Types of pay

My further advice is to set goals and learn how to pinch pennies. The successful people always seem to have a goal (or goals) in mind and know how to handle money. They form habits that are useful and keep those habits (like the check list).

Other things that come to mind;

attitude and patients, because we face a lot of crap every day, a lot of drivers don't have the right attitude or the patients for things.

try to learn to be safe. a lot of drivers are poor drivers to begin with and take bad habits into the truck with them. A lot of instructors don't know how to catch a lot of mistakes or understand how to correct them - their job is get you to pass the tests and be relatively safe on the road.

learn the regulations NOW, like HOS (this will answer your last question). They are on the FMCSA website but also you can order the green book. The same goes for the knowledge end of things, the material is free from every state's DMV and there are practice tests right here on this site which are helpful.

 

Mileage pay
sign-on bonus
tuition reimbursement
safety bonus (usually mileage based)
mpg bonus (often mileage based)
extra stop pay
driver assist pay
hazmat pay (often mileage based)
northeast pay (often mileage based)
holiday bonus
contest winnings
retention pay (bonus given on anniversary of hire date)
vacation pay
401k matching percentage


At my current company, my nominal pay rate is 37cpm, but with bonuses and ancillary pay it is running between 41-42cpm. So in my case mileage represents 87% of my pay.

 

You can drive 11 hours between 10 hour breaks . You can split the 11 hours with 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper but after the sleeper you only have the balance of your available driving hours . If you drove 7 hours before the sleeper you only have 4 available after sleeper . There are several threads on splitting sleeper .
There is no limit on hours worked other than driving . You just can't drive after 14 hours on duty without taking the required break .

 

Currently you can drive 11 hours, stop 10, drive 11, stop 10... until you reach 70 hours at which point you can stop 34hours and then resume working. 14hours/day, 82hours/week. With the new legislation coming into effect july 1, (amongst other restrictions) you can only work 70 hours/week.

 

Not really that simple . You have to figure in all on duty time . If you spend more than 3 hours of your 14 on inspections , loading , fueling , etc. you don't get your 11 to drive .

 

True, but on duty time varies greatly. I can't remember the last time I was spent 3 hours on duty over the course of a week (dryvan otr), but while doing local tanker work there was very little driving -- most of my day was on duty

 

As a new driver or even an experienced company driver you really aren't going to have the option of discussing your pay. They have guidelines which pay you per mile for the number of years you have been over the road. For every one year of experience over the road equals one point. Local driving usually doesn't count though some companies may consider that as half a point. Typically as a new driver you will be starting out in the range of $.23 - $.26 cents a mile. This is once you have completed all training and are upgraded to solo driver status in your own truck. Training pay can vary from $200 - $400 a week. Training usually lasts a couple of months after you finish your schooling and have your license. This is the time in which you will ride with a trainer.

Types of pay -

Most trucking companies pay by the mile. They pay practical miles and hub miles. Most companies pay practical miles which means you will be paid essentially post office to post office. This usually works out to the companies benefit. If your pay is that far off sometimes they will compensate you if you ask. So if you pick up a load 18 miles from the post office you won't get paid for those 18 miles.

Hub miles - Some companies out there pay hub miles. This means for every single mile that truck rolls you get paid. Even if you get lost or take the longer route they will pay you for those miles. However, companies that pay hub miles don't usually pay for down time. So if you sit at a shipper/receiver for 10 hours you don't get paid. If its a holiday and you can't pick up or deliver on that day then you don't get paid either. Also if you breakdown you don't get paid. Companies that pay practical miles will usually give you some compensation for that.

Percentage - Some companies pay percentage. This means you get paid a percentage of what the load makes. Typically you will make 20% - 28%. Other compensation will vary depending on the company. Percentage pay is usually reserved for the companies that only hire experienced drivers.

On occasion you will find a company that pays you salary.

Keep in mind that as an over the road driver you technically are working 24/7. When you break it down by the hour it usually comes out way below minimum wage.

If you pick up a Road Carrier Atlas (map) you will find pretty much everything you need to know about trucking. They will have all the log rules and such in there so if you want to educate yourself beforehand this is a very good outlet.

Trip planning is going to be one of the number one things that will make your paycheck. So the more efficient you are at trip planning the more $$$ you are going to make. A good Road Carriers Atlas will help you practice this ahead of time.