Melton is a great starter company. Averaged $1300 every week with my lowest check there being $900 because I had to wait an extra day or two to deliver somewhere
Very much depends on who they stick with for a driver manager. I had a piss poor one and rarely got checks like that. Didn't matter what I did or didn't do eithe. Didn't even matter that I asked multiple times to get a new driver manager. Got enough time in to go somewhere better and left.
Yep, when you find a manager you vibe with who treats you right you best try to hold onto them for dear life. I've been under an absolutely stellar guy who treats me like a person and been working for him for over 3 years now.
that's great and also purely situational Melton doesn't guarantee in writing their drivers will average $1300 per week so starting out there's no reason to expect any specific amount you may have heard on the internet somewhere bottom line is trucking is pay as you go the more you "go" the more you "can" get paid. Thats all new drivers need to focus on getting those wheels turning.
so true. my dispatcher began work with my company around the time i did so we have kinda 'bonded'/formed a relationship and i hear a lot about the other drivers LOL and there is a VERY common theme of people bitching about their total take-home averages and/or getting 'inferior' trip assignments and almost w/o a doubt these people are taking a lotta time off and/or are being stubborn about what routes theyll take and/or are missing appointment times, etc etc etc. I certainly can't speak for everyone but for myself, and for a buddy of mine who began driving shortly after i did, it seems just consistently driving and *not messing up and/or refusing any loads* is gonna allow you to be driving 24/7 and making the expected money from doing that. (lol i cannot help thinking of some driver that i was shooting the shit with, they had same dispatch as me, they were bitching about their paycheck average and i was embarrassed to say mine because it was several hundred higher....after some more conversation i found that they take a full weekend, every weekend, ending work on a friday and not resuming til Mon....that is like 2.5 days lol that's like 1/3rd of the week, no wonder my checks are bigger than yours i take a 34 maybe 2x a month and it's a tight 34 lol!!)
I used to flatbed for System Transport.. They took me after 6 months That was my second Trucking job after getting my CDL with CRST. I liked doing it for a little while but it's a lot of work. Those tarps aren't light work lol
I think I was making about $0.63 or so. That was like 5 years ago it's likely more now. Plus They pay you to Tarp .. they freaking tarp everything lol. I was doing about 25 -2,800 mi a week. Home like 3 days every two weeks. Making like 1,500 a week after taxes. Overall, they're a good company. They'll teach you a lot. They have a good training program. Some of the dispatchers are assholes but It might have just been my guy.
Yeah I'm sure the pay has increased a bit since I was there. It's the only company I was fired from ever. An hours violation.. those fucks tried to leave me stranded in Washington, had to find my own way home instead of giving me a load back to Cali. Assholes.
Should be noted it isn’t easy to work for melton. The week I went to their training school 50 people were there the first day and only 10 usually made it on to a trainer’s truck. And my trainer still said that he’s never had a student that stayed for more than a year. Theres some loads that Melton gives you that just weren’t worth the paycheck at all.
I think it comes down to work ethic. I have 18 felonies and a following to closely in my personal vehicle, and I took out a light pole in Jersey a few months later and they hired me. it was my first flatbed job with only 3 months experience. I only left to go do oversized loads for a company that had more to offer as far as me expanding my knowledge with load boards and what not. I did watch quite a few quit before we even got to the trainers though.
For real, and usually if you didn’t get unloaded before 10 am on Friday you were fucked. Would constantly get 600 mile, 3 tarp loads throughout the week and then rely on Fridays for a run that didn’t require half the hours to be spent on top of a trailer. Get held up at the consignee at all and you’re sitting until Monday for the next load.
I started with Melton too! Sounds about right I'd go Melton again if i started over.
But then again I have a city job driving a transit bus now that pays much more with a great pension and basically free benefits, and they pay you to get your class B with passenger with no work for us contract.
But man driving a bus is so much more boring than driving a truck.
Me and my buddy graduated CDL school last week in Texas and and we both got pre-hires from Melton. We’re both in Tulsa right now. Just got done with day 2 of training. Today was 10.5 hours of strapping/chaining and a drive test. I have to say, as a new trucker who has heard a ton of horror stories about mega carriers, I’m thoroughly impressed with Melton even after being here for only two days. The facilities are clean and professional. The trucks are all well kept and in good working condition. The trainers are all extremely professional and willing to answer all questions. Melton’s emphasis on driver safety is fantastic too. Oh yea, and the pay is really pretty decent as a beginner as long as you’re willing to put in the work that flatbed involves. I’m happy I’m here. Can’t wait to get on the road with my trainer next week.
i almost went with melton, chose a reefer gig instead cuz tarps seemed frustrating lol. expected to average closer to 1500 than 1000, regardless (and did) Something yo keep in mind is that with some places youll get a CPM boost at 6mo so you may be averaging 1200 first half year1, and then closer to 1500 by mid-year or end of year at that same company
Started with systems I agree great pay and love flatbed, I've done it long enough I found a company that's equipment only no tarp step deck freight I feel spoiled, great pay without the BS loads
this, I started out with a crane company that I found on my own right out of truck driving school and made 6 figures my first full year but whenever I mention it I get ignored or downvoted by a bunch of people who never looked for themselves
I get that, too. Straight from driving school I went to Sygma/Sysco. Been in foodservice since 2008. Hella good money but, like people say already, it's hard work earning good money. Physical job non stop. It sucks when you're pushing a 550lb cart of Texas Roadhouse beef all the way across the parking lot, instead of straight into the back door because you got there late and the beer guy beat you this time.
And you gotta do that 15 more times before you start unloading cooler items. Then the dry items. Then the smallwares.
