Share Your Numbers From 2022 - How Did You Do?

Due to training, I made $121,960. That includes 5 weeks not paid and 3 weeks vacation (which is paid much less than what I average). Home daily.

I also could have upped the number of students and made significantly more. However, this was my first year of CDL instruction, and I limited my students. I had a lot to learn. Next year I will probably up my game.

I also could have upped the number of students and made significantly more.

Hiya, Kearsey! A couple questions for you, so just answer when you have the time.

Are you mainly working on the pad and driving locally with your students? How many students are you working with on a daily basis? Do you stagger their times so you can work individually with multiple students per day? Or do you work with two or more together? Finally, what kind of hrs are you working each day?

Due to training, I made $121,960. That includes 5 weeks not paid and 3 weeks vacation (which is paid much less than what I average). Home daily.

I also could have upped the number of students and made significantly more. However, this was my first year of CDL instruction, and I limited my students. I had a lot to learn. Next year I will probably up my game.

Don't forget your YouTube fame. Just kidding there. I know you mentioned before that you really don't make much at from your videos.

Are you mainly working on the pad and driving locally with your students?

Yes. Mostly run tire loads for the EcoShred (check out my cool video of how Prime gets paid to dispose of tires by shredding them into mulch). Or shuttling broken trailers or picking up loads locally and drop the load at the terminal. they can get picked up from the terminal for drivers to get out.

How many students are you working with on a daily basis?

I usually do 2. I have taken up to 4, but that is tiresome. Many of the experienced instructors take 4. It maximizes not only the weekly pay, but the testing bonus as well as retention bonuses

Do you stagger their times so you can work individually with multiple students per day? Or do you work with two or more together?

Depends on how I feel. Sometimes it is good for the students to watch and learn from the mistakes of others or see how the trailer reacts when the other person is driving. Other times I give them one on one.

Finally, what kind of hrs are you working each day?

Whatever I want. I am in control of the training. Sometimes when they are doing great, I end on a high note after a few hours. If they are struggling, I spend more time to make sure they end on a high note. If it is nasty outside with snow, ice or dangerous wind then I give them a class about the atlas or loads and HOS.

It truly is an amazing gig. However, the number of drivers who are permitted to do it is limited. Our Fleet managers make money off our miles, and I make very little miles. Therefore in the short time, the FM is making almost nothing off of me. However, me being me .. I have been networking and created a support system of my friends and students... Which helps them when they go solo. If they go company, they stay with my FM. This created better drivers for him. I have also been doing my best to create teams for him... Which makes him double the money. Everyone is happy. Me, my FM and my students who all support each other and met through me. And I mean... People who tested in February are now friends with my students who tested in June. Right now my FM has about 94 drivers. Last I counted 17 of them were mine. Good, informed drivers who have access to me and others 24/7. Lessens my FMs burden. One downside is that we build our vacation and rate per miles by running miles. Therefore it will take me years to build those back up. But that isn't important to me. I can afford to take a week off without pay if I like. Another downside is that I don't take real home time. Many of these.more experienced instructors will take weekends off. I don't. I usually test my students out then when I get new ones, I tell them to study pretrip for a day. So I may get one to two days off every 2 weeks. I had Etch and his classmate on the pad all day Thanksgiving. Was all day Christmas Eve. The students are away from home not getting paid. I shouldn't be taking a bunch of time off.

Right now though, instructors are struggling for students. The YouTube has been bringing in a couple for me, but if I cannot maintain at least 2 students at a time, I will have to go back OTR. But I will do that solo.

Thanks a lot, Kearsey, for taking the time to break it all down for me and anyone else who is interested in hearing about how you structure your "Classes".

My guess is you're training them on the A.P. (advanced placement) level curriculum😉

Thanks again, and I'm hoping you can get enough students to continue doing what you're doing on a steady basis.

I did a hair bit over 71k. I also took over 55 days off.

Went to Cancun Mexico twice, took 10 days off and cruised US 50 and 66 out to the coast in an old mustang. I went to several ghost towns, truck museums. Haunted hotels including the St James in Cimarron NM (still has bullet holes in the ceiling of the saloon from Doc Holiday and Wyatt Erp). The Stanley hotel (the Shining), Jerome AZ, cripple creek CO, Deadwood. Traveled a lot, relaxed a lot. And many more crazy fun adventures.

I'm shooting for less time off this year but am doing 10 days in Romania and Germany, and probably Cancun again too. Kind of locked in on those.

