Truck drivers how much?

How much do truck drivers make?

• I'm driving down to LA from SF today and noticed a truck with a sticker on the back that said "our drivers make up to $0.52 per mile". So I got to wondering what a trucker makes. The "up to" was a red flag in my mind. I'm betting there are also costs the employer makes truckers absorb that the average person isn't aware of.

• Answer:

  The average salaries for company drivers are around $50-80,000 dollars per year depending on the type of work. For owner operators it's a whole different ball game, and I have been a company driver my entire carrer, so I can only speak to that. Typically, over-the-road drivers like myself generally fall into the lower end of the pay scale. If this seems a bit contradictory to your thinking, here's why. On a good day, in a perfect world, that's what I do...drive. I do very little unloading or other things a local driver does. More on that in a bit. I primarily haul "truckload" freight. That means that the contents of my trailer goes to one destination. As I can see you already know, I am paid mostly by the mile. So, no dough if the truck don't go. I also get paid some accesorial pay as well, but generally this doesn't add up to much. Some of the revenue that is derived from accesorial pay may come from such things as unloading my own trailer if I choose to do so. There are times where my load may require more then one pick-up or drop-off and I am paid for the extra stops. Generally the time spent waiting to get loaded or unloaded is on me, but there are some companies such as mine that will pay "detention" if I am delayed too long. This is less than what I would make while driving, but at least it's something. If , through no fault of my own, I end up having to sit around somewhere for a period of 24 hours or more I get paid "layover". This is rare and usually involves something unexpected such as load cancelations or breakdowns. Again, it's less than what I'd make if I were driving. Okay, local drivers and why they generally get paid more. Most local drivers wouldn't be able to make ends meet if they were paid by the mile, so they work on a different pay plan. Many get paid by the hour. Some do get paid by the mile but they supplement that by paying them hourly whenever they stop to make their pick-ups or deliveries. Almost all local jobs involve "multi-stop" loads for which they get paid on a per stop basis so this can add up. Many drivers also unload their own freight at these stops so they get paid for that as well. All this can add up to a hefty paycheck. Besides generally having a larger paycheck then us OTR drivers, the other other advantage local guys have is most are home every night. For me, I love being out on the road and wouldn't change it for the world. Fortunately, I have a very understanding wife. Now, to address the "up to" you saw on the back of that truck. That primarily involves the drivers level of experience. It's that simple. Most companies pay for experience, just like any other job. As far as your reference to expenses, anything I spend on the boss's truck I get reimursed for. All I need to do is submit the receipt. I hope this answers some of your questions.