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Why LTL Drivers Earn Some of the Best Pay in Trucking
Old Dominion, ABF, TForce, Estes and XPO pay $75k–$120k and send most drivers home every night. Here's how to get in.
Less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers combine many small shipments into one trailer and move them through a network of terminals. That model means steady, local routes and some of the best pay in the industry.
Two kinds of LTL driving
- Pickup and delivery (city): local stops during the day, usually paid hourly, home every night.
- Linehaul (road): terminal-to-terminal runs, often overnight, usually paid by the mile. TForce road drivers, for example, have been listed at about 70.7¢ to 80.6¢ per mile.
Pay and benefits
Full-time LTL drivers commonly earn $75,000 to $120,000. ABF Freight is union (Teamsters), with city drivers around $32 to $42 an hour at top scale and a defined-benefit pension.
How to get hired
- Get endorsements: doubles/triples (T) and hazmat (H) are often required.
- Start on the dock: XPO, FedEx Freight and Old Dominion have programs that train dock workers into drivers.
- Build a year of clean experience at another carrier first.
The trade-offs
City drivers load and unload at many stops and sometimes work the dock between runs. Linehaul often means nights. Union carriers assign shifts by seniority.
A day as an LTL city driver
You arrive at the terminal early, take a trailer loaded for your area, and deliver to businesses in the morning. In the afternoon you pick up outbound freight and bring it back to the terminal. You might use a pallet jack or liftgate, and you'll back into tight docks all day.
A night as a linehaul driver
You hook up doubles at your home terminal in the evening, drive to another terminal a few hours away, swap trailers, and drive back. Freight is usually "no touch," and many linehaul drivers sleep in their own beds.
Endorsements that get you hired
- Doubles/triples (T): most linehaul work pulls two or three short trailers.
- Hazmat (H): LTL freight often includes small hazmat shipments.
Frequently asked questions
Is it union? ABF Freight is Teamsters-represented. Most other LTL carriers are non-union.
Do I need experience? Usually about a year, though dock-to-driver programs can get you in sooner.
Are there night shifts? Linehaul is mostly night work. City routes are mostly days.
Bottom line
If you want top pay and to be home every night, aim for LTL. Get your T and H endorsements early and build a clean first year.
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