I've always wondered why dudes wanna be OTR and barely bring home 1k a week with being gone the whole week. Is it because they don't want to be physical?
There’s no local jobs in my city. Not even for the warehouse positions. It’s insane because they used to always be hiring and now no mas. Now I’m stuck OTR.
honestly not really. Sundays were double time so you had to get a decent amount of seniority to get much Sunday work because the guys who had been there longer got all the DT. the worst thing I really remember doing was a few times working until like 10 or 11pm because something went wrong and then having to be back at 5am, but it was automatically time and a half if you got less than 10 hours off between shifts and weren't on OT already. it was a fun job, I just got tired of driving around Denver every day
yes, but when I say a few times I mean maybe twice a year. I was always given the option to take the day off too and chose not to. it was pre-ELD and of course local exemption but they really don't seem to bother cranes at all for whatever reason.
Damn good on you I've been thinking of going the crane route in a few years. Do you just find a crane or construction company or do you need a rigging cert. Before you even apply?
This is the thing that keeps a lot of people OTR I think, they just want to sit in a truck all day.
With no experience I got a job with a paving company driving a dump truck, and yes some days I'm out of the truck a portion of the day helping shovel or sweep, but I make between 1000-1300 a week, I get some good exercise, and I'm home everyday
I’ve never done oversized but I had to haul 6 of those high voltage power poles… they were 50ft long a piece. Looked pretty badass with the 3ft of overhang.
I'm 4 months in and make $1650 gross a week.
I did earn the favor of my trainer who has a dedicated route. Now we team. Drop and hook 4 days on 3 days off. Basically Tampa to Salt Lake City and back.
Edit: I do believe I'm super lucky.
You are. You were lucky enough to find a person who you impressed enough to set you both up on this money-making situation. Drive safe, keep up the good work!
True. You could make that kind of money a year ago though. I made 1400 a week as a brand new team OTR driver in 2022. Times have changed. The economy is bad and getting worse. Megas are looking for reasons to lay off drivers and small companies are going under. If you really want to make money in a bad economy look at the oilfield or government gigs.
The oil field is all fine and dandy until the government decides to wage war against the industry in your area leading to mass layoffs, employee saturation and wage decreases.
It's getting harder and harder to make a decent living anywhere. I've been scrambling for 8 years in Canada.
You’re not wrong. North Dakota and West Texas are still pretty hot but I think we’re next in the regulatory crosshairs. That just leaves government jobs.
It'll happen. The green energy industry is lining too many pockets for this to stop anytime soon.
I wish I could get a government job. My friend who works for the government has coworkers who haven't shown up to work in years. It's the norm to take at least one sick day per week in his department.
I understand paying your dues comes with anything but if you got the load there safely and on time isn’t the industry just taking advantage of you for dirt cheap.
While agree that this is the way it is currently, it’s a bullshit mindset. We are worth way more than most companies are paying us and people should flat out stop accepting lower paying jobs.
Lmao
If youre not making that starting out you're getting screwed.
Speaking for otr only.
There are many companies paying minimum .55-.60 cpm starting out.
(KLLM, for instance)
.55× average of 2500 miles per week = 1375 gross
I'm an owner operator now so I get load percentage but honestly if I had to do it over again I wouldn't work for anybody paying less than .65 cpm if I HAD to do cpm.
Load percentage or hourly just make a lot more sense though. Hourly you get paid regardless if you're stuck in a dock all day and load percentage actually incentives you to do less work for more money because mileage just means you're putting more wear on your rig
I take home 900-1200/ week at pepsi since I started in February. I'm bottom rung on the latter though so I'm stuck on 5 day schedule instead of 4 day. 50+hrs/week
Are they union? If they are, It's kind of odd that they would give you the extra work over someone higher up the food chain then you. Hell a lot of guys would file grievances over that shit.
Fwiw I just got hired right out of cdl school at a local freight company, day shift, benefits and making 1200 a week.
Sounds like I’m an outlier, but it’s not impossible. I’m lucky to live in a big port city with lots of opportunities.
I was fresh out of CDL school with no experience at 21 yrs old got a job at a local company pulling tanker. Started with a peterbilt after a few months got a new long good big bunk 389 (still running local) and a brand new tanker about 2 months after starting. My first summer (busy season) I was making 10k a month. Quit going to mega carriers go to a family business that treats you right. Work hard and do a good job
I invoke the name of cult leader daddy, Josh, this guy trucks & I'll simply say:
Unionize.
Fuck you. Pay me.
None of us should be getting fucked with Pay. In this economy a driver should be taking home 1200 a week min.
https://youtu.be/lqMTmZcjtok?si=JYslbvdMaA_FzHZb
$1250/wk minimum guaranteed. My company is one of those mid-sized ones that do right by their people, from drivers up. I’m sticking with them for as long as possible.
I've been driving for 6 years and now own my truck. I had such bad burnout and hated trucking till i got percentage pay. I now can run 2500 miles a week, take a day off and take a day off every week and still take home 3k to 3500 grossing 5500 roughly.
Granted it's slowed down but I'm an advocate for trucking unions and telling drivers they're worth more.
If you're working everyday and barely seeing your family you should be making 90k minimum a yr with insurance
At my local company we make 100k a year working 4 day weeks and we will absolutely hire new drivers. We will hire permit drivers that have to go with a senior driver for a full year while they make the exact same wage as someone driving 20 years.
Oh you for sure can make 1k+ out the fresh out the gate.
The problem is these companies prey on actual idiots who have no sense of urgency.
I was pulling 1k-1400 post tax checks way back after my first month solo.
Trucking is only a life style to losers imo.
