been driving for 19 months and I have some questions :)

I graduated from IITR Truck Driving school in Central Point,Oregon back in December of 2017 and I was on the road with a trainer with A&M Transport out in Glendale, Oregon a week later. It was a VERY fast transition and I had little to no problems dealing with the new environment.

Fast forward 19 months later and I am still at the same company. I mostly stick with the I-5 corridor between Oregon and Los Angeles but I occasionally hit Washington, Nevada, Idaho and Arizona. Much of what I do is dedicated freight and drop-and-hook, I hit the same locations 80% of the time and it is a rarity that I must wait longer than 2 hours for pick-up or delivery. I am home every week, sometimes twice a week. I love my dispatchers (we have 4 total) and I have had no issues with requested time off. In all honestly I would very much recommend this company.

For the past 6 months my average take-home pay has been $886.51 per week with an average of 2,700 miles per week. I get paid $.38 cpm plus a $.03 safety bonus and a $.015 fuel bonus (have received both every month). I should add that my average pay also includes a school reimbursement of $150 per month and a $20 cell phone allowance per month. Out of my paycheck I pay roughly $15.00 a week for medical, dental and vision and I have been told by friends and family that my coverage is extremely good.

My question for anybody who is reading this is do you think I am with a good company? Am I making good money at the 19 month mark? Could I be better off with another company? Could I or should I be making more money?

If any students from the northwest have a question for me please ask. A&M hires student drivers all the time. We have between 100 and 150 drivers but I see new faces all the time.

 

My average gross is just above $1,200 a week.

And I did get a 1 cent raise after my first year. A&M does a .01cpm raise every year for the first 5 years.

And no incidents at all. I did get a ticket for a weight violation from CHP but that is it.

And I am in the L.A. area every week, sometimes twice. Mostly Riverside area, and I kinda cheat as I drive through Lancaster instead of taking the dreaded 210.

 

Before this I was giving plasma for $64 a week. So yes, it is working for me.