State Overview
There are over 270 trucking companies in Delaware and the industry employs 3,790 drivers. The highest paid truck drivers earn $48,810 ($23.47 hourly). The highest paying areas are Sussex County with a Median Annual Salary of $37,140 and Dover ($34,610).
Pros and Cons of Truck Driving in Delaware
GOOD:
- Delaware doesn’t have state or local sales tax
BAD:
- Lots of stops and starts when driving in Delaware
Truck Driving Tips for Delaware
- Get some over the road experience (a year or two) then look for that local job
- Don’t build a bad reputation, it seems that everyone knows everyone
- Understand the fatigue that comes with night driving
- Make sure you have an up-to-date atlas that includes bridge heights
- Many accidents can be prevented by communicating road conditions ahead of you
Fellow Truck Drivers in Delaware Say:
“Respectful drivers and nice scenery”
Jerry T. – 5 years of experience
GOOD
The scenery can be nice also the amount of respect other drivers can show you goes a long way
BAD
Traffic, ignorant 4 wheel drivers no driver courtesy and distracted drivers abound
TIP TO NEW DRIVERS
Watch out for sudden stops and starts and watch out for all the other drivers and hang in there with road rage these people know not what they do
“Inexpensive driving”
Brad M. – 4 years driving experience
GOOD
Kent and Sussex counties are pretty spread out so it makes it easy to navigate. New castle County isn’t that bad either but still a bit more congested than the 2 southern counties. Tolls are inexpensive
BAD
One headache of driving a truck in Delaware is the large chicken plants in the little towns. Usually at shift starts and ends traffic backs up around the plants for excessive amounts of time.
TIP TO NEW DRIVERS
Stick with it, everything has its ups and downs but there are benefits to not having someone with you all hours of the day.