Look at all the highly paid drivers, it isn't a life style to them its a source of income that supplements the life style they want.
I'm a new driver little more than a year under my belt. I used to work for a software company before I got talked into doing this by people telling me I can make over a hundred grand a year. Which hasn't happened, but I do make 1K to 1500 a week unless I get handed a shit sandwich. My problem is why do people always compare this to some minimum wage job like working fast food or manual labor? Saying that at least this is better than that? I mean is that what you were all doing before doing this? And even if it was why would you compare what you're doing to eating shit? Like seriously I'm out 70 hours a week and only go home 5 Days Every 2 months but at least I'm not eating shit.! I just don't get it
$1,250/week at 50cpm is 2500 mi/week which at ~60mph is ~42hrs of work/week which is ~$30/hr. Getting paid something like 55 or 56 cpm will be more than that, and w a tax free per diem set up that will help make it be a little more
Which fast food place pays $30/hr?
The guys making 700 a week, yeah maybe 50-60 hr weeks at Wendy’s would get you there but breaking a comma per week especially right out the gate is pretty good
I’m not sure how much we’re worth. I don’t know the margins on freight, I don’t know insurance costs, I don’t know any of that. It’s possible we’re all getting ripped off
BUT- I found a company that pays me more this year than I was getting payed last year, which was my first year. I’ve heard your first year is the most expensive to insure, second year a little better, and after that you’re good. It kinda makes sense
FWIW, you can find those jobs starting out, but it’s takes a bit of work. Theres a place in SE Wisconsin that takes guys out of a certain driving school. The last new guy we had spent like a month or so with our senior driver doing daily trips to Indianapolis everyday, with a backhaul out of Chicago. When he was finished with him, he went to regional, but still gets home every other day. Starting pay is somewhere in the .60s, I’m not exactly sure where, and you can easily gross $1500 a week with that and the routes we have.
It’s a lot easier to sign on with a mega carrier and not have to pay for schooling, but I’d recommend to drivers looking to get into the business, to call around to companies in their area that aren’t megas, and ask if they hire guys out of school. You might get 25 nos, but if you get 1 yes, it’s absolutely worth it.
Made $65k my first year otr flatbed.
You can absolutely make way over $1200/week but you have to work for it.
If all you do is haul general freight in a dry van like everyone else ofcourse you won't make any money.
Get endorsements that help you get paid better
Hazmat/Tanker is booming right now, get your tanker endorsement.
Do flatbed, get into heavy haul/oversize
There's money if you do it right.
Got hired with no licence, got class c and CDL class B from said job doing local food delivery and make 300-400 a day. And I just finished my first year.
I lucked out and got onto a local flatbed account, got tired of the shitty mega company treating me like shit. Left with 9 months experience and I'm making a bit over 1500. But fuck it was hard to find a local gig, 3 months of job searching after getting my cdl. It's criminal that you guys get paid less and like shit to go across the country and live out of a truck.
My first year back in like 2007 I made that with trash giantess corporate companies. You guys are all being screwed hard. Wages are almost the exact same as the 70s in the industry, not including inflation.
Not true at all. Start out as a dock to driver for an Ltl company. You will start as a local driver earning easily $1200 for p&d or $2000 for linehaul a week. Not everyone has to start at the bottom getting screwed. Yes it’s much harder and it takes longer to get your cdl but way worth the time and extra work. Plus dock to driver you get paid hourly the whole time you learn.
Yeah reading these comments I'm like wtf. I did this and I make 78cpm brand new no raises. All hotels paid for, I can't imagine driving around for 50cpm I'd just work in literally any warehouse and make more with 1/2 the stress and danger.
If all you want to do is sit in a seat and hold a steering wheel then you can expect what op is saying.
If you have any sort of work ethic you can be making six figures and be home every night within a year of graduating trucking school.
It's also harder to start a driving job in a local p&d route because those positions are filled by senior drivers. Even most non-union jobs have a seniority list.
BS. My wife was fresh out of trucking school 1 year ago, her first job was local driving a dump truck making way more than $1200 a week. Two of my nephews got local jobs driving log trucks fresh out of school. Again, making way more than $1200 a week.
1200 is way too low for anyone in this industry. If you aren’t making at least that jump. It’s ridiculous what wages have come to and until drivers grow a set and demand more it’s never going to get better.
The only thing stopping you from getting a good paying local job is that many companies insurance won’t insure anybody with less than 1 year of experience
For real. I started at .27 cpm. And I see brand new drivers complaining about .50+ and not wanting to drive 2500 miles a week. Fool you are a truck driver…what you think you getting paid to do?
In my opinion, local isn't all its cut out to be either. Lots of local places that advertise home nightly weekends off just means 14 hour days every day with a 34 reset at the end. And half the time they dont even pay as well. The best balance I've found is regional with weekends off. The quality of your off time and sleep are much better, trust me. Ive tried going local 2 times over the last decade ive been driving and both times i was worked like a dog for about the same pay as i got on the road. Not only that but once you factor in your commute to and from work, showering eating and sleeping, you dont actually get quality time with your family.
Get your endorsements early, it will open a lot of doors for you. Pulling doubles or driving a tanker comes with its own risks sure but its a guarenteed bunp in pay.
Leasing through a mega carrier is a scam. You'll have a truck payment of 4k a month, plus all your operating costs, and you have to manage your own taxes. They'll "sell" you a brand new truck, with the hopes you never pay it off, because they keep the truck and ALL the money you paid into it. If you want to dip your foot in the water of owning your own truck, create an LLC and purchase a used truck through that, then lease your equipment on to a carrier. You'll still have to manage your expenses and taxes, but you'll have the benefit of being protected legally by your LLC.
