High paying transportation jobs in Tennessee

Every transportation occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Tennessee. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single transportation job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Tennessee run 8.1% below the national average (2024), so a Tennessee salary is worth about 1.09× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Tennessee.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find transportation jobs in Tennessee

OccupationMedian, Tennessee · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$61,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,710 – $97,38017,290
2Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$58,620
Postsecondary nondegree award
$39,960 – $83,28064,890
3Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$47,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,530 – $58,9001,970
4Transportation Workers, All Other$46,280
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,120 – $66,6501,330
5Light Truck Drivers$45,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$29,190 – $83,48033,710
6Bus Drivers, School$44,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$22,900 – $61,6007,050
7Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors$43,270
No formal educational credential
$28,390 – $61,4002,550
8Driver/Sales Workers$42,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$20,800 – $51,6109,620
9Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$42,100
No formal educational credential
$35,520 – $54,66020,070
10Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$38,160
No formal educational credential
$30,230 – $48,420105,870
11Stockers and Order Fillers$36,140
No formal educational credential
$29,970 – $47,28060,130
12Packers and Packagers, Hand$35,980
No formal educational credential
$26,940 – $46,99014,030
13Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment$34,950
No formal educational credential
$26,350 – $47,3308,420
14Motor Vehicle Operators, All Other$33,550
No formal educational credential
$20,440 – $51,5002,310
15Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$33,450
No formal educational credential
$27,960 – $50,4503,240
16Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants$31,970
No formal educational credential
$25,450 – $38,4702,840
17Parking Attendants$30,780
No formal educational credential
$16,860 – $36,0902,660

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianTennessee	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,160	$43,710 – $97,380	17,290
2	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversPostsecondary nondegree award	$58,620	$39,960 – $83,280	64,890
3	Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercityHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,770	$39,530 – $58,900	1,970
4	Transportation Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,280	$26,120 – $66,650	1,330
5	Light Truck DriversHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,050	$29,190 – $83,480	33,710
6	Bus Drivers, SchoolHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,510	$22,900 – $61,600	7,050
7	Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsNo formal educational credential	$43,270	$28,390 – $61,400	2,550
8	Driver/Sales WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,220	$20,800 – $51,610	9,620
9	Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$42,100	$35,520 – $54,660	20,070
10	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNo formal educational credential	$38,160	$30,230 – $48,420	105,870
11	Stockers and Order FillersNo formal educational credential	$36,140	$29,970 – $47,280	60,130
12	Packers and Packagers, HandNo formal educational credential	$35,980	$26,940 – $46,990	14,030
13	Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentNo formal educational credential	$34,950	$26,350 – $47,330	8,420
14	Motor Vehicle Operators, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$33,550	$20,440 – $51,500	2,310
15	Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursNo formal educational credential	$33,450	$27,960 – $50,450	3,240
16	Automotive and Watercraft Service AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$31,970	$25,450 – $38,470	2,840
17	Parking AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$30,780	$16,860 – $36,090	2,660

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Tennessee. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Tennessee

Metro areas in Tennessee

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Tennessee

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Tennessee to rank honestly.

High paying transportation jobs in Tennessee

More for Tennessee

Metro areas in Tennessee

By field in Tennessee

Without a degree

High paying transportation jobs in each state