Starting Salary For Truck Drivers

A career as a truck driver offers one of the best paying entry-level jobs available. If you choose to be a long distance driver, you can make a great living in your first few years on the road. It’s also good for your mental health, as the job allows for plenty of free time and a flexible schedule during off periods.

There is no more exciting career than that of the truck driver. There are many reasons why truck drivers enjoy their jobs. They love being in control of their vehicle, meeting new people across the country and having a flexible schedule. Salary is also a great reason, with salaries as high as $100,000 per year!

The starting salary for truck drivers depends on the type of driving job that you have. If you work for a small trucking company, your starting salary is probably around $18.00 per hour. If you can find a position with a larger company or a trucking association, then your salary will increase to about $24 per hour.

Starting Salary For Truck Drivers Overview

If you’re looking to become a truck driver, you might have questions about what to expect in terms of pay and salary. Here are some answers to common questions about the starting salary for truck drivers:

How much does a truck driver make per hour?

The average hourly wage for a truck driver is $18.00, but this number can vary significantly depending on where you live, how much experience you have, what kind of truck you drive, and whether or not you own your own business.

Walmart truck drivers earn an average salary of $43,000 per year (or $21/hour). This includes bonuses and tips as well as regular paychecks from Walmart.

What is the owner operator truck driver salary?

Owner operators typically earn $1 million+ per year (or $500K+ per month). This number can vary depending on how many hours they work each month and how much they charge per mile driven by their trucks.

Truckers typically earn anywhere between $0.20-$0.35 per mile driven by their trucks (depending on who employs them).

What are the best trucking jobs?

One of the best things about trucking is that you get to define what’s “best.” For example:

  • Some truck drivers want to make the most money possible, which can sometimes be $100K or more annually. Some ways to do this include team driving or becoming a driver trainer. Both of these options are available at Halvor Lines.
  • Other truck drivers focus on home time. They want to be home every week, every few days, or even daily. Halvor Lines offers dozens of regional routes with consistent, predictable home time.
  • Some drivers value passenger and pet programs, and Halvor Lines has one of the best in the country. If you are an experienced driver, pets and passengers are welcome in your truck from day one, and requirements are easy to meet. Recent trainees can have pets from day one and passengers after 90 days.
  • Many drivers want to be treated as people, not numbers – they want to work with the best trucking company out there. Halvor Lines has been named a Best Fleet to Drive For nine years in a row, thanks in large part to nominations and survey feedback from our drivers.

What trucking jobs make the most money?

There isn’t one straight answer to this question, because there are many ways to make great money in trucking – and a lot of the choices are up to you. Choices include:

  • The freight you choose to haul. At Halvor Lines, pay varies based on your division – van, deck van, refrigerated or flatbed. This is common for most trucking companies.
  • Miles you drive per month. Much of your pay will be based on your miles on the road. The more you drive, the more you earn.
  • Team driving. Drivers who chose to drive in a two-person team at Halvor Lines can expect to earn more than they would drive solo.
  • Becoming a trainer. At Halvor Lines, sharing your time and expertise with new drivers can boost your income, depending on the number of trainees you work with each year.
  • Opting into company bonus programs. Many trucking companies, including Halvor Lines, offer bonus pay for criteria ranging from fuel efficiency and safety to holiday driving. If you’re interested, contact one of our Halvor Lines recruiters, they would be happy to tell you more.
  • Becoming an owner-operator. Drivers who opt to become their own boss often make more money – but they have the added responsibility of running their own business as well.

What is the salary of a truck driver ?

Median Hourly Wages

Wages vary for tractor trailer truck drivers, as do the methods in which those wages are paid. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, www.bls.gov) reports wages for the lowest to the highest earners in any given occupation. The amount of experience is one factor that strongly influences the wages earned by a truck driver, although education and training, specifics employers, location, and industry are influential, as well.

In May 2020, the BLS reported that the lowest ten percent of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers took home hourly wages of $14.74 or less an hour. PayScale.com published that, as of January 2021, an entry-level truck driver may earn an hourly wage ranging from $13.65 to $23.30 an hour; the median hourly rate was reported as $18.10 an hour.

Salary by Industry

According to the BLS, truck transportation services employed the greatest number of long-distance truck drivers in 2020. Roughly 848,030 truck drivers worked for truck transportation. Also in 2020, merchant wholesalers of nondurable goods employed 83,120 persons, warehousing and storage employed 70,190. The average annual salaries earned in each of these industry categories were reported by the BLS as follows: truck transportation, $49,420; merchant wholesalers of nondurable goods, $51,420; and warehousing and storage, $50,330.

Wages by State

The BLS lists the top five states with the highest average hourly wage as of May 2020. The list reflects total industry averages, not just entry-level averages. The top five states are, in order:

  1. Alaska ($28.70)
  2. District of Columbia ($26.61)
  3. New York ($26.58)
  4. Wyoming ($26.44)
  5. North Dakota ($26.23)

Factors That Determine a Truck Driver Salary

When you’re researching “how much do truck drivers make?” you’re bound to encounter many factors that determine salary.

A truck driver salary can vary greatly by region and other factors. Here are a few of the things that can affect how much you make as a truck driver.

Distance

Since most drivers are paid by the mile, you can earn more money by taking assignments that are further away from home. While shorter assignments might be more convenient, they generally pay less.

Managing your time on the clock concerning distance is of the utmost importance when you’re on the job, and it can be challenging to learn how to maximize your earnings without proper instruction.

Good time management is a skill that you can master here at TDI.

Education and Specific Endorsements

If you have endorsements for a specialized job in addition to a CDL, you may be able to earn a higher salary as a truck driver.

Some jobs, such as hazardous waste transportation or another specialized field, pay more because fewer CDL holders have the proper training and endorsements to do them.

Truck driving is a promising career because there are countless different niches you can fill. So, if you’re wondering how much truck drivers make, you should consider what kind of job you want to do.

Location and Employer

Like other jobs, salaries for truck drivers vary based on what part of the country you live in and who your employer is.

There are some pretty significant differences in terms of pay and other criteria that matter to truck drivers. Which is the best state to be a truck driver?

Experience

When you’ve been in the industry long enough, employers will trust you to do a top-notch job, and you’ll be able to earn an even higher salary as a truck driver.

One of the best aspects of truck driving is that there is plenty of room to grow your salary. Because the starting salary is so high compared to other industries, having multiple years under your belt means you can earn quite a bit more than when you started.

At that, when you have the experience and confidence to leap, becoming an owner-operator is a significant financial move. Owner-operators can potentially make upwards of six figures.

Team Driving

For a higher salary, some truck drivers decide to team drive, partnering up to cover more miles per day and earn more money. Plus, team truck drivers have someone to keep them company on the road, which can make a long drive a lot easier.

One of the significant concerns that new truck drivers or those considering becoming a truck driver is the loneliness. Options like team driving work to solve that issue, and it’s an option that many companies offer.

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