Prevailing wage hauling rates by state: the rules, the states, and where the rates live
Steve Woods · Lead Dispatcher, TruckSprint
Steve Woods leads the TruckSprint dispatch desk and reviews every guide we publish. How we research and update guides.
Updated October 2026
Quick answer
Prevailing wage hauling rates come from two places: Davis-Bacon wage determinations on covered federal projects (on SAM.gov), and state prevailing wage laws on state and local public works. Per DOL's table, 28 states and DC had a state law, plus Michigan since 2024. Under Davis-Bacon, a driver's on-site time and hauls from dedicated adjacent pits are covered.
Source: 29 CFR 5.2 (eCFR) and U.S. DOL state prevailing wage table · checked 2026-10
Public work can be steady dump truck work, with heavy paperwork. I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint. Dump trucks are one of the eleven equipment types we dispatch, and public projects are a big part of their work. This page covers the rules and official sources, not wage rates, which are set per project and county. Not legal advice.
Federal projects: Davis-Bacon and truck drivers
The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts require prevailing wages for laborers and mechanics on covered federal and federally assisted construction. For haulers, the regulation's definition of construction (29 CFR 5.2, revised in 2023) says transportation is covered when it is:
- (A) entirely within the site of the work;
- (B) moving significant portions of the building or work between a secondary construction site and the primary site;
- (C) between an adjacent or virtually adjacent dedicated support site (such as a borrow pit, batch plant or tool yard dedicated to the project) and the construction site;
- (D) on-site time a truck driver spends loading, unloading or waiting for materials, when that time isn't de minimis.
Source: 29 CFR 5.2, eCFR (88 FR 57731, Aug. 23, 2023) · checked 2026-10
So a delivery from a commercial quarry is generally covered only for meaningful on-site time, while a haul from a dedicated pit next to the site is covered. Check a scenario:
Is this driver time covered by Davis-Bacon?
Partly covered: the driver's time on the site for loading, unloading or waiting is covered when it isn't de minimis (item D). Driving time to and from the commercial supplier generally isn't.
Simplified from 29 CFR 5.2 for planning. Contract terms, the wage determination and DOL guidance decide real cases. Not legal advice.
Where the rates are: each covered contract includes a wage determination listing rates by classification and county, which can include separate truck driver rates by truck type. Wage determinations are published on SAM.gov. The rate that applies is the one in the contract.
State projects: prevailing wage laws by state
State and local public works follow state law, where there is one. Thresholds, coverage and how truck drivers are treated differ by state. The table uses DOL's state table for status and thresholds, and links the state's official page where we confirmed it:
State prevailing wage laws, 50 states + DC
51 shown
| State | State law? | Threshold (DOL table) | Official page / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No | Repealed 1980 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Alaska | Yes | $25,000 | Alaska page (opens in a new tab) |
| Arizona | No | Invalidated 1980; repealed 1984 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Arkansas | No | Repealed 2017 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| California | Yes | $1,000 (higher thresholds under Labor Code 1771.5) | California page (opens in a new tab) |
| Colorado | Yes | $500,000 for state-funded public projects | Check the state labor departmentCDOT projects pay Davis-Bacon wages regardless (per DOL table) |
| Connecticut | Yes | $1,000,000 new; $100,000 remodeling | Connecticut page (opens in a new tab) |
| Delaware | Yes | $500,000 new; $45,000 alteration and repair | Delaware page (opens in a new tab) |
| District of Columbia | Yes | $100,000 (living wage law) | District of Columbia page (opens in a new tab)Davis-Bacon applies to covered federal contracts over $2,000 |
| Florida | No | Repealed 1979 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Georgia | No | No law | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Hawaii | Yes | $2,000 | Hawaii page (opens in a new tab) |
| Idaho | No | Repealed 1985 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Illinois | Yes | None | Illinois page (opens in a new tab) |
| Indiana | No | Repealed 2015 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Iowa | No | No law | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Kansas | No | Repealed 1987 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Kentucky | No | Repealed 2017 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Louisiana | No | Repealed 1988 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Maine | Yes | $50,000 | Check the state labor department |
| Maryland | Yes | $250,000 with state funding conditions | Maryland page (opens in a new tab) |
| Massachusetts | Yes | None | Massachusetts page (opens in a new tab) |
| Michigan | Yes | See state law | Check the state labor departmentDOL's 2023 table lists a 2018 repeal; Michigan reinstated prevailing wage by 2023 Public Act 10, effective Feb 13, 2024 |
| Minnesota | Yes | $25,000 multiple trades; $2,500 single trade | Minnesota page (opens in a new tab) |
| Mississippi | No | No law | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Missouri | Yes | $75,000 | Check the state labor department |
| Montana | Yes | $25,000 | Montana page (opens in a new tab) |
| Nebraska | Yes | None | Check the state labor department |
| Nevada | Yes | $100,000 | Nevada page (opens in a new tab) |
| New Hampshire | No | Repealed 1985 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| New Jersey | Yes | $2,000 to $16,263 by public body type | Check the state labor department |
| New Mexico | Yes | $60,000 | Check the state labor department |
| New York | Yes | None | New York page (opens in a new tab) |
| North Carolina | No | No law | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| North Dakota | No | No law | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Ohio | Yes | $250,000 new; $75,000 remodeling (road and bridge thresholds differ) | Check the state labor departmentThresholds adjust periodically; check the Ohio Department of Commerce |
| Oklahoma | No | Invalidated 1995 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Oregon | Yes | None (project rules apply) | Oregon page (opens in a new tab) |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | $25,000 | Pennsylvania page (opens in a new tab) |
| Rhode Island | Yes | $1,000 | Check the state labor department |
| South Carolina | No | No law | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| South Dakota | No | No law | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Tennessee | Yes | $50,000, highway construction only | Check the state labor department |
| Texas | Yes | None | Check the state labor departmentEach public body sets its own rates under state law |
| Utah | No | Repealed 1981 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Vermont | Yes | $100,000, or state-funded conditions | Check the state labor department |
| Virginia | Yes | $250,000 with state funding or local ordinance conditions | Virginia page (opens in a new tab) |
| Washington | Yes | None | Washington page (opens in a new tab) |
| West Virginia | No | Repealed 2016 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Wisconsin | No | Repealed 2017 | Davis-Bacon only, on covered federal projects |
| Wyoming | Yes | $100,000 | Check the state labor department |
Status and thresholds: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, State Prevailing Wage Laws (last revised January 1, 2023). Links confirmed 2026-10. Laws change after DOL's table; the state page is the authority.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, State Prevailing Wage Laws (last revised January 1, 2023) · checked 2026-10
DOL's table hasn't been revised since January 2023, and laws change: Michigan reinstated its law effective February 13, 2024. Read the state's own page before you bid.
Hauling on a prevailing wage job: the checklist
- Find out what law applies: Davis-Bacon, a state law, both, or neither. The bid documents usually say.
- Get the wage determination for the county and the truck driver classification for your truck type.
- Know which time is covered: on-site time, dedicated pit hauls, or only part of the trip.
- Keep certified payroll if the contract requires it. On Davis-Bacon work, contractors submit weekly certified payroll.
- Track time by activity: driving off site, on-site loading and unloading, waiting. That's how covered time is proven.
- Ask in writing how owner-operators are treated before you bid.
What it means for your rate
Prevailing wage sets a floor for the driver's pay on covered time, not a rate for the truck. Your bid still has to cover the truck, fuel, insurance and the paperwork; see dump truck hauling rates for public equipment schedules, construction aggregate hauling statistics for public spending, and hauling aggregate for the loop math.