Best Cities for Truck Driving Jobs
When it comes to finding a trucking job, the city you live in has a big impact on your career. Not only will it determine the areas you’ll be driving in and the weather conditions you’ll be traveling through, it also impacts the availability of jobs, potential income, and cost of living.
If you are looking to relocate or open to it if it means better opportunities, take a look at our list of best cities for truck driving jobs below. This can help you narrow down your choices for your next move and help you maximize your happiness in your truck driving career.
Best Routes
Some of the most preferred routes start in Florida, making Florida arguably the best state for CDL drivers. Based solely on routes alone, Orlando, FL and Lakeland, FL are two of the best cities to live for truck drivers.
These two areas in Central Florida are excellent starting locations for routes that travel north up the East Coast or west all the way to California. They also lend themselves to great local routes within Florida.
Another reason why Florida falls onto the list of best states for truck drivers is that there are tons of great stopping destinations in Florida and on routes to or from there. There’s no shortage of places to stop and break up your trip if you’re on a long haul.
Best Weather/Driving Conditions
In addition to great driving conditions in Florida, some other great areas to drive based on weather are California and Texas. If you’re looking for a bigcity with excellent driving conditions, Houston, TX and Dallas, TX are two options that might top your list. If you’d prefer a smaller city, Odessa, TX may be one to check out.
While driving in California is often preferred due to generally ideal road conditions, many truck drivers are deterred by the traffic in Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as the cost of living in the state. While these are certainly factors to consider, Sacramento, CA is a good choice to get all the benefits of the California weather while also dealing with fewer downsides.
Availability of Jobs
According to research done by Sparefoot and Indeed, Atlanta, GA and Indianapolis, IN rank the highest in the country in terms of truck driving job availability. This definitely puts the two areas on the list of best cities for trucking business as well as best cities to get a trucking job.
Dallas and Houston, listed above for their weather, also make the list as the 3rd and 4th spots in terms of job availability. Rounding out the top 5 is Charlotte, NC. If you’re looking to relocate but are concerned about actually getting a trucking job once you get there, check out these cities first.
Average Salary
Also listed within the study from Sparefoot and Indeed is average salary. Topping the list there is Atlanta with an average salary of $64,000. Coming in second is Chicago, IL.
As you may have guessed, average salary tends to be higher when cost of living goes up. Since these two factors go hand-in-hand, it’s important to consider them in conjunction as you make your decision. Memphis, TN and Phoenix, AZ are two other cities that have reported high average salaries, so make sure to check those out as well.
Cost of Living
There are a variety of factors that go into determining cost of living but not one defined way to officially calculate it. With that being said, typically average home price and average rent are two variables that can be considered while assessing cost of living.
Kansas City, MO is a great city to consider as it has a lower cost of living relative to other large cities while still having a fair average salary. Columbus, OH is another city to add to your list when concerned with cost of living.
As you’re planning out your career in the trucking industry, take into consideration all of these factors as you settle on a city for your home base. You may rank some factors higher than others, it really just depends on what’s important to you. And if you’re just starting your trucking career and need some training, check out our CDL training course.