High paying transportation jobs in Kentucky with no degree

The best paid transportation occupations in Kentucky that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in Kentucky run 9.8% below the national average (2024), so a Kentucky salary is worth about 1.11× 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 Kentucky.

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

Find transportation jobs in Kentucky

OccupationMedian, Kentucky · Employed

1Commercial Pilots$129,990
Postsecondary nondegree award
$83,130 – $355,390800
2Crane and Tower Operators$62,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,810 – $89,660640
3First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$60,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,780 – $90,33010,180
4Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$56,340
Postsecondary nondegree award
$38,670 – $85,63031,760
5Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$54,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,020 – $61,5902,570
6Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$52,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,670 – $75,6501,010
7Sailors and Marine Oilers$47,460
No formal educational credential
$36,580 – $62,0801,470
8Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$46,630
No formal educational credential
$35,540 – $70,84011,270
9Bus Drivers, School$44,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,760 – $63,4706,820
10Conveyor Operators and Tenders$44,800
No formal educational credential
$39,180 – $58,390780
11Light Truck Drivers$43,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$26,780 – $84,04015,630
12Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors$43,100
No formal educational credential
$29,610 – $56,1701,580
13Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$42,770
No formal educational credential
$30,890 – $49,75057,930
14Machine Feeders and Offbearers$42,200
No formal educational credential
$35,340 – $65,650980
15Driver/Sales Workers$37,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$20,800 – $58,9206,140
16Packers and Packagers, Hand$36,850
No formal educational credential
$29,430 – $50,3105,900
17Stockers and Order Fillers$36,810
No formal educational credential
$29,500 – $60,33047,730
18Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment$34,470
No formal educational credential
$27,260 – $49,7505,580
19Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$33,580
No formal educational credential
$24,960 – $44,1202,630
20Parking Attendants$31,630
No formal educational credential
$23,260 – $38,5801,480
21Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants$31,410
No formal educational credential
$20,850 – $38,2001,220

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

#	Occupation	MedianKentucky	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Commercial PilotsPostsecondary nondegree award	$129,990	$83,130 – $355,390	800
2	Crane and Tower OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,000	$40,810 – $89,660	640
3	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,090	$43,780 – $90,330	10,180
4	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversPostsecondary nondegree award	$56,340	$38,670 – $85,630	31,760
5	Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercityHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,550	$32,020 – $61,590	2,570
6	Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,530	$30,670 – $75,650	1,010
7	Sailors and Marine OilersNo formal educational credential	$47,460	$36,580 – $62,080	1,470
8	Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$46,630	$35,540 – $70,840	11,270
9	Bus Drivers, SchoolHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,830	$36,760 – $63,470	6,820
10	Conveyor Operators and TendersNo formal educational credential	$44,800	$39,180 – $58,390	780
11	Light Truck DriversHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,230	$26,780 – $84,040	15,630
12	Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsNo formal educational credential	$43,100	$29,610 – $56,170	1,580
13	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNo formal educational credential	$42,770	$30,890 – $49,750	57,930
14	Machine Feeders and OffbearersNo formal educational credential	$42,200	$35,340 – $65,650	980
15	Driver/Sales WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,030	$20,800 – $58,920	6,140
16	Packers and Packagers, HandNo formal educational credential	$36,850	$29,430 – $50,310	5,900
17	Stockers and Order FillersNo formal educational credential	$36,810	$29,500 – $60,330	47,730
18	Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentNo formal educational credential	$34,470	$27,260 – $49,750	5,580
19	Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursNo formal educational credential	$33,580	$24,960 – $44,120	2,630
20	Parking AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$31,630	$23,260 – $38,580	1,480
21	Automotive and Watercraft Service AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$31,410	$20,850 – $38,200	1,220

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Kentucky. 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 Kentucky

Metro areas in Kentucky

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

By field in Kentucky

Without a degree

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

High paying transportation jobs in Kentucky with no degree

More for Kentucky

Metro areas in Kentucky

By field in Kentucky

Without a degree

High paying transportation jobs in each state with no degree