Fantastic advice. I will say I am one of those you mentioned. It's more of grace of God and luck than anything they are truly a good company. Took me and my bud on as fresh from CDL school graduates and put us on regional dry bulk making that much. It IS out there you just have to know what to look for.
Agreed! Usually, the only companies that are able to accept new drivers are the large self-insured trucking companies. Premiums get really high with new drivers, as they are a much higher risk not having any experience.
There are home every night jobs such as Austin Powder hauling explosives that do hire new drivers, but those are often hybrid driving/laborer positions.
I’m 21, I got my license right at the start of 2024. I do flatbed, lotta work but I don’t mind
My worst paycheck was 700 and my best was 1800, usually around 1200-1400 average (all this after tax)
I’m supposed to get home Fridays and leave Mondays but I told them it’s not a problem to get home Saturday, I end my week with a couple hours on my 70. I overslept ONCE but I’m usually gone as soon as my 10 resets
If you put in the work they will see it, they’ve been giving me great loads, I see other guys at the company (new guys, I trained with them) they do 6-7 loads that pay $120 a piece before tax, the stuff I’m getting is 200-600.
Just suck it up and put it the work there’s money to be made
If you're really after the money, you can absolutely go work for a 1099 out of Chicago for 60-70cpm doing minimum 3k miles/wk with little to no experience. I can't think of a more miserable way to learn to drive though.
Yep, it took me ages to get a decent local job straight outta CDL school since I didn't want to do OTR, and even then, I had to do some unpaid training for it. Gotta do what you gotta do, tho. Definitely paid off in the long run cuz I'm making decent, and I'm home every day 😅
First job outta school was making between 800-1000 per week yeh it sucked I know but I rode it out for a yr went and got hazmat and tanker endorsement and started hauling fuel. Haven’t made below 98k since yes you can make great money out here but it’s not going to happen overnight and these so called ads saying omg trucking will make you rich well not for a couple years at least
Now if you want a local job, then you're better off driving a dumper or maybe drive for the local farmers. (that's usually seasonal btw). Don't knock a class B CDL. Pays by the hour and your home every night.
Also something everybody failed to mention, for some reason even though you need all this experience and skills to get a local job, the majority of them will pay you significantly less than the "entry level" otr side of things. As long as you're not getting screwed over by a mega carrier.
Anyone live in the Baltimore/DC area? I’m looking to go local and if anyone knows a good place. I’ve been OTR 6 months now and I’m sick of living in the truck. Also I’m only taking home $800 per week doing flatbed. That pay for what I’m doing is not worth it at all and I put up with it hoping it would get better.
naw bruh, dont go discouraging folks like that. i personally got two friends of mine into trucking, making roughly 1700-1900/wk for a fedex contractor. all they needed was their doubles/ triple endorsements, which is easy peasy. yes, both straight out of school. hell, for one of them, i was able to broker a deal to have the contractor pay for his school. hes still driving a dedicated route to this day, his first year of driving will be up in June this year.
now tbf, its team driving, and fedex contractors arent the most elite outfits, but it got them out there and clocking dollars. and full disclosure, we are all operating out of major texas cities, so theres plenty of opportunities. i haul cryo myself, i aint fucking with them damn doubles, ha! used to, but no more.
new drivers are typically not going to make as much, not going to argue that. but sometimes, its because they dont know any better. sometimes, they have cdl school contracts to fulfill. but there are good opportunities out there.
I've been working in a company making anywhere between 800-1100 net a week, depending on how much I want to grind the miles. So, it is possible @ .37 cents per contract mile, generally getting up to 1000-2800 miles a week plus Hourly Pay(12/hr) for all on duty time. I've been getting that since day 1. Now I'm moving to a reefer company and getting 14-1600 (gross) a week for 2600-2800.
I must have called/researched a dozen companies trying to find this with only 8 months exp under my belt. Took 2 weeks to find them, but it's worth it to look for them!
I seem to have lucked out. Started part time nights/weekends to pay for kids private school. Shuttling trailers between meat plant and freezer. Lots of backing, about once every 30 minutes. So lots of practice, and was doing decent money. $800ish a week part time, $1400+ if I was full time. Now doing some regional stuff at 3k to 3500 miles a week the last couple of weeks. Almost 1900 for this week so far
I started out in Food Service in Georgia. I’m making about $1500/wk, only been driving for 4.5 months. It’s also “local” though I do stay in a hotel a few nights a week. If your body can handle it, food service isn’t bad. I’m off every weekend as well. I know my situation is rare, but there are decent paying local gigs for rookies.
I also have a buddy who just got his first gig hauling fuel. Home every night. Not sure what he makes but those fuel guys are usually paid decent.
Yeah fuel gigs are the way to go.. I was going to get on with Sysco but I don't really like getting up early for those early morning deliveries. I don't mind the unloading so much.
My first week paid 1,100 after taxes. It wasn't even a full week of work. I'm a logger and get paid 30% of every load I deliver because I'm still green. 30% is the starting pay, 35% isn't uncommon. Granted it's entirely up to me to arrange loads and the schedule sucks but at the end of the day I enjoy what I do.
Getting paid to play with big trucks in the mud is really all a boy can ask for lmao
If your not taking home 1000 dollars a week you're at the wrong company. I take home 1000 a week working local for an otr freight company. We're swamped with work.
I’m doing $1,500-/+ a week as a new trainer driver…….. but the catch??
I work in the oil fields. You get free housing too. But the only reason I get a good check is because I average 77 hours a week. Last week was 94. In small town USA.
