Route Manager / Supervisor Salary
Salary Breakdown
Route Manager / Supervisor Pay Per Hour
A route manager / supervisor in waste management earns an average of $32.00 per hour. The table below converts every annual figure on this page to an hourly, weekly and monthly equivalent at a standard 2080-hour work year (40 hours a week, 52 weeks), so you can compare an hourly job posting directly against an advertised annual salary.
| Level | Per Hour | Per Week | Per Month | Per Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $23.08 | $923 | $4,000 | $48,000 |
| Low end | $25.00 | $1,000 | $4,333 | $52,000 |
| Average | $32.00 | $1,288 | $5,583 | $67,000 |
| High end | $40.87 | $1,635 | $7,083 | $85,000 |
| Senior / top of scale | $45.67 | $1,827 | $7,917 | $95,000 |
Hourly, weekly and monthly columns are calculated from the annual figures in this guide (annual ÷ 2080 hours, ÷ 52 weeks and ÷ 12 months). They describe base pay only. Overtime, shift differentials and bonuses are not included.
Top Paying Cities
| City | State | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | TX | $75,000 |
| Los Angeles | CA | $74,000 |
| Chicago | IL | $72,000 |
| Atlanta | GA | $69,000 |
| Phoenix | AZ | $67,000 |
About This Role
Route managers oversee daily waste collection operations, coordinating driver schedules, optimizing routes for efficiency, and ensuring service level agreements are met. They manage teams of CDL drivers and helpers while tracking fleet performance metrics. This role bridges field operations and upper management.
Key Skills
Certifications
Entry-Level Pay and Getting Hired With No Experience
This is not a no-experience role. Route supervisors are almost always promoted from inside operations, typically drivers with several years on the route, or dispatchers and helpers who have moved up. If you are starting from zero, the realistic path is a helper or driver position first, then supervision.
Entry-level pay for this role starts around $48,000 a year, about $23.08 an hour, or roughly $4,000 a month before overtime. That is $19,000 below the national average for the role, which is the gap experience, certifications and location close over time.
Other waste management roles that regularly hire without prior industry experience: CDL Driver ($26.50/hr), Recycling Sorter ($16.50/hr), Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician ($30.00/hr) and Hazmat Waste Handler ($25.00/hr).
See entry-level route manager jobs hiring now →Part-Time Route Manager / Supervisor Work
Route supervision is a full-time, salaried position tied to the collection day, which starts before dawn and ends when the last truck is in. Part-time arrangements are rare.
If a reduced schedule is what you need, the roles below carry far more genuine part-time availability while keeping you in the same industry.
Waste management roles with the most part-time and weekend availability: CDL Driver ($26.50/hr), Recycling Sorter ($16.50/hr), Helper / Laborer ($15.50/hr) and Admin / Office ($20.00/hr).
Search part-time route manager jobs →Union Pay Scale for Route Manager / Supervisors
Supervisors direct the work of drivers and helpers, which normally places them outside the bargaining unit even at heavily unionised operations. Route managers are therefore usually paid on a company salary scale rather than a union wage scale, but they still have to administer the contract, so knowing its overtime, seniority and grievance provisions is part of the job.
One important caveat: the figures on this page are national averages across union and non-union employers alike. They are not a union wage scale. Actual scale rates are set contract by contract and local by local, they change when an agreement is renegotiated, and the only authoritative source is the current agreement itself. Request it from the local or the employer’s HR department before you rely on a number.
Other commonly unionised waste management roles: CDL Driver, Recycling Sorter, Diesel Mechanic / Fleet Technician and Helper / Laborer.
Job Outlook
Route management positions are expected to grow as waste haulers expand into new service areas and adopt route optimization technology. Companies increasingly seek candidates with both field experience and data analytics skills to improve operational efficiency. Advancement opportunities into district or regional management roles are common.
Route Manager Jobs Hiring Now
- Route SupervisorFull-TimeRumpke · Columbus, OH
- Route SupervisorFull-TimeCalifornia Waste Solutions · San Jose, CA
Route Manager / Supervisor Career Path & Salary Expectations
A career as a route manager / supervisor in the waste management industry offers a clear trajectory from entry-level positions starting around $48,000 per year to senior roles earning $95,000 or more annually. With the national average sitting at $67,000 ($32.00/hr), professionals in this field can expect competitive compensation that grows with experience, certifications, and geographic location. Top-paying markets like Houston offer salaries as high as $75,000. Whether you are just entering the waste and recycling industry or looking to advance your career, investing in relevant skills and certifications is the most reliable path to higher earning potential in this essential and growing sector.
Put another way, the average works out to about $32.00 an hour, $1,288 a week or $5,583 a month on a full 2080-hour year, before the overtime, shift premiums and bonuses covered above. To compare this role against the rest of the industry, see the full waste management salary guide, or go straight to route manager openings and every waste management job on the board.