best starting cpm for a total newbie?

I didn't fill out apps yet lol. I am working right now for the summer plan to start in october.

 

I started at $18/hr fyi.

 

When I started in 2005, I was fresh out of prison and still on Parole. So you would think if I can get a good job anyone can. As a felon for something that was total BS I did not care about rules. I still don't. I care about right and wrong. Working cheap is legal but it is wrong.

No company recruited me out of Truck Driving School. Fort Scott Community College at the time in Kansas City, KS. They took us all over to Trans Am in Olathe and tried to sell us on the lease purchase program. I looked it over and NOOOOOO way. Remember that was 12 years ago and things may have changed but at the time there was no way I was going to sign that lease.

So I went to Fed Ex. They gave me a road test. I hooked up doubles and did the six mile run and pasted their road test with no problems. I went home and they never called. Turns out they have a problem with felons. When they found out what my BS felony was they reversed their policy but by that time, I had found another job.

Keystone Automotive Operations in Kansas City, KS. I walked in and they asked who I drove for last. Well, I drove last for Fed Ex. They didn't ask me how long I drove for Fed Ex or if I worked for Fed Ex, just who I drove for. So, my 5 mile road test was enough for them. I was offered 40 cents per mile but argued for 45 cents per mile. It was excepted. They wanted references so I gave them some. One was a fax number at my best friends office. I wrote myself a glowing reference. I worked the job for 3 years. Never had to back into a dock as I was partnered with a guy on the Kansas City to Houston run. Two trips one week, three the next. Driving had to be the easiest job I ever had. Of course, I really didn't have a clue as to what I was doing but I bluffed it out for long enough. When I moved on, I thought I was ready. I wasn't. It took me 2 more years before I got to understand how little I knew about this. Five more years to learn what I need to know. And now, I am pretty good and an owner operator with my own authority.

If I can do it, so can you. They will only pay you the very least amount you will settle for. Expect more and demand more.

I have told this before but let me illustrate the point.

I pulled into a place in Georgia at the same time an elderly black gentleman of the old South pulled in. We both needed to use the restroom. The single black female who ran the shipping desk was very short with us and told us in no uncertain terms that our kind was not allowed to use the company restrooms. Okay. We headed out the front door where upon the older man, dropped his pants and dropped fertilizer on the front step. The company President saw this and now there is a nice new drivers lounge at this warehouse. That man is my hero.

 

Jim Palmer Trucking is a good outfit. Start @.40 cpm and can get .45 cpm for fuel conservation. They drive full size trucks with plenty of room in the sleeper for storage, tv, computer, etc.

 

@KMac is correct about cpm. When I was at 20 years experience my cpm was .36 , but I make $65K per year due to good accessorial pays.

 

Here's some things you need, no matter where you go:
original social security card - not laminated
original birth certificate
work gloves
flashlight
steel toe work boots
sleeping bag & pillow - you can get rid of this after getting your own assigned truck. That's all I used my whole career, but some drivers want sheets and blanket in their assigned truck.

 

Don't worry about cpm. It goes up over time.

Worry about getting in with a company that can teach you solid skills, give you lots of experiences and give you a reason to stick around long enough to get that experience that you need to get hired at other companies.

A company could pay you a flat rate of 45 cpm, give you 1500 miles a week and you'll end up not making much. But hey, it's the highest cpm I can get!

You could also start with a company paying 30 cpm, but giving you 2500 miles a week with $10-20 add-pays for drops/hooks/loadings/unloadings/tarps/untarps/etc/etc and you'll be rolling in dough.

Figure out what the company will ACTUALLY be paying you, not what the recruiter is telling you they will pay you. Chances are, they are outright lying to you and quoting their top driver's pay.