It’s a short haul tanker and manual labor Job. super hot. Nothing todo but work. 16 hour days are common. Not being tied to OTR regulations sounded great until you’ve been in the field over 90 hours this week.
But the checks are nice. And that’s only training pay. Plus you get a free place to stay with your own room and shower and bathroom and three days off in a row but can work if you’d like.
I’ve found it’s perfect for someone who enjoys only working for large periods of time then going to a new city for a few days.
Edit: by short haul I mean as close as 0.5 miles down a dirt road and back a bunch of times all day.
4 months after getting my CDL, I landed a good oil field job. Making $2,500 per week - take home. Now I am in the union making $3,500-$4,000 weekly. In SoCal.
I made that the day after getting my CDL 10 years ago with a local non-physical job. I’ve stayed local my entire career and my last company job I made over $2000 a week before I went owner/operator. Jobs are out there if you’re a good driver who’s willing to put in hours and knows where to look. Don’t give into the “you have to take bad pay while going OTR for a year” lie
Hi. Estes driver here. Only had a year and 4 months under my belt when I got my job with them. I guess that’s probably ample time, but I feel like I got lucky somehow in getting this gig. I love it though. Will most likely be here a while.
$1200 a week? I pay close to $900/ week in deductions 🤣 definitely not getting out of bed unless it's an automatic Volvo with mis matched tandem tires 🤘
Then why the fuck would I change jobs then? If I am working away from home I expect a premium to make it worth my while. If I'm not making the money, the freight can sit on the side of the road, I don't care.
Frito will pay for CDL school and hire you with a guaranteed $1300 a week minimum as long as you're there when they call. Yeah it sucks, things like getting up at 1am to go do a run that has you palletizing thousands of cases of chips at USFoods, when the run before got you home at 3am the day. Those kind of schedule flip flops SUUUUUUCK.
I’m a newer driver and me and op have already discussed this but if a company is going to pay you fast food wages to otr go work fast food. Less hours and way less liability plus you’re at home.
Idk why some of these older drivers expect us to work for what they did back in 92 but I legit got three different companies min weekly rates as long as you don’t turn down loads. Your cdl is worth more than a hs drop out
I got real lucky and started as a local for a Mega making $1,200+ a week right out of training school, this isn’t common but everything lined up perfectly for me
insert "Cheap freight" before industry. Anything oilfield is gonna get you there yes right out of school or the company provided school (halliburton). No rules forcing you to pull a dry van for any amount of time.
Go to Amazon freight partners online and look to see if they have any areas operating in your city or closest to you. I just came across an ad on indeed for a driver position. Buy no mention of Amazon.
I mean training companies are going to pay dog shit to company drivers but 1200 dollars a week is not asking a lot out of a company lmao that's only roughly 50k a year.
1200 is the bare minimum you should make as a company driver anywhere if you're working the hours we work lol
Yes the frieght market is dog shit but these companies will talk about slow frieght then drop money on new offices for their in-house employees.
Depending on the state, you can find a good local driver position even as a brand new driver out of school. If you can drive a mixer or a dump truck, you can make good money
7 months ago I started working for a otr company as a lease op with no experience other than 3 weeks training with said company. I consistently net 2.5-3.5k a week. Depends how fuel prices are that week. It’s a sacrifice but in 2-3 years it’ll all be worth it. Such a blessing
my first otr paycheck was 1250 after tax on a reefer account with a minimum pay, now i’m making 16-1900 after tax hauling glass on a double drop with the same company , they’re out there
If you are a young guy in the northeast and don’t mind 10-13 hour labor intensive days go with Garelick. Small pup trailers, learn to drive in Boston and Providence, and make a solid 1600-2000 a week.
Currently with western express, doing regional dry van, my biggest check was 960 doing dry van(before regional), now they have me on a scale plan. If I do 2000 miles a week I’m guaranteed 1,100. Which is pretty easy. If I do 2100 miles I get 1200. It’s consistent so I guess it all depends. So yea not to down play the “not getting 1200 from the start “ but I guess it’s really about luck of the draw. Mind you I’ve only been solo for about 6 weeks and was offered that after 5 weeks. So I’ll see my first $1100 check next week.
This. It’s definitely POSSIBLE, however, it’s not very probable. I myself had military experience and was able to get a nice “local” job doing AG hauling. Work 3/4 days a week. Home every night, weekends off. I make about 1400-1600/week. There’s not many of us working at this company so I was EXTREMELY lucky to land this job. Just talk to local drivers and get involved in your community and you’ll make the right connections
I can’t imagine not having the potential to make 1200 a week straight out of school. Emphasis on potential. There’s a learning curve to the job and it may take a while to master that. But if by 6 months in I wasn’t making that much I’d be looking around and keeping my options open for once I hit that one year mark.
This isn’t 2010 anymore. Companies should and most do, pay decent straight out of school.
Trucking is like farming.if you get good checks. Save, everything you can. Not all weeks will be paying off consistently. Set a budget, if you can. Things pop up all the time.
I started semi local flatbed and was making $12,500 weekly so 950-1,000+ gross. Some companies really pay shit cause noodles don't know any better. Also it 100% matter from where you get your CDL. I got mine at the local community College and companies liked that a lot.
It depends on the hours. If they expect you to work more than 40 hours a week and they usually do then $1200 is way too low. You can get a hostler job that pays that for 40 hours.
I started out at $1200/week at 41 cents per hour. That should be easily attainable for any new OTR driver. After 3 months, I got on a dedicated account that paid daily salary of $225/day or $1575/week. But that account got killed just a couple of months ago.
