First-Year Truck Driver Salary | How Much Do New Truck Drivers Earn? - All Trucking (2023)

FAQs

First-Year Truck Driver Salary | How Much Do New Truck Drivers Earn? - All Trucking? ›

35% of truckers quit their job in the first 90 days.

35% of truckers quit their job in the first 90 days.

What is the Highest-Paying CDL Company? CRST Trucking School is arguably the highest-paying CDL company. What State Pays CDL Drivers the Most? North Dakota State pays CDL drivers the most, offering up to $53,720 in wages.

Entry Level Truck Driver Salary. $41,500 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $70,000 is the 75th percentile.

The highest-paid state for truck drivers is Delaware with an average salary of $70,901 per year.

What's the average age of truck drivers? According to the American Trucking Associations, the average age of OTR truck drivers is 46, and the average age of new drivers just beginning their careers in the industry is 35.

Though there is no official retirement age for truck drivers, you may have to stop driving for various reasons. People getting older is one of the largest reasons for the truck driver shortage. The average truck driver is around 45 years old and the average retirement age is 62.

Fifty-four percent of the Freight Rate Survey's respondents reported a negative forecast for 2023, citing concerns such as high fuel costs, increased regulation, inflation, overcapacity and a cooling economy.

What is the best money in trucking? ›

Truck drivers can also get paid based on their route type. OTR (Over the Road) drivers typically spend weeks on the road, traveling long distances and making deliveries across the country. While OTR driving can be demanding, it often commands the highest salary and offers the opportunity to see new places.

Trucking Won't Make You Rich

Only the top 10% of truck drivers make more than $58,000 per year. You may think that the time invested is lucrative but it doesn't often turn into a big payout. It's a thing you need to know and accept before starting your driving career.

The average net profit margin of a trucking company averages between 2.5% and 6%. That means it can be a profitable business and an industry that you can make a decent living from, provided you get into the trucking business with your eyes wide open.

Average Amazon.com Delivery Driver hourly pay in the United States is approximately $18.78, which is 12% above the national average. Salary information comes from 227,586 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months.

In fact, a study by Siegfried & Jensen shows Washington is the hardest state in the nation to get a driver's license.

— Washington state has one of the toughest driving tests in the country. According to the state Department of Licensing, passing rates for the knowledge test are around 46% at DOL offices. A study by personal-injury law firm Siegfried & Jensen suggests Washington is the most difficult state to get a license.

Metropolitan Areas With the Highest Number of Truckers

New York-Jersey City-White Plains metropolitan area has almost 40,000 truck drivers. Houston-Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area in Texas has the second most resident truckers. Most are located in and around Houston, but the whole area boasts about 39,000.

Make Your State The Easiest State to Get a CDL

So, if you're still wondering what the easiest state to get a CDL in is, just know it includes Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana, and South Carolina, because that's where our schools are located.

How hard is the life of a truck driver? ›

Truck drivers typically have a long workday that starts early and ends late. In the middle, they are on the road most of the time, up to a maximum of 11 hours a day. Their workday consists of tight schedules that must be met, with an ever-present risk of delay due to a variety of events.

Many truck drivers must work long hours, spend lots of time away from home, and remain seated for most of their workday. Most truck drivers spend long hours sitting in one position, which can lead to a host of health problems (e.g., obesity, chronic back pain).

Truck driving is more than a job, it's a way of life, and this way of life isn't for everyone. But, if you're able to handle the long miles, lonely hours, and being away from your home and family for weeks and months at a time, truck driving might turn out to be your dream job.

Truck Driving: The Business That Keeps Growing

As of right now, it is expected that the employment of truck drivers will grow by 4% from 2021 to 2031. As an essential industry, job stability is available to all truck drivers.

One of the leading causes of truck drivers getting out of the industry during the pandemic was the pandemic itself. The trucking industry saw a surge in retirements among older drivers who were at-risk of facing serious complications if they happened to contract the virus.

A pension plan is a type of retirement plan in which an employer contributes to a special fund set aside for their employees. They can be helpful for truckers because they guarantee a fixed monthly benefit in retirement. Employers invest and guarantee a specific retirement payout for each of their workers.

“We're using funds from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help address truck parking shortages, and we're working with state and industry leaders to develop more parking that will improve safety and quality of life for our nation's truck drivers.”

A 1,000-mile journey through the middle of America reveals the fundamental reason for truck driver shortages: It is a job full of stress, physical deprivation and loneliness. Stephen Graves at a rest stop in Oklahoma, where he slept for the night.

Most experts would say trucking rates are relaxing and flattening out after a few years of high rates and tight capacity due to demand. But the uncertain state of the US economy, the lack of consistent work for drivers, and recent part supply issues keeping semi-truck prices high all heavily impact these rates.

The type of freight

Flat-bed loads are good-paying loads because they're usually heavier or larger cargo, and the driver often has to help secure and cover the load. Dangerous goods, such as fuel, chemicals, or other unstable cargo, are better-paying as well.

How can I save money while trucking? ›

Auto Hauler

Generally speaking, the highest-paying trucking job base on trailer types are reefers, tankers, flatbeds, lowboys, bull and auto haulers; however, these trucking jobs also require more training and certification, making them less desirable for new drivers.

What is the highest-paid owner/operator job? The highest-paid owner/operator job is an operator and truck driver. Operators And Truck Driver earn an average salary of $250,847, which is $ 120.60 hourly.

Though there is an additional responsibility for being an owner operator, the benefits are well-worth it. As an owner-operator, you'll have the freedom to make your own decisions on what loads to haul, which clients to work with, and how much work to take on.

Typically, around 85-90% of startup trucking companies fail. It's not always easy to run a company, but it's especially difficult in the competitive transportation industry.

Swift Transportation is the highest paying company for rookie drivers. Not only can new truck drivers get their schooling through Swift, they can go right into employment with the company when the schooling and training are complete.

Jordan Company has the highest average salary for flatbed truck drivers.

Newer drivers help improve ball speed and have thinner faces which produce longer drives. Be sure to test out different drivers on a launch monitor before purchasing them to compare distances. Different golfers have their own unique swings so results can vary.

What is the best paying load for truckers? ›

The type of freight

Refrigerated loads (also known as reefers) are better-paying loads than van freight. Flat-bed loads are good-paying loads because they're usually heavier or larger cargo, and the driver often has to help secure and cover the load.

Most drivers earn $18-25* an hour. *Actual earnings will depend on your location, any tips you receive, how long it takes you to complete your deliveries, and other factors. Or download the Amazon Flex app.

Base pay from DoorDash to Dashers ranges from $2-$10+ per delivery depending on the estimated duration, distance, and desirability of the order. Deliveries that are expected to take more time, that require Dashers to travel a longer distance, and that are less popular with Dashers have higher base pay.

According to federal law, these employees are non-exempt, and are thus entitled to time and half for every hour worked in excess of 40 per week.

Flatbed truckers are often paid more because the stakes are higher due to exposed cargo, but also because flatbed trucking is a physically and mentally demanding, skill-reliant job. The combination of these three factors means that flatbed drivers will earn more per mile to match the task at hand.

Daseke, Inc. is the largest flatbed trucking company in the nation and one of the most respected shippers in the world.

Owner operators generally earn higher per-mile rates than company drivers or a percent-of-load rate. Although they make more income per load, they also must pay all the expenses of operating a truck and business.

What is the average freight rate per mile? ›

Trucking rates per mile vary based on a number of factors—including gas prices, supply and demand, type of freight, mode, and distance. The latest national averages are: $2.41 per mile for vans. The highest rates are in the Midwest and the lowest in the Northeast.