How much does a CDL-A job in New Jersey really pay, and how much of it do you keep? We pulled the numbers from our own job database and ran them through 2026 tax rates.
What New Jersey CDL-A jobs pay right now
In our database there are 47 open CDL-A jobs that hire drivers in New Jersey, and 39 of them list an average pay figure from the carrier.
| Weekly pay (carrier-reported average) | |
|---|---|
| Middle of the pack (median) | $1,520 |
| Lower quarter of jobs | $1,200 or less |
| Top quarter of jobs | $1,630 or more |
Other numbers worth knowing:
- 5 of these jobs get you home daily, 13 home weekly.
- 12 are local and 8 are dedicated.
- 13 accept brand-new CDL-A drivers.
Why New Jersey is different
Port Newark-Elizabeth is the largest container port on the East Coast, and the New Jersey Turnpike corridor (especially around Exit 8A) is packed with warehouses serving New York and Philadelphia. That makes New Jersey heavy on port, drayage and dedicated jobs, many of them home daily. Traffic and tolls are a big part of the job: ask who pays tolls and how much of the day is spent waiting at the port.
What you keep after taxes
Take a driver in New Jersey at the median: about $1,520 a week, 50 working weeks, so about $76,000 a year as a W-2 company driver, single, standard deduction.
| Per year | |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | $76,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$7,890 |
| New Jersey state income tax | −$2,653 |
| Social Security + Medicare | −$5,814 |
| Take-home | $59,643 (about $1,193 a week) |
New Jersey tax in short: a graduated state income tax, from 1.4% up to 10.75%, with a small personal exemption. New Jersey also takes small payroll deductions for disability, family leave and unemployment insurance, which are not in the table above. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have a reciprocity agreement, so if you live in one and work in the other you usually pay tax only where you live.
For comparison, the same paycheck in Texas (no state income tax) would leave about $2,653 more a year. Want to run your own numbers, or compare two offers after taxes? Use our free pay calculator: pick your state and it shows the take-home for both offers, including 1099 jobs.
These are estimates for a single filer with no other income, before health insurance, 401(k) and local taxes. Your real numbers depend on your situation; this is not tax advice.
Where the jobs are
Browse open New Jersey jobs by metro: Northern New Jersey, or see all New Jersey CDL-A jobs.
Sources: pay figures are carrier-reported averages from our job database (October 2026); federal brackets and standard deduction from the IRS 2026 inflation adjustments; state rates from the Tax Foundation's 2026 state income tax table; Social Security wage base from the SSA.
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