Considering career change

Expect 30 to 50k your first year. After that well it’s kinda up to you. I’ve made less than 20k and spent half the year screwing off in Asia, and I’ve done well over 100k throwing chains in North Dakota on brutally cold days hauling crude when the boom was on.

 

Easiest to give you gross. Nobody knows your withholding problems.

As a new driver with a good company, roughly figure .50cpm to start, which would include bonuses and accessory pay.

2500 to 3000 miles a week gives you a range of $1250 to $1500, which easily gets you to the 60k to 75k region. Not bad for a rookie.

Now for the tricky part.

How often do you want to go home?

 

I know a guy that works with superior carriers, $21/ hour no more than 4 hour from terminal in day cab
Just have to talk with terminal managers

 

Trucking companies like to say thing like up to $80,000 a year. Another big one is Our top drivers made $80,000 or some number. Another one is our Average driver makes $60,000. Because everyone can be average. They basically promise big money but not really. Another trick they like to pull is the Average miles per week. They like to talk average because they have drivers running teams they do lots miles. So that brings the averages up.

I would say you can expect to drive 120,000 miles per year. So if you could $0.50 cents per mile you would make $60,000 if you get $0.32 as new driver thats $38,200. People don't quite because they are making big money

 

Does your wife let you have big boy pants. ,also you'll need flip flops!

 

Yes, it is possible... and you might not even have to go over the road.
Here's one example... Truck Driving School Graduate | Truck Driver Jobs | Dock Worker Jobs |Work for YRC Freight |

 

If you want to get into trucking you have to learn The game ..
Tip# 1 do not hit Stuff, you must keep your record clean.

#2 Your first year may suck. Depends on you, youre gonna be away from home a lot. Depending on the company you may not get the miles you expected, They may not get you home on time, but still expect you back out when it’s time to roll, dispatcher may not have the slightest of clue while they’re sitting in their air conditioned office laughing with the crew. But you have to play the long game if you’re gonna make it. Meaning you can’t hop company to company if you want to get the good gigs. Find a company and settle down until you’re an “experienced” driver.
#3 Have some cash saved up before hand.. if you pay for your schooling bravo, if the company pays make sure you know every detail of the agreement before you sign. My choice would be to have them pay but keep enough ready to pay them off if need be. If you pay sure you’re not under contract but if you leave early youre still “inexperienced”. On the other hand you may like the company and if they paid you wouldn’t have to come out of anything.
#4 Find your niche there’s more to do in truck than bumping a dock a swinging a door, and also tons of products to be delivered. There’s local, there’s regional there otr. Find your schedule,You want to be home every few days or want to get out. Like running at night or day time. It’s a lot to think about.
#5 protect your peace. In trucking anything can happen. Don’t go out and let the industry raise your blood pressure. You got stuck in traffic, don’t rage at the traffic let dispatch know what the deal is and it’s out of your hands. Don’t let them give you an assignment that says 4 days when you can do it in 2 without calling customers and see if it can be done early. And most importantly while you’re out see some of the cities. A big thing for me when I was regional was if I was by a city I wanted to visit And dispatch was taking their time or had me layed over I’d take a day and head into town. New Jersey to new York was a 20$ round trip train ride. Went to the top of the empire ,rode the ferry got some pizza while all the other drivers where at the terminal complaining. Sometimes it is what it is, make the best of it.
#6 truck doesn’t come with a fridge invest in one. There’s nothing healthy in these truck stops and if it is they’ll want an arm and a leg for it. Shop before you head out, you’ll save money and eat way healthier... although I will say I think eating in one of the diners every now and then is necessary.

Goodluck if you do choose to join the industry, I have one year and about 7 months exp 1 year with my first company which went sideways but by the end of that year I was making 1300 a week. To now the company I’m with I’m home daily and bringing in 1100+ a week After 12% into my 401k at the bottom of my companies pay scale since I’m still a rookie so it’s easily doable

 

I'll trade you my CDL for your Nursing License. Why on earth would you want to give up 3 12 hour shifts a week for 7 24 hour shifts a week?

 

Some company have guaranteed minimum pay, plus miles pay. That's what I have currently. I'm guaranteed $1,000 minimum pay no matter what happens. If I drive more miles I get paid more money. My basically new 2020 Freightliner Cascadia truck broke down. I'm thinking free motel and I'm getting paid not to work !! They send tow truck with a spare truck. So now I'm driving someone 2018 truck and still working. Why couldn't my truck broke like 500 miles from company yard. I can't believe they towed replacement truck to me. My 2020 truck with only 119,000 miles will at Freightliner for 1 week so far.. It just show you when they have guaranteed minimum pay. They are not going to let driver sit if possible. Basically it would cost them like $1,600 a week for me to sit. My pay plus a motel room.

 

That would be the exception, most new drivers wont see those paychecks.