What’s the truth on new company driver earnings?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by MonetaryWage, Jan 28, 2022.

  1. diamondd817

    diamondd817 Light Load Member

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    You're right, any other skilled labor job where you work 70hrs a week will earn you 150k +.
     
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  3. TequilaSunrise

    TequilaSunrise Medium Load Member

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    Pay and miles is dependent on company need. You need to focus on what you can make in your area.
     
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  4. drivingmissdaisy

    drivingmissdaisy Road Train Member

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    It varies too much company to company and driving job to driving job.

    My first company job the ppm was not great and miles were not great but our facility was incredible.

    My second company job the pay went down, but miles went up a lot. My pay went up a lot in a faster truck. I then got a 6cpm raise and am now making pretty good considering I'm making 3300 miles a week. We also have trucks with inverters, fridges. DirectTV dvr's and company phones with unlimited wifi hotspot. You add up all those extras and if you wanted to pay for those yourself it would cost a pretty penny.

    I have a new truck on order and should be in it in 3 weeks. They are equipping it how I want it since it will be issued directly to me upon arrival.
     
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  5. Touch Freight Freddy

    Touch Freight Freddy Light Load Member

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    Where are you located? Federal minimum in the US is $7.25/hr.

    70 hours at 40 regular, 30 overtime is $627.50 gross.

    But you are onto something. Skilled laborers can be made use of more frequently, more often. Most 9-5ers get too pricey for employers to want to keep paying them overtime, whereas truck drivers are always profitable to keep running.
     
    dwells40 Thanks this.
  6. Lunatic Fringe

    Lunatic Fringe Medium Load Member

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    You've touched on many things. Recruiters will whip out all kinds of numbers but the only one you should care about what the average driver makes driving that truck on that route per week/month/year. Everything else is jive. The legit companies will give their number:

    Raider Express $70,000
    Schneider $50,180
    Veriha Trucking $59,252

    Now, the average isn't a guarantee but it should be a reasonable goal to achieve if you do your part. Why are the numbers so different? Well, the cpm is only part of the story. The carrier's pay policies and miles they have for you to turn are the rest of the story.

    An example: My first carrier was drop and hook. You would drop off a full trailer at the receiver's lot and leave with an empty trailer for your next appointment. There, you would drop your empty trailer and leave with a full one. That works great until you show up to a delivery but the receiver has NO EMPTY TRAILERS! You call dispatch and they'll give you an address where a trailer has been dropped off at some point in the past. The trailer may or may not be there. If it's not, you get to pull over, call dispatch and try again. About one day a month I would spend the entire 11 hour day looking for trailers that weren't there. No pay for looking for a trailer! Compare that to some companies that have satellite tracking for their trailers. You open up an app and it will show you where all their trailers are in your area! No driving to a random business and having a brief, awkward conversation with a security guard!

    As a new driver more than 90% of driving jobs won't hire you. You learn just enough to pass the DMV tests in your CDL course. Important things, like how to fuel the truck aren't covered. The companies that will hire a new driver know additional training is needed. They have to pay someone to show you the ropes. They have to pay more than $1,000/mo. in insurance to hire you instead of an experienced driver with a clean record. Your pay will reflect the additional costs you bring to the deal. It'll take you a while to learn to manage your clock, to back the truck, and all the other odds and ends. Call it additional training, call it an internship - you're going to have a lot to learn your first year on the road. Keep your record clean, better opportunities will follow.
     
  7. MonetaryWage

    MonetaryWage Light Load Member

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    Minimum wage is the same, but I think she’s probably including actual time spent and not just time driving. It seems like truckers are basically on the companies time 24/7, but only get paid for 11 hours a day.

    I know that in the past I’ve dealt with company reps that had to cover vast territory and they were given a base salary, plus miles reimbursed, hotels, commissions, etc. They basically got paid for everything they did whereas truckers don’t, which I get since CPM is just a fancy way of saying piece rate work. I’m just saying I can see how she figures it’s minimum wage or less.
     
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  8. Frank Speak

    Frank Speak Road Train Member

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    We think alike. I look at a load and how much time I’ll have invested in it. If it ain’t worth my time, I pass. There’s one load that I call BANK. Everyone hates it. That’s fine. Give it to me. Shipper and receiver are five minutes apart. It takes 1hr to 1.5hr tops and it pays $46.00.

    Me be like “Yeah, I guess I’ll do it”. Lol

    The same knuckleheads that don’t want to do that load will happily drive 7 hours round trip for a $150 load. Do that math.
     
  9. Frank Speak

    Frank Speak Road Train Member

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    Too many people over think this stuff. The decision for finding a good truck driving job from a pay perspective is simple, and is no different than any other job. Is the pay you receive worth the time and effort you have invested? If yes, then your set. If no, look at other offers. All the rest is just smoke and mirrors.

    There are all kinds of truck driving jobs, with any schedule you like including local 8-5, Mon thru Fri gigs. You just have to decide what floats your boat and look for what appeals to you.
     
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  10. aramil248

    aramil248 Road Train Member

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    "Up to" is also often the ones who don't go home ever and do whatever the company wants.
     
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  11. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    And you didn't have to buy fuel for that hour long job. It cost you little to nothing in terms of time and cost. Folks think they have to hit the home run, but more often than not, the base hit gets you moving.
     
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