How are Massachusetts Truck Driver salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

How wide is the wage spread in Massachusetts?

P10 to P90 spans $44,640 to $75,220. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Massachusetts a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?

No — Massachusetts's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Massachusetts?

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 Massachusetts.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Massachusetts?

BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).

CDL school cost and payback in Massachusetts?

CDL Class A schools in Massachusetts typically run $4,000-$8,000 over 4-8 weeks, often partly or fully reimbursed by carriers in exchange for a 12-month commitment. With first-year company-driver pay around $50-65K in Massachusetts, payback is usually inside 6 months even at full self-pay. Endorsements (hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples) add $500-$2,000 to certification cost and unlock 5-15% wage premiums on appropriate routes.

Massachusetts Truck Driver Salary: BLS $61K Median, Real $56K (2026)

TL;DR

Headline Truck Driver pay in Massachusetts is $60,630. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $56,308.
P25-P75 spread runs $49,150 to $64,580; P10 floor $44,640, P90 ceiling $75,220.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Truck Driver ranking: #8 on the BLS table, #34 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Massachusetts

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$44,640	$41,458
P25 (lower quartile)	$49,150	$45,647
P50 (median)	$60,630	$56,308
P75 (upper quartile)	$64,580	$59,977
P90 (top tier)	$75,220	$69,858
Mean	$59,300	$55,073
Employment	32,170 Truck Drivers in Massachusetts

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Massachusetts index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	107.7
Goods	100.0
Services	166.1
Rents	130.1

Massachusetts is a high-cost state — RPP 107.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (130.1) and services (166.1).

After-tax take-home — Massachusetts (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)	$60,630	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,138	8.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,032	5% flat 2026 (4% surtax above $1M)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,638	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$47,823	78.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$44,414	÷ (107.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $47,823 (78.9% of gross). After the 107.7 RPP, real take-home is $44,414.

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. Massachusetts sits at #8 on nominal pay and #34 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Massachusetts falls 26 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Massachusetts Truck Driver salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
How wide is the wage spread in Massachusetts?: P10 to P90 spans $44,640 to $75,220. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Massachusetts a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Truck Drivers?: No — Massachusetts's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Massachusetts?: 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 Massachusetts.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
OTR vs regional vs local truck driver pay in Massachusetts?: BLS aggregates Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (53-3032) into one figure. In Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts frequently pay above the BLS median when union-represented (Teamsters).
CDL school cost and payback in Massachusetts?: CDL Class A schools in Massachusetts typically run $4,000-$8,000 over 4-8 weeks, often partly or fully reimbursed by carriers in exchange for a 12-month commitment. With first-year company-driver pay around $50-65K in Massachusetts, payback is usually inside 6 months even at full self-pay. Endorsements (hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples) add $500-$2,000 to certification cost and unlock 5-15% wage premiums on appropriate routes.

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 Massachusetts 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.