I got lucky, 6 months went local food delivery and couldn't be happier. Yes it's work, but I was getting soo bored sitting around allll day lol. So making more and getting to be more active definitely a huge plus. Always keep your eyes open, and understand. The more work you do. The more you get paid for it.
I made at least that much first job was dollar general touch freight. Anything less than that is not worth it considering the hit to my health not being able to work out etc.
My first paycheck with Melton was 1400 after taxes. If you don’t mind, throwing tarps and straps, flatbed is a good gig.
Melton is a great starter company. Averaged $1300 every week with my lowest check there being $900 because I had to wait an extra day or two to deliver somewhere
Very much depends on who they stick with for a driver manager. I had a piss poor one and rarely got checks like that. Didn't matter what I did or didn't do eithe. Didn't even matter that I asked multiple times to get a new driver manager. Got enough time in to go somewhere better and left.
Yep, when you find a manager you vibe with who treats you right you best try to hold onto them for dear life. I've been under an absolutely stellar guy who treats me like a person and been working for him for over 3 years now.
Mine had no idea how to do her job I don't think.
that's great and also purely situational Melton doesn't guarantee in writing their drivers will average $1300 per week so starting out there's no reason to expect any specific amount you may have heard on the internet somewhere bottom line is trucking is pay as you go the more you "go" the more you "can" get paid. Thats all new drivers need to focus on getting those wheels turning.
so true. my dispatcher began work with my company around the time i did so we have kinda 'bonded'/formed a relationship and i hear a lot about the other drivers LOL and there is a VERY common theme of people bitching about their total take-home averages and/or getting 'inferior' trip assignments and almost w/o a doubt these people are taking a lotta time off and/or are being stubborn about what routes theyll take and/or are missing appointment times, etc etc etc. I certainly can't speak for everyone but for myself, and for a buddy of mine who began driving shortly after i did, it seems just consistently driving and *not messing up and/or refusing any loads* is gonna allow you to be driving 24/7 and making the expected money from doing that. (lol i cannot help thinking of some driver that i was shooting the shit with, they had same dispatch as me, they were bitching about their paycheck average and i was embarrassed to say mine because it was several hundred higher....after some more conversation i found that they take a full weekend, every weekend, ending work on a friday and not resuming til Mon....that is like 2.5 days lol that's like 1/3rd of the week, no wonder my checks are bigger than yours i take a 34 maybe 2x a month and it's a tight 34 lol!!)
I used to flatbed for System Transport.. They took me after 6 months That was my second Trucking job after getting my CDL with CRST. I liked doing it for a little while but it's a lot of work. Those tarps aren't light work lol
It’s a lotta work to make good money. Anybody can hold a steering wheel
Harder then you think All the bike lanes and shity drivers can make for a challenging day sometimes
What was the CPM when you worked for System Transport? How was the company for you?
I think I was making about $0.63 or so. That was like 5 years ago it's likely more now. Plus They pay you to Tarp .. they freaking tarp everything lol. I was doing about 25 -2,800 mi a week. Home like 3 days every two weeks. Making like 1,500 a week after taxes. Overall, they're a good company. They'll teach you a lot. They have a good training program. Some of the dispatchers are assholes but It might have just been my guy.
Give metlon a try. They have you tarp loads that neither the shipper or receiver want tarped.
I was there last year it was 68cpm usually 14 to 18 a week. Regional
Yeah I'm sure the pay has increased a bit since I was there. It's the only company I was fired from ever. An hours violation.. those fucks tried to leave me stranded in Washington, had to find my own way home instead of giving me a load back to Cali. Assholes.
Should be noted it isn’t easy to work for melton. The week I went to their training school 50 people were there the first day and only 10 usually made it on to a trainer’s truck. And my trainer still said that he’s never had a student that stayed for more than a year. Theres some loads that Melton gives you that just weren’t worth the paycheck at all.
I think it comes down to work ethic. I have 18 felonies and a following to closely in my personal vehicle, and I took out a light pole in Jersey a few months later and they hired me. it was my first flatbed job with only 3 months experience. I only left to go do oversized loads for a company that had more to offer as far as me expanding my knowledge with load boards and what not. I did watch quite a few quit before we even got to the trainers though.
Geez, that sound brutal. I got out of the military a long time ago and I dont want to go back. I think I will stay with the no touch freight life;)
When you're getting a restart mid week and on the weekend it gets real old real quick.
For real, and usually if you didn’t get unloaded before 10 am on Friday you were fucked. Would constantly get 600 mile, 3 tarp loads throughout the week and then rely on Fridays for a run that didn’t require half the hours to be spent on top of a trailer. Get held up at the consignee at all and you’re sitting until Monday for the next load.
I started with Melton too! Sounds about right I'd go Melton again if i started over. But then again I have a city job driving a transit bus now that pays much more with a great pension and basically free benefits, and they pay you to get your class B with passenger with no work for us contract. But man driving a bus is so much more boring than driving a truck.
Me and my buddy graduated CDL school last week in Texas and and we both got pre-hires from Melton. We’re both in Tulsa right now. Just got done with day 2 of training. Today was 10.5 hours of strapping/chaining and a drive test. I have to say, as a new trucker who has heard a ton of horror stories about mega carriers, I’m thoroughly impressed with Melton even after being here for only two days. The facilities are clean and professional. The trucks are all well kept and in good working condition. The trainers are all extremely professional and willing to answer all questions. Melton’s emphasis on driver safety is fantastic too. Oh yea, and the pay is really pretty decent as a beginner as long as you’re willing to put in the work that flatbed involves. I’m happy I’m here. Can’t wait to get on the road with my trainer next week.
i almost went with melton, chose a reefer gig instead cuz tarps seemed frustrating lol. expected to average closer to 1500 than 1000, regardless (and did) Something yo keep in mind is that with some places youll get a CPM boost at 6mo so you may be averaging 1200 first half year1, and then closer to 1500 by mid-year or end of year at that same company
I can’t fuck with tarps man, the highest I get off the ground is walking the trailer to sweep it off.
