What are the companies with highest beginning salary?

You're exactly right on all of the above.

But, you do have to consider, for example, that at 50 CPM you would get $1000 for 2000 miles, yet at a more common 33 CPM, you'd have to run about 3000 miles for that same pay.

Honestly, there is no way OP is going to get 40k in his first year at an OTR company. LTL, *maybe*....

 

You have one advantage over me, and that is the economy is a little better when youre starting now, then when i started (2 years ago). So you'll probably make more in your first year than I did.

You're not going to make that much money at any company you have ever heard of. You need to find smaller companies, and most of those don't hire students.

if you get a local ltl job, such as Conway, they hire people with no experience all the time (lots of competition for the job though!), and you have to be lucky to get in....you could make that much.

Lets put it this way...you can figure it out yourself. You can get 2000 miles a week pretty easily, its a good average...sure, you might run up to 3500 some weeks, but other weeks, youre going to be at home...not driving. So, figure 100,000 miles for a year. And yeah, thats an easier number than 2000x52..

Problem is a lot of times you get screwed out of miles for no fault of your own. You cant do much about that. Some companies won't hire you without hazmat or without a passport, but sometimes you get better miles by not having either one...they give you loads that other people cant take, even though they are sucky loads..

35 CPM # 100,000 miles = $35000

So you could do it. But most companies arent going to pay 35CPM.

 

Probably more like 25,000. to start with. Some of the companies are only paying .27 per mile or less.