Occupation overview

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for tank car, truck, and ship loaders is $58,870, or $28.30 per hour. About 10,700 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $81,320 in Maryland to $33,800 in Arkansas.

Median annual
$58,870
Median hourly
$28.30
Entry level (P10)
$39,460
Top 10% (P90)
$83,160
Employment
10,700
States covered
35

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$39,460
$46,300
$58,870
$70,060
$39,460$58,870$83,160
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $58,870.

Salary by state

All 35 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1Maryland$81,320$39.101100.59
2South Carolina$80,700$38.80900.57
3Montana$80,070$38.50802.37
4Minnesota$76,620$36.84——
5Alabama$75,450$36.272401.65
6Oregon$74,040$35.60——
7Massachusetts$71,750$34.491400.56
8New Hampshire$70,030$33.67400.91
9California$68,600$32.981100.09
10New Jersey$64,890$31.201200.40
11North Dakota$61,210$29.4331010.33
12Texas$61,170$29.411,6201.67
13Louisiana$58,900$28.325003.79
14Michigan$57,900$27.842000.66
15Missouri$57,750$27.761800.91
16Ohio$57,700$27.748202.15
17Wisconsin$57,250$27.521700.83
18West Virginia$54,750$26.32901.76
19Utah$53,370$25.66——
20Kentucky$53,160$25.561300.96
21Iowa$51,450$24.741801.71
22Colorado$51,200$24.61800.42
23Georgia$51,160$24.60500.16
24New York$48,220$23.191100.17
25Pennsylvania$48,120$23.13900.22
26New Mexico$48,010$23.08801.40
27Nebraska$46,300$22.26——
28Florida$45,540$21.894300.63
29Hawaii$45,240$21.75——
30North Carolina$44,910$21.592400.72
31Indiana$44,310$21.302501.16
32Idaho$41,700$20.05801.33
33Virginia$41,190$19.81600.20
34Oklahoma$35,360$17.001701.41
35Arkansas$33,800$16.251501.63

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do tank car, truck, and ship loaders make?

The median annual wage for tank car, truck, and ship loaders in the United States is $58,870, or $28.30 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $39,460, and the top 10% earn $83,160.

How many tank car, truck, and ship loaders are employed in the U.S.?

About 10,700 people work as tank car, truck, and ship loaders nationwide.

Which state pays tank car, truck, and ship loaders the most?

Maryland pays the most at a median of $81,320, followed by South Carolina ($80,700) and Montana ($80,070).

Which state pays tank car, truck, and ship loaders the least?

Arkansas has the lowest median at $33,800.

Where are tank car, truck, and ship loaders jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is North Dakota at 10.33×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes