New Driver Pay

Iam getting ready to quit my $18 hr factory to and go into trucking.I have had some people tell me there is no money in trucking and I will get lied to about pay and recruiters saying Ill gross $950 a week.Thing is I just bought a $20,000 truck and still need to pay that along with other bills,can I do that starting out?Iam need to gross at least $700 a week is that realistic? I have been talking to Knight and they will pay for my training to get my CDL while at training I will get pre tax $400 a week and then $400 a week while with a trainer for 4-6 weeks.Any suggestions on how I can make good money starting out in my first year? Any trucking companies that you had a good/bad experience with? I need any advice I can get I feel like the requiter is talkng a good 1 and sounds to good to be true.I just dont wanna quit my job and start driving and only take home 2 -3 hundred a week.Thanks in advance !

Most schools will not pat you while in the school, you start getting some money when you get into your trainers truck running loads. After you get your own truck pay varies company to company. Regardless of what they pay per mile you still need to get miles so keep that in mind.

Here is an example, right now SWIFT pays new drivers .33 cents per mile, so if you drive 2000 miles that week you make 660 net. Most of the SWIFT drivers i have talked to say they get on average 2400-2800 per week over the course of a year, some get more. What i have been doing is running though in my head how much i would like to make and how much i have to make.

You just got to find out what ou can live with and make it your goal, but keep in min you will not make much until you are in your own truck.

I think Eckoh means 33cpm, not .33cpm ...

For any profession, making a change is quite a financial leap and you do have to plan a bit. You may have to save up for a while, to cover your costs in transition. There are many options out there, though.

For example, Con-way Freight will take a dock-worker who's been there for a minimum of 90 days, and if he qualifies for the program, will accept him into their 12-week driver training program, at no extra cost to the trainee. The dock-workers make $16/hr before and during the training program. They work 8 hours on the dock and spend 4 hours either in the classroom or in the yard, practicing their driving skills. Once they finish the program, (at least at my terminal) and they pass the course, they get a raise that jumps to $21.87/hr. Their commitment to the company is that they sign a contract stating they will drive for Con-way Freight for at least 12 months, following the completion of the 12-week program.

I entered Con-way, having already been through a private CDL school, which I funded through my state workforce WIA program. The state paid for the school, then I had to job-hunt. However, I was not employed during the full-time school, so I was not pulling in a paycheck and I still had to pay for fuel to get there. Although the state paid tuition, my out-of-pocket expenses added up to about $1,000. Granted, I can claim a lot on taxes but I won't reap that benefit for another year. Once I got into Con-way, I began a 5-week driver training program, during which they paid me $874 per week. These numbers vary from terminal to terminal. For example, the $21.87 was based on a recent raise at that terminal but the Colorado Springs terminal did not experience such a raise, nor do they have a training program for drivers. It's just a small terminal.

Other companies like Swift and Prime take a non-CDL driver and train him from the ground up. I don't know what they pay during training but I believe it's a bit less. I got paid a little more, however, I wasn't getting paid anything while I went to CDL school and then it took me 6 weeks to get a job, plus another 2 weeks before my first pay-check came in. Eleven weeks, from start to finish till my first paycheck.

You can also opt to go to a private school that takes a little longer to complete, say, over several months because you're only in school on the weekends. If this is the only option for you, I understand, but I believe that allows too much time during the week, in between classes, for you to absorb what you've learned whereas a school that's full-time, straight through till you finish, is better.

Also, go to the links on this site Company-Sponsored Training and Truck Driving Schools and even How To Choose A School and How To Choose A Company for more comprehensive guidance. Use the High Road Training Program and don't forget to click on Understanding Pre-Hires . This site is a tremendous resource for getting started.

Do keep in mind that the truck you just bought is paramount in continuing any career. It gets you to work and you cannot afford to lose it, so make your plans in such a way that does not leave you too broke to make payments or to get anywhere. Believe me: this is extremely important. Whatever you do, keep those payments current so you have a means to earn your lively-hood and to make a career change if you want. If that means delaying trucking a bit, so be it, but your vehicle is essential to all your options.

Good luck and stick around. This website is invaluable.

-mountain girl

Josh, the safe number for that first year salary is about $35k. You can pretty much count on that. It will be tough getting $40k or above that first year. You'll make about $40k your second year and it will top off around $50k-$55k between years 3 and 5. There are always a few outliers where you might get lucky and land a better paying job but it's quite uncommon and it isn't something you can count on happening.

The biggest change by far will be the lifestyle.

This is what Schneider told me for intermodal regional out of Chicago.

Orientation is 3 weeks long, and will earn $80 a day. You will receive 2 meals while in the class room, but when out with a training engineer you would be responsible for your meals. Your first paycheck will be held back 1 week. You are paid every Friday except the first check.

Pay: .37 Rate per mile *Pay is subject to the verification of your tractor-trailer driving experience. Mileage pay (if mileage pay is applicable to your particular pay package) applies to all loaded and empty carrier-directed miles based on Household Movers Guide or PC*MILER, as determined by Schneider's particular Line of Business (LOB). Pay is also subject to your available DOT hours of service, load and work availability, per diem participation, other criteria established by the LOB, account type, economic fluctuations, business circumstances, applicable law, and other relevant considerations.

They also said .5 cents increase within 30 days depending on on time delivers 1800-2200 miles per week.

1800-2200 miles per week is extremely conservative, especially for a top tier driver. If you show you're willing to work hard, you're safe, and you're reliable you can expect closer to 2700-3200 miles per week once you've adapted to the road a little bit and proven yourself. I'd say within a couple of months you should be seeing those kind of miles consistently in almost any division you're in if you want them and you've earned that level of trust from the company.

For OTR (home a few days a month) or regional runs (home weekends) I'd say you can bank on about 110,000 total miles that first year. When you factor in time off, breakdowns, and some slow weeks that's probably a good estimate to use. For intermodal I'm really not sure. It could vary wildly.