It turns out that Hawaii, primarily associated with exceptional vacations, can also be associated with truck drivers performing their profession. Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, according to research conducted in 2022 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Google Trends, are the safest states for truck drivers.
This conclusion is based on research that analyzed the number of fatal accidents involving trucks (per capita).
Further research also focused on wages and their levels, employment opportunities, job availability, interest in the transportation industry, and traffic intensity. All this to identify places where professionals with CDL licenses can find the most friendly and lucrative working conditions, as well as environments where such support is lacking and where you can encounter serious career obstacles.
And although the report shows that Hawaii has the lowest number of fatal truck accidents per capita – 0.14 (Rhode Island – 0.18, Massachusetts – 0.20) – this is due to two main factors, the state’s geographic isolation and the limited number of trucking routes.
Hawaii’s small size and reliance on maritime transport mean limited employment opportunities and, consequently, fewer trucks on the roads.
Hawaii topped the safety table, but when it comes to employment and job opportunities, it ranks at the bottom.
On average, only 6 out of 1,000 job offers were for truck drivers. In addition, only 72 job offers were found on websites looking for employees from this professional group. Traffic jams are another disadvantage of this island paradise. In Hawaii, there are 22,643 vehicles registered per mile. In comparison, in Wyoming, there are 975 vehicles per interstate mile.
After reviewing the above statistics, probably none of our readers will be looking for a job as a commercial driver in Hawaii, and this place will remain a vacation destination.
So which state can we find a job as a truck driver the fastest? When it comes to job offers, Ohio topped the list with 2,160 online job offers, followed by Pennsylvania – 2,017 and Texas – 1,907.
One of our wildest states, Alaska, is the leader in terms of wages. The average annual salary for a truck driver in this state is $65,870. New Jersey and Washington were in the top three with salaries of $64,270 and $63,160, respectively. CDL drivers are least appreciated in West Virginia – $48,460, New Mexico – $48,890, and Louisiana – $49,780.
About 500 miles east of Chicago is the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, which has been recognized as the best metropolitan area in the US for truck drivers, with the highest average annual salary of $77,110 and 27.45 truck drivers per 1,000 jobs.
In conclusion, and taking all factors into account, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin have been recognized as the best states for truck drivers due to solid employment opportunities, competitive wages, and relatively favorable working conditions.
Wishing you wide and safe roads from ALL ABOUT TRUCKS & TransLab!!! We put Truckers first!!