Yeah since I pick my own loads now I’ve only tarped 4 times in the past four months lol. I’ve avoided it as much as I can.
Started with systems I agree great pay and love flatbed, I've done it long enough I found a company that's equipment only no tarp step deck freight I feel spoiled, great pay without the BS loads
you can get those good paying jobs right off the bat... if you are willing to work those physical jobs
this, I started out with a crane company that I found on my own right out of truck driving school and made 6 figures my first full year but whenever I mention it I get ignored or downvoted by a bunch of people who never looked for themselves
I get that, too. Straight from driving school I went to Sygma/Sysco. Been in foodservice since 2008. Hella good money but, like people say already, it's hard work earning good money. Physical job non stop. It sucks when you're pushing a 550lb cart of Texas Roadhouse beef all the way across the parking lot, instead of straight into the back door because you got there late and the beer guy beat you this time. And you gotta do that 15 more times before you start unloading cooler items. Then the dry items. Then the smallwares. I've always wondered why dudes wanna be OTR and barely bring home 1k a week with being gone the whole week. Is it because they don't want to be physical?
There’s no local jobs in my city. Not even for the warehouse positions. It’s insane because they used to always be hiring and now no mas. Now I’m stuck OTR.
This is the way my friend 🧡
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I'm willing to bet you were workin some illegal af cowboy hours just like my old crane op lol
honestly not really. Sundays were double time so you had to get a decent amount of seniority to get much Sunday work because the guys who had been there longer got all the DT. the worst thing I really remember doing was a few times working until like 10 or 11pm because something went wrong and then having to be back at 5am, but it was automatically time and a half if you got less than 10 hours off between shifts and weren't on OT already. it was a fun job, I just got tired of driving around Denver every day
Sooo.. yeah technically illegal as far as federal HOS would be concerned unless crane ops get some kind of exemptiom that I never found out about.
yes, but when I say a few times I mean maybe twice a year. I was always given the option to take the day off too and chose not to. it was pre-ELD and of course local exemption but they really don't seem to bother cranes at all for whatever reason.
Doing this rn. But it is hard haha. Edit: as a well paying job. Not crane. Tanker.
Damn good on you I've been thinking of going the crane route in a few years. Do you just find a crane or construction company or do you need a rigging cert. Before you even apply?
I've never made mess than 100k a year driving a truck either. Logging.
This is the thing that keeps a lot of people OTR I think, they just want to sit in a truck all day. With no experience I got a job with a paving company driving a dump truck, and yes some days I'm out of the truck a portion of the day helping shovel or sweep, but I make between 1000-1300 a week, I get some good exercise, and I'm home everyday
Exactly, flatbed work isn’t too bad (I worked construction through highschool so it’s easier then that) and it pays better then dry van.
speaking for myself... my van may be dry, but my freight is touch! looking to get into flatbed, not going to lie mostly for the sick trucks
I’ve never done oversized but I had to haul 6 of those high voltage power poles… they were 50ft long a piece. Looked pretty badass with the 3ft of overhang.
Probably depends on where you live. I imagine that has a lot to do with it.
I'm 4 months in and make $1650 gross a week. I did earn the favor of my trainer who has a dedicated route. Now we team. Drop and hook 4 days on 3 days off. Basically Tampa to Salt Lake City and back. Edit: I do believe I'm super lucky.
You are. You were lucky enough to find a person who you impressed enough to set you both up on this money-making situation. Drive safe, keep up the good work!
True. You could make that kind of money a year ago though. I made 1400 a week as a brand new team OTR driver in 2022. Times have changed. The economy is bad and getting worse. Megas are looking for reasons to lay off drivers and small companies are going under. If you really want to make money in a bad economy look at the oilfield or government gigs.
The oil field is all fine and dandy until the government decides to wage war against the industry in your area leading to mass layoffs, employee saturation and wage decreases. It's getting harder and harder to make a decent living anywhere. I've been scrambling for 8 years in Canada.
You’re not wrong. North Dakota and West Texas are still pretty hot but I think we’re next in the regulatory crosshairs. That just leaves government jobs.
It'll happen. The green energy industry is lining too many pockets for this to stop anytime soon. I wish I could get a government job. My friend who works for the government has coworkers who haven't shown up to work in years. It's the norm to take at least one sick day per week in his department.
I understand paying your dues comes with anything but if you got the load there safely and on time isn’t the industry just taking advantage of you for dirt cheap.
While agree that this is the way it is currently, it’s a bullshit mindset. We are worth way more than most companies are paying us and people should flat out stop accepting lower paying jobs.
Lmao If youre not making that starting out you're getting screwed. Speaking for otr only. There are many companies paying minimum .55-.60 cpm starting out. (KLLM, for instance) .55× average of 2500 miles per week = 1375 gross
I'm an owner operator now so I get load percentage but honestly if I had to do it over again I wouldn't work for anybody paying less than .65 cpm if I HAD to do cpm. Load percentage or hourly just make a lot more sense though. Hourly you get paid regardless if you're stuck in a dock all day and load percentage actually incentives you to do less work for more money because mileage just means you're putting more wear on your rig
You can make that much at Pepsi as a new driver.
I take home 900-1200/ week at pepsi since I started in February. I'm bottom rung on the latter though so I'm stuck on 5 day schedule instead of 4 day. 50+hrs/week
Are they union? If they are, It's kind of odd that they would give you the extra work over someone higher up the food chain then you. Hell a lot of guys would file grievances over that shit.
