Being a truck driver can get you more good benefits such as dental and health insurance, not only for you but it’s also for your family, but How much does a truck driver make?
In this article, I’m going to tell you about matters related, on the other hand, truck drivers are always on the road far away from your family, it may last for a long period of time.
So does this job deserve? Let’s know.
Table of Contents
- 1 Truck Driver Average Salary
- 2 What Factors That Increase Your Salary as a Truck Driver?
- 2.1 1 – Get different CDL Endorsements
- 2.2 2 – Gain enough Experience
- 2.3 3 – Good Reputation
- 2.4 4 – Improve your IT knowledge
- 2.5 6 – Choose to be OTR Driver vs. Regional Driver
- 2.6 7 – Choose Some of the Top USA Trucking Companies
- 2.7 8 – Become Reefer truck driver
- 2.8 9 – Choose to drive Dump truck
- 2.9 10 – Become Owner Operator
- 3 What are the Trucking Companies With Highest Pay?
- 4 Local Truck Driver Salary
- 5 OTR Truck Driving Salary
- 6 How Much Does a Truck Driver Make Per Mile
- 7 How Much Does a Truck Driver Make an Hour?
Truck Driver Average Salary
How much does a truck drivers make, talking about a truck driver average salary, there is a wide range of salaries among trucking jobs?
It’s very hard to define the minimum, or the maximum average salary, in the trucking industry.
According to TruckDriversSalary.com, in 2019, the national salary was ranging about $37,000, the maximum salary was $77,000 per year.
So a truck driver’s average salary might go around $57,062.
Salaries are usually affected by different factors, many can affect a truck driver’s average salary and change it throughout his career.
Bonuses
Bonuses may have a great impact on your salary, many companies offer various bonuses that can make a difference in the total earrings.
They are be based on different things starting from performance, fuel-saving, safety, referrals and this adds more to the total of how much does a truck driver makes.
What Factors That Increase Your Salary as a Truck Driver?
The salary of CDL drivers is a different form according to certain factors such as truck drivers’ knowledge, experience, reputation, and more.
In 2015, the average truck driver total income went around $39,400 per year.
Nowadays it is totally different, here are the best ten secrets and factors that increase your salary as a truck driver to arise a truck driver’s salary
1 – Get different CDL Endorsements
If you pass your CDL exam, that’s will be good news:)
Now you need to increase your experience to widen your job opportunities of getting one of the best trucking companies.
2 – Gain enough Experience
Experience is crucial and it’s one of the parameters for job quality.
For truck drivers, the salary may be defined according to the experience you have.
3 – Good Reputation
Your good reputation as a professional truck driver is much concerned with all trucking companies, as they always look for drivers with the highest rank of reputation.
4 – Improve your IT knowledge
One of the factors that increase your salary as a truck driver is your IT knowledge, modern life with no IT knowledge is impossible.
6 – Choose to be OTR Driver vs. Regional Driver
OTR Drivers are drivers who travel for long distances, they work for regional jobs.
Why? because of this OTR driver’s salary is higher because they have are always on the run.
7 – Choose Some of the Top USA Trucking Companies
Try to choose one of the jobs that require constant observation of everything around the driver, especially the temperature of the load, the time for stopping, and others.
8 – Become Reefer truck driver
Reefer trucks drivers’ salaries are much higher than other drivers, as they are looking after their loads which are sensitive to temperature, and they can be very dangerous on the road.
9 – Choose to drive Dump truck
Dump truck drivers are considered as the heroes inside trucking companies, this job requires higher knowledge with different areas as drivers always move from place to another.
10 – Become Owner Operator
One of the factors that increase your salary as a truck driver and define exactly How much does a truck driver makes is to be an owner-operator.
It has many advantages such as:
- choosing loads you prefer.
- Choosing routes you can travel on smoothly.
- Taking as many loads as you can.
What are the Trucking Companies With Highest Pay?
If you ask about the highest paying truck driver jobs,
Here are the best five companies that most drivers prefer to work for.
Walmart
Walmart is my first example of trucking companies. Why?
Because they have the highest pay, it always offers the best paying jobs in the USA, its rate of pay for drivers ranges from about $70,000 to $85,000 per year.
ICE ROAD TRUCKING JOBS
Ice road trucking jobs is also one of the trucking companies with the highest pay, drivers can get from $20,000 to $75,000 for a few month work, it becomes hard to get a job there.
TANKER/LIQUID HAULING
If you work for a Hauling hazardous company such as gasoline and other varieties of caustic and explosive liquid materials.
How much does a truck driver make, in this type, you may get offers of good pay for your job more than other trucking jobs.
SPECIALTY CAR HAULERS
A few carriers that have high expertise at hauling are very expensive, the drivers should be very patient drivers and meticulous as they handle high cargoes.
So they are considered one of the trucking companies with the highest pay.
MINING INDUSTRY – DUMP TRUCKS
Mining companies are also one of the trucking companies with the highest pay, they work dump trucks, and offer good salaries for these drivers.
For example, there are mines in Australia who employ truckers for more than $100,000 per year.
Local Truck Driver Salary
Local truck drivers are those who transport goods over a short distance and usually go home for the night.
So local truck driver salary is not as many other trucking jobs.
They are often assigned at a terminal, their salaries are usually the lowest because they aren’t driving too long.
OTR Truck Driving Salary
OTR Drivers are drivers who travel for long distances, OTR drivers salary is much higher because they have to sleep in different states while they are on the run.
They are always away from home for many weeks.
The OTR driver’s salary is typically around the average, it may increase much more depending on different factors that have an effect.
How Much Does a Truck Driver Make Per Mile
A truck driver’s salary per mile is one of the common ways to define a truck driver’s salary, it’s as simple as it seems, in case you want to drive for longer distances, so you will earn a lot of money.
The opposite is right, with short distance assignments, A truck driver’s salary per mile results in lower pay rates.
How Much Does a Truck Driver Make an Hour?
Similar to A truck driver’s salary per mile, a driver can define his salary according to the number of hours he spends on the road, the more hours he spends on the un, the more earrings he gets.
Mileage and hourly are also important for a company that has a rate of a cent-per-mile payment or hourly payment.
In this situation, the more miles you run, the much more money you get.
Knowing factors that affect your salary if you decide to be one of the professional truck drivers can help you make up your mind.
Also make the right decisions about the job you want to commit to.
However, the question about “How much does a truck driver make” cannot be directly got without prior information about all related aspects.
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