Okay - lets be serious here... Salary for a newby

i started out pulling a grain hopper trailor for the first 6months and made about 18k .then i was lucky enough to get hired pulling an oil tanker ive made a little over 21k in the 4 months ive been here.

 

Wanted to add, again IMHO with a little patience and early signup, might be able to plan for a community college CDL program. From looking back in the 80's to now, there's no comparison between these public tech programs and private chain store ship em out mentality so called 'schools'
(fortunately I managed to escape the clutches of these same private enterprise charlatans)

So, if faced with the school aspect, consider carefully

 

Northern MN? Okay, if this one thing is doable and you plan on staying in vicinity?
Yep, can see exactly what I'd do, work that connection have, get the license but looks like you'd better make sure he'll actually hire you
I wanted to get the school question out of the way, as a just in case scenario, nothing more

 

Hauling groceries pays very good annually, so that may be a good place to start. Not many new drivers get that opportunity. Hard on the back, but stick it out for about 24 months. Meanwhile, get your passport, TWIC, and tanker/hazmat endorsement. Now, your ready to pick & choose. You can make around $65K per year with tanker/hazmat. Most grocery haulers I know (I did it for awhile) make over $40K but it's hard work. A good back support belt made for lifting will really help.

 

Oilfield is the way to go for money i'll clear 80k next year and ive only been driving 5 months...home every night too. Long hours yes but from the guys i work with who did otr for years its the way to go good luck

 

In my honest opinion, I think it really depends on 2 things. First being your attitude and work ethics. The second being if the company you go with has a very high turn over rate or not. I'll explain.

If you don't have a great work ethic. Or if your someone that could be found in a truck stop, or at your company lunch room for example, complaining about what other people are getting, that your not. Or if your complaining about how much you haven't done etc this or that week. Most likely your going to use up a ton of time complaining, when that time could of been used for driving and making yourself money. Or if there really is a issue with miles, maybe using some of that time to fix the issue. Talk with dispatch or someone that would be able to better assist you. I'm not sure how these drivers seem to find each other, but some how they are drawn to one another and you'll catch them chatting together in groups of 3 or more usually. But.. (theres always a but). Since it sounds like you work a ton by having 3 different jobs. This doesn't sound like it would be a problem for you. Sometimes your going to need to take that little tiny short run that barely pays anything, just to get yourself in a better position for a better run in the future. Don't let these kinds of things pull ya into the Trucker Lounge Drama System. It is what it is, and the sooner its realised how to make money in trucking, the better off you'll be. (I took those short runs, and long runs, and multi stop runs, and i never had a check gross less than four figures per week.) So you may have to have the go getter type of attitude. When your new, all these things can be easily learned and implied as great habits.

The reason I mentioned any company that has a high turn over rate is because. A lot of times, when the new recruits come in, many of those "nice" loads that many would like to have is given to them. I wouldn't say all, but I would say a good amount. What this does, is it creates a bait and hook in sense. Give the new recruit a few good weeks, let them see how great it "could" be. And then as your no longer "new" start treating them like everyone else. Because we have newer recruits coming in that we need to impress as well. What all this does is, it gives you "hope" of what could be if was like X time frame that you have witnessed and have seen first hand. Some companies just do not have the freight for the amount of drivers they have. Its as simple as that and thats why the above example comes into play.

When I started driving I netted $0.11 / mile. Never had a week less then 3K miles back then. As I experienced more, my rate went up and I started working smarter. Just make sure you do some research before you sign with any company. Keep your work ethics, and when ever you feel ignored or invisible to dispatch, call them, ask them how they are doing. Keep it professional (key). And just express any concerns you may have in a positive manner. Lots of times everything I mentioned here was the difference between sitting for the weekend and moving. But everyone has their own experiences.

I know I didn't state a X amount per year. I purposely didn't. Only because of everything I stated here. I am more comfortable with giving a range. I'd say starting out, hmmm $19K - $65K depending on all of the above. Hope this helps

 

There is "on the road" time and there is "on the road working time". Sometimes you are sitting. So My advise is ask your self how many days out of 365 do you want to be "on the road". Figure an average miles per day (this may vary according to the average length of haul and other factors for the carrier you sign with). A good OTR average with the 11 hour drive time is 550 miles per day (some days you will beat this and some days not). Better to lowball the number in your favor. As a newbie, I allowed more time on the road, so 305 is a good number. On the road 305 days averaging 475 (low ball) miles per day at .32 cpm = Gross 46,360.00. There are many ways to figure. But recruiters will be caught off guard by the "days on the road" questions. Just ask them How many days must I be "on the road" to earn 50,000.00 Gross? Finally, you get a tax "per deim" for each day on the road even if you are sitting. This is perk that OTR drivers get over local drivers who go home every night. A year or so ago the "per deim" was 51.00 per day. So 300 days on the road X 51 bucks is 15300.00$. A percentage of this goes into your tax deductions (USA). If you withold the maximum tax throughout the year it creates a nice refund in April! Good Luck!

 

Most drivers will earn between $30-35,000 their first year once they get through their training period. It will usually take a couple of years or so before you will be in the range of $40,000. There are some exceptions. Most carriers find it difficult to insure an inexperienced driver so most are relegated to starting with one of the major carriers who do training. I have spoken to a few who start out making around $40,000, but they are usually in a specialized area of the industry. If you have an opportuntity to work for a company, I would not be afraid to ask about pay or benefits. You need to have a complete picture of the position before you can make an informed decision. Trucking is a solid career where you have some longevity. As long as you can pass the physical and have a clean mvr, you can usually find a job. If you know some owner operators who would hire you and can get you covered on their insurance, that is another option. Good luck.

 

I made about $40K my first year with KLLM, after getting my license at an "accredited" school program. But they do not offer any health insurance worth the price.

Mikeeee