $50,170 | 78,540 |
| Utah | $45,860 | $39,710 to $48,170 | 9,930 |
| Vermont | $45,090 | $34,980 to $56,290 | 2,050 |
| Virgin Islands | $31,180 | $28,490 to $37,770 | 80 |
| Virginia | $42,450 | $35,180 to $47,710 | 25,170 |
| Washington | $49,070 | $44,920 to $57,350 | 23,290 |
| West Virginia | $38,860 | $28,200 to $52,530 | 3,330 |
| Wisconsin | $45,670 | $38,220 to $52,690 | 19,140 |
| Wyoming | $43,780 | $33,910 to $51,840 | 1,450 |
Nationally: $44,860. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Obey traffic laws and follow established traffic and transportation procedures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Read maps and follow written or verbal geographic directions. | Not published |
| Not much | Load and unload trucks, vans, or automobiles. | Not published |
| AI + software | Verify the contents of inventory loads against shipping papers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Report any mechanical problems encountered with vehicles. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain records, such as vehicle logs, records of cargo, or billing statements, in accordance with regulations. | Not published |
See all 13 tasks
| Not much | Inspect and maintain vehicle supplies and equipment, such as gas, oil, water, tires, lights, or brakes, to ensure that vehicles are in proper working condition. | Not published |
| AI + software | Present bills and receipts and collect payments for goods delivered or loaded. | Not published |
| Not much | Drive vehicles with capacities under three tons to transport materials to and from specified destinations, such as railroad stations, plants, residences, offices, or within industrial yards. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn in receipts and money received from deliveries. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform emergency repairs, such as changing tires or installing light bulbs, fuses, tire chains, or spark plugs. | Not published |
| Not much | Use and maintain the tools or equipment found on commercial vehicles, such as weighing or measuring devices. | Not published |
| AI + software | Report delays, accidents, or other traffic and transportation situations to bases or other vehicles, using telephones or mobile two-way radios. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 13 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 13 tasks fall under 12 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Maintain vehicles in working condition | |||
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment |
Show all 12 activities
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Inspect vehicles | |||
| Collect fares or payments | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for light truck drivers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 86,644 moves out
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 13%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 2%
- 4 Driver/Sales Workers Moderate +7.9% 2%
- 5 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 2%
Where people moved in from
of 96,430 moves in
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 9%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Driver/Sales Workers Moderate +7.9% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 25% less than high school
- 74% high school
- 1% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 14% less than high school
- 47% high school
- 23% some college
- 7% associate's
- 7% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Driver/sales workers and truck drivers” · 36,943 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Driver/sales workers and truck drivers”
1 program: Truck and Bus Driver/Commercial Vehicle Operator and Instructor.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
>99.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/53-3033.00