Truck Driver Pay in Maryland (2026)

Key numbers at a glance

Truck driver pay in Maryland: the numbers

Per BLS OEWS, May 2025, Maryland's heavy and tractor-trailer drivers (SOC 53-3032) earn a median of about $59,360 per year — a notch above the national median of $58,640 — with roughly 29,150 drivers working in the state. Entry-level earnings start near the 10th percentile at about $43,670, while experienced drivers in the top decile nationally clear $79,380. The state's dense economy keeps demand steady: distribution centers hug the I-95 corridor between Baltimore and the DC line, and the Port of Baltimore moves container and roll-on/roll-off freight that feeds regional drayage and OTR lanes.

Structure matters more than the headline. Maryland work skews toward regional and local routes — distribution, port drayage, construction and aggregates — with typical regional advertised pay in the rough range of $1,100–$1,700 per week (verify current offers with carriers; BLS does not track cents-per-mile). OTR jobs out of Maryland usually run Northeast corridors, where congestion pays in cents and costs in hours. Owner-operators should build expectations from their own cost per mile, not wage averages.

How miles and freight shape pay in Maryland

Three freight realities define the state. First, the Baltimore–Washington corridor: dense short-haul distribution with home-daily routes — less glamorous than cross-country, but the per-hour economics often beat OTR once you count unpaid downtime. Second, the Port of Baltimore: drayage demand rises and falls with port volumes; TWIC-carded drivers command a premium. Third, the Northeast proximity tax: Maryland-based OTR drivers eat I-95 tolls and Northeast traffic as a cost of doing business — factor tolls into any load profit calculation.

Taxes take a real bite: Maryland levies 2%–5.75% in state income tax plus county income taxes of roughly 2.25%–3.2%, a combined hit many interstate drivers underestimate. Neighboring no-tax contrasts are stark — a driver domiciled across the line in Pennsylvania or Delaware faces a very different April. Owner-operators should review the deductions list with a CPA who knows multistate trucking.

Working in Maryland: practical notes

Maryland's weigh stations and I-95 corridor enforcement are active — ELD compliance and clean inspection records directly affect which carriers will hire and at what rate. The state's fuel taxes sit in the upper-middle tier; interstate carriers file through IFTA (see the Maryland IFTA rates page and the IFTA calculator). For company drivers comparing offers, the useful questions are the same as anywhere: guaranteed weekly minimums, detention pay after how many hours, and how many of those "Northeast miles" are actually tolled, unpaid detours.