What Can I Expect To Make As A New Trucker
Topic 8596 | Page 1
There are a few factors which will effect your income. What your cpm are, how hard do you want to run ( which will be greatly impacted by proper trip planning and time management) and what are your home time expectations.
As for a very vague answer, you should be able to make 40k your first year.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
And how about the training process...do i get paid during this?
There are a few factors which will effect your income. What your cpm are, how hard do you want to run ( which will be greatly impacted by proper trip planning and time management) and what are your home time expectations.
As for a very vague answer, you should be able to make 40k your first year.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
It depends on who you train with. If you look at the section on the website, it provides links and information on several of the better companies who have company sponsored training.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
I plan to pursue a company that will train me. Any ideas on the type of money i can expect to make as I first start driving?
Hi....I would say that after you finished training and got started on your 1st full year the figure would be in the mid 30's to low 40's depending on how long you like to stay out and run and how often you take home time...Biggest variable you have to deal with as a new driver is how many CPM you'll be making...range is .28 to .43 for 1st yr rookie driver
Company-Sponsored Training is a good way to start, I went with Prime Inc. because I think their longer training is better than the quick 3 or 4 week crash course some places offered but your mileage may vary. Good Luck and Enjoy the Life
Ken C.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
I'll pull down over 50k,but...
Run hard and unload 30k pounds of furniture a week. HARD work!
1.5 million pounds a year 
Dang I need a raise.........
Tim, the traditional route of getting on with an OTR company will usually yield anywhere from $32,000 - $40,000 your first year. There are people who have come out of school and landed jobs that rookies normally won't get like running LTL freight or jobs that require drivers to unload the freight. In those less common scenarios there are drivers that have made as much as $70,000 their first year. But that's highly unusual.
You can count on $32,000-$40,000 and if you'd like to dig in and really seek out some lesser known opportunities you might find a better deal than that.
Most Company-Sponsored Training Programs will require you to do a few weeks of classroom, backing, shifting, and driving school at their facility without pay before sending you on the road with a trainer which will be paid. During the unpaid portion they will normally supply you with a place to stay free of charge. Some will provide meals free of charge, others will make you pay for your own food. Each company has a different setup. Follow that link I just gave you above and you'll find tons of information on each company.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Just an FYI Roehl Transport offers paid training now to get your CDL and it is roughly $500/ week while in schooling. They also offer a couple different starting pays and claim they can guarantee $50K your first year, I would take that with a grain of salt though. While in school its $500/week and they provide transportation and a hotel. During the OTR portion they pay $90/day but your only OTR for 15 days before getting your own truck. Its a new program but a good one. My buddy started with them in the OTR Flatbed division and made a phenomenal living for 3 years before deciding to try something local. Starting pay with them is .32cpm to .35cpm depending on the fleet. goes to .42cpm to .44cpm by the end of your first year.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
I plan to pursue a company that will train me. Any ideas on the type of money i can expect to make as I first start driving?