How much does a CDL-A job in Texas 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 Texas CDL-A jobs pay right now
In our database there are 62 open CDL-A jobs that hire drivers in Texas, and 53 of them list an average pay figure from the carrier.
| Weekly pay (carrier-reported average) | |
|---|---|
| Middle of the pack (median) | $1,200 |
| Lower quarter of jobs | $1,200 or less |
| Top quarter of jobs | $1,400 or more |
Other numbers worth knowing:
- 7 of these jobs get you home daily, 9 home weekly.
- 4 are local and 15 are dedicated.
- 12 accept brand-new CDL-A drivers.
Why Texas is different
Texas is huge, so "regional" can mean a lot of miles. Laredo is the busiest land port for trade between the US and Mexico, which keeps cross-border and warehouse freight moving in South Texas, and Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston have big distribution and dedicated fleets. Texas jobs in our database pay a bit less in the middle than the Midwest and Northeast, but you keep more of it, because Texas has no state income tax.
What you keep after taxes
Take a driver in Texas at the median: about $1,200 a week, 50 working weeks, so about $60,000 a year as a W-2 company driver, single, standard deduction.
| Per year | |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | $60,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$5,020 |
| Texas state income tax | −$0 |
| Social Security + Medicare | −$4,590 |
| Take-home | $50,390 (about $1,008 a week) |
Texas tax in short: no state income tax on wages. You still pay federal income tax and Social Security + Medicare. That's why a lower gross in Texas can still beat a higher gross in a high-tax state; compare take-home, not just pay.
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 Texas jobs by metro: Dallas-Fort Worth, or see all Texas 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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