How Much Do Truck Drivers Earn

Truck driving can be an excellent career option for many people. It can accommodate many different lifestyles and can offer people very comfortable wages to live on. The one thing you have to be ready for is to work many long hours if you choose to go into trucking. Many people are initially unaware that the ensuing truck driver deficit of modern years is primarily due to a high driver turnover rate. And the primary reason? People initially thought that they would be making more money as promised by the many attractive truck-driving earnings publicized on national TV and radio.

While the dreams of making a $70,000 truck driving salary may seem possible quickly as a result of these ads, the reality is that it can take many years of experience before achieving this kind of income. In fact, making six figures may only occur if you end up owning your own trucking company one day. Nevertheless, truck drivers working for distribution centers and shipping companies can expect to bring in a comfortable salary, while attaining long-term financial security for themselves and their families.

An independent truck driver can make the greatest amount of income as they can negotiate their own rates as well as factor in the costs of any travel accommodations while negotiating with clients. This is particularly true of independent truckers who have to travel more than 700 miles weekly.

Getting Paid Per Mile Vs. Per Trip

One popular way of getting paid as a truck driver is to get paid per mile.

Less experienced or newbie truckers can expect to make as little as 30 cents a mile with seasoned truck drivers making over $3.00/mile. As an example, entry-level workers can generally expect to make a truck driver income of about $35,000 a year with such wages. Experienced truck drivers or those that deliver hazardous materials can make much more.

Being paid per mile makes it easy to monitor your wages and has become the most customary manner in which truck drivers are paid these days. The trick to maximize such truck driving income is to always find alternate routes that can prevent traffic delays in order to get the most mileage. Becoming comfortable with an area and finding roads that allow you to avoid expensive traffic delays can be the key to success.

The disadvantages of being paid per mile basically come down to unavoidable traffic delays that can impede the amount of miles a driver will be able to finish in one day. Also, trucking jobs that required driving primarily on municipal and city roads can lower the number of miles a driver can finish and that is not factoring in weather conditions that make the journey even slower. Yet, with all of these potential drawbacks, the ultimate truck driver salary of drivers that get paid per mile still ends up being more than those that are a flat rate paid per trip.