Drivers who use specially designed trailers to transport bulls and other forms of livestock are sometimes called bull haulers. Bull haulers do not only require commercial driving licenses and permits but must also be experienced and trained in the management and transport of animals. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have wage statistics specific to bull haulers. However, truck drivers of livestock are included in wage surveys among the specialized freight trucking sub-sector and the heavy truck driving sector.
Wage Estimates
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in the specialized freight trucking sector, which includes bull haulers, receive an hourly mean wage of $18.60, as of May 2010. This translates to a $38,690 mean annual salary. The median hourly wage is a little lower: $17.67. Drivers in the specialized freight trucking sector which drive light trucks receive a mean hourly wage of $14.96.
Salary by State
Demand for bull haulers varies by state as it does for all truck drivers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have specific statistics for livestock truck drivers but their wage variability is similar to the heavy trucking sector as a whole. According to a 2010 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state with more demand for heavy truck drivers is Texas, which is to be expected because Texas is ranked is ranked first for total livestock production in the United States. According to the same Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, Texas has an hourly mean wage for truck drivers of $17.86, while California, the second state with the highest demand, offers a mean hourly wage of $20.03.
Employment Demand
The states with the highest demand of employment in the heavy truck driver sector as a percentage of the population are Nebraska, with a hourly mean wage of $19.52, and Arkansas, with an hourly mean wage of $17.94, according to a 2010 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Salary by Metropolitan Area
Although the average wage of a livestock truck driver varies by state, it also varies widely from one metropolitan area to another. As many factories that process livestock are located close to metropolitan areas, wages are often higher close to large cities. The metropolitan area with the highest hourly mean wage for heavy truck drivers is Chicago, with an hourly wage of $21.83, while Houston is second with an hourly mean wage of $19.41.
