Truck Driver Pay in Nebraska (2026)

Key numbers at a glance

Truck driver pay in Nebraska: the numbers

Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, May 2025 release. Nebraska employs about 23,160 of them — and at roughly 22.6 drivers per 1,000 jobs, the highest trucking intensity of any state profiled in this series, trucking is less an industry here than the state's connective tissue. Annual figures assume 2,080 hours.

The story is in the upper half: Nebraska's mean barely beats national, but the 75th percentile at $75,830 leaps past the national pattern — a market where experienced, stay-out drivers and specialized freight (grain, livestock, hopper and cattle work) genuinely out-earn. The gap between the median ($58,390) and the 75th ($75,830) is over $17,000, one of the widest in this series; the money is made by tenure and freight type, not by market average. BLS does not track CPM; company OTR roles here commonly advertise roughly $0.55–$0.75/mile with regional grain and dedicated lanes often structured as salary or pay-per-load. Confirm with carriers — the big Omaha-headquartered fleets publish their own scales.

How miles and freight shape pay in Nebraska

Nebraska is what happens when one interstate meets an agricultural economy. I-80 runs the entire state east-west — Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, North Platte — and carries a heavy share of transcontinental freight between Chicago and Salt Lake City, feeding distribution and fulfillment warehouses clustered along the corridor. The home-grown freight is farm freight: corn and soybeans in hoppers from the eastern counties, wheat from the west, and a cattle economy that moves stockers, feed and finished animals through the state's feedlots and processing plants around Lexington and Grand Island. Omaha itself is one of America's historic trucking-headquarters cities — Werner Enterprises is based there, and Crete Carrier in nearby Lincoln — which is a big reason the drivers-per-1,000 ratio is the highest in this series: those companies employ Nebraskans to haul freight in all 48 contiguous states.

Structurally the market is OTR-first: national van and reefer fleets running coast to coast with CPM scales, accessorials and weekly home-time promises of varying honesty. The regional alternative is strong — grain, hopper and cattle work runs on a seasonal calendar that peaks hard at planting and harvest, and I-80 dedicated routes offer predictable relays. Winters close I-80 several times a season, and drivers paid by the mile feel every closure hour. Owner-operators based here enjoy cheap operating costs and central geometry; run lanes through the load profit calculator and check the fuel surcharge terms on long plains legs where headwind burns real fuel. Compare other states on the truck driver pay by state hub.

The tax angle in Nebraska

Nebraska is cutting its top individual income tax rate from 5.2% to 4.55% effective January 1, 2026, with a scheduled path down to 3.99% by 2027 — part of a multi-year phase-down. On the $60,070 mean wage, expect a state bill commonly in the $2,500–$2,900 range depending on deductions and filing status. Combined with below-average living costs, Nebraska's effective take-home for the same nominal wage beats most coastal states. Owner-operators should layer the standard trucking tax deductions. Verify rates with the Nebraska Department of Revenue.