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Truck Driver salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a truck driver is $101,900 per annum, before tax, up $21,300 since 2018.
- Your rate is set by the enterprise agreement or award at the company you drive for, and night, weekend and long-haul work usually attracts penalty rates or overtime on top.
- Owner-drivers invoice per job or per kilometre, so fuel, maintenance and the rates they can negotiate decide what they clear.
- Ask at the interview whether overtime is paid or built into the advertised salary, and whether allowances cover overnight stays and unloading.
The median salary rose by $21,300 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than truck driver
The largest typical pay rise is $49,300 a year, moving into Miner.
- Miner+$49,300/yr
- Transport Manager+$36,000/yr
- Earthmoving Plant Operator+$1,100/yr
How to negotiate a higher truck driver salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time truck driver salary is $101,900; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Truck Drivers are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Driving and transport operations tend to command a premium over general truck driver experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Miner pays a typical $49,300 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Truck Driver salary questions
How much do truck drivers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a truck driver is $101,900 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is truck driver pay rising or falling?
The median truck driver salary is up $21,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than truck driver?
Miner pays a typical $49,300 a year more and draws on similar skills to truck driver.
Related salaries
- Transport Manager salary
- Earthmoving Plant Operator salary
- Bus Driver salary
- Miner salary
- Waste Collector salary
- Delivery Driver salary
Pay advice
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.