What are newbies worth in CPM?

What company and how much?

When it comes to company drivers the work is pretty much the same regardless of experience. At least it's that way for dry van.

 

Most companies pay very similar to all others. The top end of pay is capped..once you achieve this level...no more increases...and the difference between rookie and experienced is generally in the range of 10-14 cpm from bottom to top. For most it only takes 5 years to cap out, 5 years or 25 years pay is the same...

 

Other 1/2 is right. When I started here at Marten drivers with 2 yrs exp. started at .35 5+yrs .39 I have 18 yrs guess where I was. The cap is .42 at .05 cent increase a year.

 

I'm assuming the reason for the caps is that a load is a load and it's worth whatever it pays, regardless of who moves it. A shipper won't pay your company more just because you drove it with your 20 years of experience versus a less experienced driver. So, your trucking company doesn't make any more money off the load with an experienced driver; in fact, they make less money.

Seems like to me that experienced drivers ought to get some extra bonuses like profit sharing, per load pay, etc. Some incentive to stick around other than a job that pays the bills.

 

Fear not my son...reality will bring you back from dreamland!

 

As an employer of any industry, they pay the least amount that it will take to either hire or retain the type of employee they need.

As a side note, my company has applied for waivers to the FMCSA on some of our routes to allow trained chimpanzees to drive. They like the work a lot better than the research facilitiues we got them from and they are very concientous about the job they do. We have been ordered not to let them know how much we make on the other routes so they don't get mad.

 

I don't believe there's a trucker shortage, just a shortage of brain-cells in the upper management of some of the trucking companies.

I'll just be patient, drive safe and on time, get my experience and after that, get the best gig I can.

 

I have to look at the pay from a perspective of time.
In the early 90's drivers were starting out at around 20-23 cpm. At the time this was a fair starting wage. The cost of living was allot lower than it is now, and if you ran well you made a very good living.

Then I look at today. With the increases in cost of living since 1990. To make the same money in todays dollars as then you would have to start at around 40 cpm. Since that is not going to happen, we have to try and figure out a minimum.
I think the minimum in this industry for a starting driver should be at least 35 cpm. If you run hard the average person can do ok with that rate. It is slightly more than at burger king as an assistant manager.
A driver with 10+ years experience should be making at least 48 cpm, up to around 55 cpm.
I believe these are fair wages. Of course all the standard accessory pay as well. 18+ per hour for detention after 2 hours.
Layover after 24 hours of 80 dollars minimum. Should be over 100.

Even those numbers could be higher. I see no reason why OTR drivers are making so little. The guys running for these large company's are running 120k+++ per year. Why would any of them make less than 45k or 50k?