Is Amazon Freight Partners a good first job?

Yes—Amazon Freight Partner (AFP) can be a solid first CDL job for a year, but it depends on the specific contractor and your long-term goals.

Is AFP a Good First Job?
For a new or newer driver, AFP checks a lot of boxes:

✅ Pros

• Easy entry point (many hire with little experience)
• Consistent local/regional routes
• Home time (no OTR lifestyle headaches)
• Steady hourly pay ($22–23/hr is typical in your area)
• Modern equipment (Amazon trailers, newer trucks usually)

For getting your first 6–12 months of experience, it’s absolutely viable.

⚠️ Cons You Should Know
This is where people get mixed opinions:

• You don’t work for Amazon directly
  → You work for a contractor (quality varies a LOT)
• Pay ceiling is limited
  → Hourly vs mileage = less upside long-term
• Repetitive work
  → Drop & hook, same lanes, not much variety
• Some contractors are poorly managed
  → This is the biggest risk

Will 1 Year at AFP Help Your Career?
Yes—with one condition: you maintain a clean record.

After 1 year of:

• No accidents
• No violations
• Good safety record

You become MUCH more valuable.

Companies that will take you after:

• Regional carriers
• Dedicated lanes
• Some OTR companies
• Even some higher-paying gigs (depending on record)

Most companies care more about:

• Clean driving history
• Consistency
• No job hopping

NOT whether it was AFP specifically.

❗ Will companies “look down” on AFP?
No—but understand this:

• It’s seen as entry-level / starter experience
• It’s NOT viewed the same as:
  • Heavy OTR experience
  • Mountain driving
  • Specialized freight

But it still counts as real CDL Class A experience, which is what matters.

Money Perspective (Important)
You already said it:

“I’d rather be OTR and making more money…”

That’s accurate.

AFP (local hourly)

• ~$900–$1,200/week typical
• Predictable

OTR (after experience)

• $1,200–$1,800+/week potential
• More upside

So AFP = stable start, not long-term max income.

Smart Strategy (What I’d do)
If your goal is to build a real trucking career:

Step 1 (0–12 months)

• Take AFP (if contractor is decent)
• Stack experience
• Keep record CLEAN

Step 2 (after ~9–12 months)

• Move to:
  • Higher-paying regional or OTR
  • Dedicated accounts
  • Better CPM or salary structure

What REALLY matters (more than company name)
Before you accept ANY AFP job, ask:

• How many hours guaranteed weekly?
• Overtime after 40?
• Any driver-facing cameras?
• Turnover rate?
• Equipment condition?

A good contractor = good job
Bad contractor = miserable experience

Bottom Line

• ✅ Yes, AFP is a good first job
• ✅ 1 year there WILL help you move up
• ❗ Just don’t stay too long if your goal is higher pay
• ⚠️ The contractor matters more than the Amazon name

 

There's close to a zero percent chance that you would make more than 23 dollars per hour doing OTR with no experience. So many things working against you that you just won't realize until you're out there.

I would suggest that the majority of highly experienced OTR guys that are company drivers, who run hard, earned less than $30 an hour, with no overtime, and that's an 80-90 hour work week depending on how bad you get screwed with shippers and receivers. So yeah the checks might hit 2000-2500 , but it took 90 hours, 70 of which were high stress, time chasing, drive hours.

Choose your path wisely. I'm starting to recommend truckers take a math class before starting any position, especially as a new driver.

Amazon should be about as friendly as it gets for a new driver. Equipment should be new. Parking should be easy. Docks should have lots of space.

 

The fastest path to money is 6 months of any experience and then run FedEx doubles teams.

You will not make more than 23 an hour doing flatbed OTR as a new driver. What you don't realize is everyone will waste your time. A LOT of your time. And it will take you a long time to figure out how to avoid getting screwed, sometimes it's just inevitable.

Also, something that doesn't get talked about a lot is the majority of companies that pay by the mile use something called zip code miles which translates into English, you're driving 10% of your miles for free.

So if you're doing 3500 mi a week, don't expect to get paid for more than 3150.

AKA hidden 10% pay reduction.
(Everyone out will here Will steal from you.
Especially including your company)
Most companies do this.

You are far better off working hourly, rather than chasing miles in a governed truck with safety equipment that malfunctions and slows you down all the time. On top of the traffic that has increased every year for the previous 75 years, driving on roads that were not intended to handle this amount of traffic.