About 259,900 openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for truck drivers in 2014 was $39,520. Hand-eye coordination. 1-5 Months 3 Years To determine pay per hour, take the number of miles per trip times the pay rate. Last Modified Date: In addition, companies like Air Products and Praxair report highly competitive wages for truck drivers. Truck drivers can have their CDL suspended if they are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or are convicted of a felony involving the use of a motor vehicle. Therefore, the scale can generally range as low as $28,160 annual income all the way to as high as $65,260, according to BLS. #1 + Quote Reply Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport. They may drive trains, coordinate the activities of the trains, or control signals and switches in the rail yard. With 5 years of experience add 5-7 cents per mile to that number. On these team runs, one driver sleeps in a berth behind the cab while the other drives. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects petroleum demand to remain low through 2021, which will keep diesel prices and fuel costs low for carriers. Assuming a driver can obtain $2 per mile (including fuel), this would mean that the average carrier drops $30,000 . Truck Driver Salary - How Much Can Commercial Drivers Earn? - Roehl.Jobs That translates into average weekly pay ranging from $560 to $1,200. Pay rates in the trucking industry vary greatly, and the rate youre paid per mile may be very different from your trucker friends. Truck Driver Salary: Averages & Weekly Pay - Swift Transportation What is the highest paying truck driver job? Additionally, some companies have stricter standards than what federal regulations require. This story is part of the Transport Dive Outlook on 2021, a series on the trends that will shape the industry in 2021. Or will my trucker salary support my family? The highest-paying truck driving job is an owner-operated truck driver. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. How else would new cars get to dealerships without tacking on, Read More How Much Do Car Hauling Jobs Pay?Continue, The median tow truck driver salary varies greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits. A major trucking firm is offering the biggest raises in its 60-year history to attract and retain drivers. Nuest gave examples of cameras for coaching drivers, along with strong safety culture at trucking firms. "The 'innovative' response has been to offer healthcare at the same price while carriers 'absorb' the difference," Farrell said in an email. Certain cargo requires drivers to adhere to additional safety regulations. Things like gas, maintenance, fuel taxes, permits, tolls, tires insurance and even coffee add up over time and can account for a serious chunk of your earnings. Truckers have to know how to handle the elements and how to fix their trucks if they break down on a trip. Many of them work 60-70 hours a . Truck driver salaries vary depending on region, type of equipment, and a driver's experience level. In addition to the above driver pay amounts, don't forget about the value of a comprehensive truck driver benefits package. Federal regulations require a driver to have at least 20/40 vision with a 70-degree field of vision in each eye and the ability to distinguish the colors on a traffic light. Company drivers are paid on a cents per mile basis. J.B. Hunt said in November 2020 that it is targeting private fleet conversion as one of its largest growth opportunities. However, the lawmakers did not adjust the FLSA provisions, accordingly, leaving drivers still earning per-mile rates. Depending on the company and with a safe driving record spanning several years, a driver can potentially earn upward of . Since rates vary with income levels, comparing gross pay rates is the fairest method of determining your hourly rate. The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The continuing trend will keep wages competitive and have fleets seeking ways to make the job of truck driving more attractive. However, that doesnt take into account drivers who might not work full-time or compare the differences between independent drivers and company drivers. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers held about 2.1 million jobs in 2021. Delivery truck drivers had a median pay of $16.51 per hour in 2020, . Privacy | In 2022, the average salary for a tow truck, Read More Tow Truck Driver SalaryContinue, Until the famous Ice Road Truckers TV series, most people had never heard of ice road trucking unless they were in the trucking business, Read More How Much Do Ice Road Truckers Make?Continue. The new year is a time to start planning budgets and setting financial targets. Finally, it is important to realize that a system that has worked from the beginning will not change overnight. During this time, they drive a truck accompanied by an experienced mentor-driver in the passenger seat. Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now: Here are the five companies hiring the most now: Here are some examples of how much a truck driver salaries can based on different industries: The retail industry pays truck drivers an average salary of $58,554, The lowest paying industry for truck drivers is the construction industry. How Much Should a Truck Driver Get Paid? - Top Class Actions Use this information and wage comparisons to make your case for better pay rates. Each company we work with has specific experience requirements for their drivers. Industrial workers received a set amount per piece or ton of material. The trucking industry objected to a minimum wage for drivers. Trucking's average operational costs per mile vary year to year, based on several line items, including driver wages, equipment costs, tolls and fuel. Includes base and annual incentives. Are Commercial Truck Drivers Exempt from Overtime Pay? - Top Class Actions Current Freight Rates - February 2023 - TCI Business Capital Some truck drivers travel far from home and can be on the road for long periods at a time. GP Transco truck drivers also report happiness with the transparency and support the company provides. A truck driver who own his own truck(s)can average $154,475 a year. Reefer rates are averaging $3.19 per mile, with the lowest rates being the Northeast at $2.47 per mile. Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. However, this is just a national average, which means your area may have higher or lower rates. Physical health. In May 2021, the median annual wage for all workers was $45,760. For an experienced independent truck driver, the rate per mile could be as high as 80 cents a mile. Median wage data are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. Reduced costs in several line items contributed to the drop after the freight boom in 2018, as outlined in many of the charts below. For instance, a rookie driver earning 28 cents per mile for a 2,500-mile trip would receive $700. U.S. freight trucking: marginal cost per mile by region 2017-2020 Although fatalities are uncommon,heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers experience one of the highest rates of occupational fatalities of all occupations. In addition to their driving tasks, owner-operators have business tasks, including finding and keeping clients and doing administrative work. This number can vary depending on the type of freight and weight you are hauling. If you drove all 52 weeks in a year at those rates, you would earn between $29,120 and $62,400. Most drivers complete between 2,000 and 3,000 miles per week. A normal truck driver makes anywhere from $25,740 per year up to $70,000 per year, with a median income of $39,520. Before sharing sensitive information, $48,750 . The industry is short about 78,000 drivers, an improvement from last years 80,000-person gap estimate, the groups chief economist said. While we are part of the Landstar family, the views on this and the following pages are solely the views of the writers at DUV. But again, compensation per mile and the number of miles you get per week will vary greatly depending on who youre working for, and your experience level. Some drivers claim that traffic delays and poor weather conditions result in unpaid time. Larger fleets have more bargaining power with fuel suppliers than smaller fleets. Max Farrell, co-founder and CEO of WorkHound, said fleets are offering more premium insurance packages as a draw for drivers, such as 100% preventable coverage, plus vision, dental and life insurance. Federal regulations require CDL drivers to maintain a clean driving record and pass a physical exam every two years. 100k in 2021! Is There Really A Truck Driver Shortage? : Planet Money : NPR The rest covers overhead expenses like permits, tolls, tires, and more. Truck drivers make $60,326 per year on average, or $29.0 per hour, in the United States. Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a truck driver is roughly $60,326 per year, which boils down to $29.0 per hour. Comparing per-mile rates with modern wage standards is necessary to understand the difference between an hourly-based system and a mileage-based system. Fleets are also adding flexible policies, such as allowing pets or family members on the road, Farrell said. Many women doubt that reporting an incident will lead to consequences, the agency found. This amount includes base wages, incentive compensation, per diem, accessorial pay, workers comp, health insurance and retirement benefits. Commercial Truck Driver Salary in Tennessee | Salary.com . This amount is subject to variations, both up and down, depending on employment status, location, and training. What Is The Highest-paying Truck Driving Job? Between working periods, drivers must have at least 10 hours off duty. What about owner-operators? Nearly four decades later, many drivers believe this pay system is outdated and needs an overhaul. As of July 2021, trucking rates per mile remain steady. Estimated average of $3,421 per week Company Solo Driver $0.37 - $0.60 per mile Up to 3,000 miles per week Estimated average of $1,239 per week Owner Operator Driver $1.22 - $1.75 per mile Up to 3,000 miles per week Estimated average of $4,162 per week Salaries by years of experience in California The average hourly wage for a Truck Driver - Heavy in the United States is $22 as of September 27, 2021, but the range typically falls between $20 and $26. Jason Ickert on LinkedIn: For some owner-operators, it looks like the Fuel was fleets' second highest line-item cost in 2019, after driver wages. The highest paying companies for truck drivers are W. R. Grace & Co and Walmart according to our most recent salary