How much does a Truck Driver make in Maine?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $51,930 for Truck Drivers in Maine as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $46,740 and the 75th-percentile is $60,400.

What does the top of the Truck Driver pay scale look like in Maine?

The 90th percentile lands at $66,720. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $60,400.

Why is the BEA RPP for Maine different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Maine's overall index of 98.0 reflects rents 80.4, services 148.2, and goods 98.3.

Where does Maine rank for Truck Driver pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Maine ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maine?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maine.

OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Maine?

BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Maine, OTR (over-the-road, multi-week trips) typically pays the highest gross — $65-90K range with experience — but on a real per-hour basis once away-from-home time is counted, regional (home weekly) and local/dedicated (home daily) routes often net comparable take-home. Local LTL and dedicated-fleet routes in Maine frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).

Owner-operator vs company driver in Maine — which actually nets more?

Gross revenue for an owner-operator in {state} can run $200K-$300K, but after truck payment, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and self-employment tax, net take-home typically lands $70-110K — modestly above company-driver pay but with substantially more risk and capital exposure. The owner-operator advantage is biggest for drivers with paid-off trucks or specialty routes (oversize, hazmat, refrigerated). Company-driver pay is the floor; owner-operator is volatile.

Maine Truck Driver Salary 2026 — BLS Median $52K, Real Take-Home $53K

TL;DR

Maine pays Truck Drivers a BLS median of $51,930 — the more useful number is $53,009, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Bottom quartile $46,740, top quartile $60,400. The P90 ($66,720) is roughly 1.7× the P10 ($39,860).
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Nominal: #40/51 · Real: #49/51 — ranking shifts by 9 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Maine

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$39,860	$40,688
P25 (lower quartile)	$46,740	$47,711
P50 (median)	$51,930	$53,009
P75 (upper quartile)	$60,400	$61,655
P90 (top tier)	$66,720	$68,107
Mean	$53,960	$55,081
Employment	10,180 Truck Drivers in Maine

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Maine index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.0
Goods	98.3
Services	148.2
Rents	80.4

Maine's overall RPP (98.0) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Maine (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Truck Driver)	$51,930	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,094	7.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,272	5.8–7.15% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,973	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$41,591	80.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$42,456	÷ (98.0 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Maine state-tax burden means for Truck Driver take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $41,591 (80.1% of gross). After the 98.0 RPP, real take-home is $42,456.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $57,440 for Truck Drivers with mean pay of $58,400 and total employment of 2,070,480. Maine sits at #40 on nominal pay and #49 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Maine falls 9 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Truck Driver make in Maine?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $51,930 for Truck Drivers in Maine as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $46,740 and the 75th-percentile is $60,400.
What does the top of the Truck Driver pay scale look like in Maine?: The 90th percentile lands at $66,720. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $60,400.
Why is the BEA RPP for Maine different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Maine's overall index of 98.0 reflects rents 80.4, services 148.2, and goods 98.3.
Where does Maine rank for Truck Driver pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Maine ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Maine?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Maine.
OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Maine?: BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Maine, OTR (over-the-road, multi-week trips) typically pays the highest gross — $65-90K range with experience — but on a real per-hour basis once away-from-home time is counted, regional (home weekly) and local/dedicated (home daily) routes often net comparable take-home. Local LTL and dedicated-fleet routes in Maine frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).
Owner-operator vs company driver in Maine — which actually nets more?: Gross revenue for an owner-operator in {state} can run $200K-$300K, but after truck payment, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and self-employment tax, net take-home typically lands $70-110K — modestly above company-driver pay but with substantially more risk and capital exposure. The owner-operator advantage is biggest for drivers with paid-off trucks or specialty routes (oversize, hazmat, refrigerated). Company-driver pay is the floor; owner-operator is volatile.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 53-3032, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Maine Truck Driver pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.