I'm coming up on 200k miles, will get another raise at 250k. I'd like to see me still have a gratuitous amount of time off yet keep it short enough to hit 80 to 85k. I think it's doable as I keep growing more efficient and experienced.

Odd thing is that from 05/21 to 05/22 I posted a bit over 80k. But that had a bunch of bonuses in it from starting in 21. And 22 had a lot of time off after July. I also went through some personal difficulties that definitely slowed my pace but I got through them and am stronger as a result.

Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful for this community here.

Hey Davy,

For my knowledge (probably a dumb newbie question) in reading your post, am I correct to say you took 55 days total of home time in 2022? Thanks man!

P.S> - Awesome year BTW!! Congrats!!

I did a hair bit over 71k. I also took over 55 days off.

Went to Cancun Mexico twice, took 10 days off and cruised US 50 and 66 out to the coast in an old mustang. I went to several ghost towns, truck museums. Haunted hotels including the St James in Cimarron NM (still has bullet holes in the ceiling of the saloon from Doc Holiday and Wyatt Erp). The Stanley hotel (the Shining), Jerome AZ, cripple creek CO, Deadwood. Traveled a lot, relaxed a lot. And many more crazy fun adventures.

I'm shooting for less time off this year but am doing 10 days in Romania and Germany, and probably Cancun again too. Kind of locked in on those.

I'm coming up on 200k miles, will get another raise at 250k. I'd like to see me still have a gratuitous amount of time off yet keep it short enough to hit 80 to 85k. I think it's doable as I keep growing more efficient and experienced.

Odd thing is that from 05/21 to 05/22 I posted a bit over 80k. But that had a bunch of bonuses in it from starting in 21. And 22 had a lot of time off after July. I also went through some personal difficulties that definitely slowed my pace but I got through them and am stronger as a result.

Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful for this community here.

My gross was $116,147.82 for the year. I work a normal 5-day week Sun-Thur with Fri-Sat off. The gross includes the 30 paid vacation days off I get, of which I used 25, with the balance to roll over to this year. I've built up an average daily pay of $458, which is how we are paid for those PTO days.

For those of you who don't know, I drive out of a Walmart DC, delivering goods to any Walmart or Sam's club within my region, typically a 600 mile radius from the DC. Trips are often multi-stops at multi stores, and sometimes have a backhaul attached.

In an average week I'll typically log 60 - 65 hours of on duty. The bulk of those hours are usually logged within the first 4 days. On go home day I'll normally slack off a bit, and go home after 8-10 hours, essentially giving myself an extra half day at home.

Last year I logged 104,456 miles. Excluding vacation weeks or weeks that I mentored new drivers, this works out to an average of 2, 222 miles per week. Mileage only makes up roughly 2/3 of my pay, with the balance coming from activity or accessory pay (hooks, drops, bonuses, etc.)

This month started my 7th year as a driver, with two and a half years at Prime, and three and a half years here in the WMPF.

Yes, I took off quite a bit of time. 5 days were paid vacation. (They gave me a grand for that).

Hey Davy,

For my knowledge (probably a dumb newbie question) in reading your post, am I correct to say you took 55 days total of home time in 2022? Thanks man!

P.S> - Awesome year BTW!! Congrats!!

I did a hair bit over 71k. I also took over 55 days off.

Went to Cancun Mexico twice, took 10 days off and cruised US 50 and 66 out to the coast in an old mustang. I went to several ghost towns, truck museums. Haunted hotels including the St James in Cimarron NM (still has bullet holes in the ceiling of the saloon from Doc Holiday and Wyatt Erp). The Stanley hotel (the Shining), Jerome AZ, cripple creek CO, Deadwood. Traveled a lot, relaxed a lot. And many more crazy fun adventures.

I'm shooting for less time off this year but am doing 10 days in Romania and Germany, and probably Cancun again too. Kind of locked in on those.

I'm coming up on 200k miles, will get another raise at 250k. I'd like to see me still have a gratuitous amount of time off yet keep it short enough to hit 80 to 85k. I think it's doable as I keep growing more efficient and experienced.

Odd thing is that from 05/21 to 05/22 I posted a bit over 80k. But that had a bunch of bonuses in it from starting in 21. And 22 had a lot of time off after July. I also went through some personal difficulties that definitely slowed my pace but I got through them and am stronger as a result.

Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful for this community here.

Not a competition, but I think I have you beat, Davy. I took off 62 days. Wife and I decided to travel a couple of times, I worked 4-1/2 months straight, then 5 months straight, in order to do it. We didn't go to Cancun. We decided to see Victoria Falls, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.