estimates. Zip Class A CDL Experience Please select ALL of your current, valid driver's licenses CDL A CDL B CDL C Send me job offers Mar 26, 2018 #2 BrandonCDLdriver Road Train Member 1,191 1,462 Sep 1, 2017 0 30 is really low 45 is pretty high. They spend much of this time alone. Owner Operator Truck Driver Salary ($244,358) ZipRecruiter Location impacts how much a truck driver can expect to make. We would. Other things to factor into your earnings expectations . "The growing cost differential between for-hire and private fleets may move more private fleet trips to for-hire carriers in the future," ATRI wrote in its report. What does the average trucking company pay per mile? Data from 2020 will likely show increases in truck and trailer purchases costs per mile, as fleets accelerated their equipment buying from April through the end of the year. What Is The Highest-paying Trucking Company. "While these short-term approaches to manage cost increases appear to be stabilizing insurance costs, the long-term result is a potentially catastrophic increase in accrued carrier risk," ATRI wrote. Here are the 10 best states for truck drivers which also takes the states cost of living into account: Though not a state, the data for Washington D.C. is too compelling to ignore. While many market factors are outside of fleets' control, firms can monitor and benchmark operational costs against industry averages. When planning routes, drivers must take into account any road restrictions that prohibit large trucks. Here is how you know. Truck drivers on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $40,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $90,000. In May 2021, the median annual wages for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows: Drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailers usually are paid by how many miles they have driven, plus bonuses. Wages typically start from $28,020 and go up to $71,300. The average salary for a Truck Driver is $81,631 per year in United States. Terms | Truck driver salary varies from different factors: truck drivers experience, reputation, knowledge and much more. Sharing the road with oncoming traffic is always a hazard for them. The site is secure. although some drivers are paid as much as $0.45 per mile, All Trucking reports. Call Recruiting 877-441-9128. Most tractor-trailer drivers are long-haul drivers and operate trucks with a total weight exceeding 26,000 pounds for the vehicle, passengers, and cargo. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver Salary. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in Wilmington, DE is $47,000. Going off of these figures, truckers earn a higher salary than the average occupation in the U.S., which is $35,540 for all occupations. GP Transco has one of the lowest turnover rates of all trucking companies, and this is partly because of the great salary and benefits. Average income per mile: $1.75 to $1.95 per mile; Average truck payment: Waste disposal trucks. Owner-operators make significantly more per mile, but they also have higher expenses. Interestingly enough, truck drivers have the highest salaries in Wilmington, DE at about $70,911 per year. Tire costs have largely trended downward over the last decade, though the decrease is less than 1 cent per mile, or about 25 cents per hour, since 2011. . These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of OTR Truck Driver in the United States. The typical starting salary is $63,000, and after six to ten years, it increases to $72,235. Owner-Operator Tax Tips | Tax Preparation for Truck Drivers - Prime, Inc. Among other stipulations, the law introduced a federal minimum wage and held employers to workplace safety standards. ET, lured smaller carriers and owner operators, Trucks, trailers, tonnage: What transport data says about the state of the industry, Unscheduled maintenance becomes less frequent but more expensive, Sexual harassment goes underreported in trucking: FMCSA survey, Driver shortage eases slightly in 2022 but relief likely temporary, ATA reports, Why A. 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Alabama $40,580 / $19.27hr Alaska $ 57,630 / $27.04 hr (Drivers don't pay taxes) Arizona 45,430 $21.46 hr Arkansas $40,620 / $19.53 (Low wages, low cost of living) California $45,560 / $21.90 (Low wages, high cost of living, lots of jobs) 4 Years Oct 7, 2022. Why driving big rig trucks is a job fewer Americans dream about doing And again, the numbers above are just estimated figures. But it's important to keep in mind that these are only averages for a CDL truck driver salary/pay, which means that the data includes individuals at all stages of their careers and in all types of trucking. Don't go less than that if you're brand new with no experience. Compensation Types 1.Per Mile. What will road life be likeis it worth it? Trucking rates per mile 2023 Method "Truck lease and purchase costs are expected to remain constant over the coming year," ATRI said, noting a "tumultuous" buying period in the latter part of 2020. But many trucking companies will only pay this rate to drivers with experience in the industry. Truck Driver Salary Guide | The Pay Scale For Truckers Federal regulations require that a driver be able to hear a forced whisper in one ear at 5 feet away (with or without the use of a hearing aid).