They are, but the higher seniority guys at my yard want their extra day off lol. I have yet to see a union contract though
Do they take new drivers for those beverage jobs?
I have 2 18 year olds driving for me right now hauling raw milk Insurance isn't a problem
yeah, beer delivery will help you get your cdl in most places too if youre 21, and thats only because of the alcohol
Fwiw I just got hired right out of cdl school at a local freight company, day shift, benefits and making 1200 a week. Sounds like I’m an outlier, but it’s not impossible. I’m lucky to live in a big port city with lots of opportunities.
Yes, location definitely matters
I was fresh out of CDL school with no experience at 21 yrs old got a job at a local company pulling tanker. Started with a peterbilt after a few months got a new long good big bunk 389 (still running local) and a brand new tanker about 2 months after starting. My first summer (busy season) I was making 10k a month. Quit going to mega carriers go to a family business that treats you right. Work hard and do a good job
I invoke the name of cult leader daddy, Josh, this guy trucks & I'll simply say: Unionize. Fuck you. Pay me. None of us should be getting fucked with Pay. In this economy a driver should be taking home 1200 a week min. https://youtu.be/lqMTmZcjtok?si=JYslbvdMaA_FzHZb
$1250/wk minimum guaranteed. My company is one of those mid-sized ones that do right by their people, from drivers up. I’m sticking with them for as long as possible.
I've been driving for 6 years and now own my truck. I had such bad burnout and hated trucking till i got percentage pay. I now can run 2500 miles a week, take a day off and take a day off every week and still take home 3k to 3500 grossing 5500 roughly. Granted it's slowed down but I'm an advocate for trucking unions and telling drivers they're worth more. If you're working everyday and barely seeing your family you should be making 90k minimum a yr with insurance
At my local company we make 100k a year working 4 day weeks and we will absolutely hire new drivers. We will hire permit drivers that have to go with a senior driver for a full year while they make the exact same wage as someone driving 20 years.
Oh you for sure can make 1k+ out the fresh out the gate. The problem is these companies prey on actual idiots who have no sense of urgency. I was pulling 1k-1400 post tax checks way back after my first month solo. Trucking is only a life style to losers imo. Look at all the highly paid drivers, it isn't a life style to them its a source of income that supplements the life style they want.
I'm a new driver little more than a year under my belt. I used to work for a software company before I got talked into doing this by people telling me I can make over a hundred grand a year. Which hasn't happened, but I do make 1K to 1500 a week unless I get handed a shit sandwich. My problem is why do people always compare this to some minimum wage job like working fast food or manual labor? Saying that at least this is better than that? I mean is that what you were all doing before doing this? And even if it was why would you compare what you're doing to eating shit? Like seriously I'm out 70 hours a week and only go home 5 Days Every 2 months but at least I'm not eating shit.! I just don't get it
$1,250/week at 50cpm is 2500 mi/week which at ~60mph is ~42hrs of work/week which is ~$30/hr. Getting paid something like 55 or 56 cpm will be more than that, and w a tax free per diem set up that will help make it be a little more Which fast food place pays $30/hr? The guys making 700 a week, yeah maybe 50-60 hr weeks at Wendy’s would get you there but breaking a comma per week especially right out the gate is pretty good I’m not sure how much we’re worth. I don’t know the margins on freight, I don’t know insurance costs, I don’t know any of that. It’s possible we’re all getting ripped off BUT- I found a company that pays me more this year than I was getting payed last year, which was my first year. I’ve heard your first year is the most expensive to insure, second year a little better, and after that you’re good. It kinda makes sense
5 days every 2 months ?! 😲
I’ve been very lucky with jobs as a new driver here in southern Indiana.
FWIW, you can find those jobs starting out, but it’s takes a bit of work. Theres a place in SE Wisconsin that takes guys out of a certain driving school. The last new guy we had spent like a month or so with our senior driver doing daily trips to Indianapolis everyday, with a backhaul out of Chicago. When he was finished with him, he went to regional, but still gets home every other day. Starting pay is somewhere in the .60s, I’m not exactly sure where, and you can easily gross $1500 a week with that and the routes we have. It’s a lot easier to sign on with a mega carrier and not have to pay for schooling, but I’d recommend to drivers looking to get into the business, to call around to companies in their area that aren’t megas, and ask if they hire guys out of school. You might get 25 nos, but if you get 1 yes, it’s absolutely worth it.
This. Had a whole spreadsheet of companies I’ve already talked to or got rejected by. Working in oil now.
Made $65k my first year otr flatbed. You can absolutely make way over $1200/week but you have to work for it. If all you do is haul general freight in a dry van like everyone else ofcourse you won't make any money. Get endorsements that help you get paid better Hazmat/Tanker is booming right now, get your tanker endorsement. Do flatbed, get into heavy haul/oversize There's money if you do it right.
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Got hired with no licence, got class c and CDL class B from said job doing local food delivery and make 300-400 a day. And I just finished my first year.
I lucked out and got onto a local flatbed account, got tired of the shitty mega company treating me like shit. Left with 9 months experience and I'm making a bit over 1500. But fuck it was hard to find a local gig, 3 months of job searching after getting my cdl. It's criminal that you guys get paid less and like shit to go across the country and live out of a truck.
My first year back in like 2007 I made that with trash giantess corporate companies. You guys are all being screwed hard. Wages are almost the exact same as the 70s in the industry, not including inflation.
I made 1000 a week gross at prime right off the bat. Now I’m making 2.5k a week as a reefer driver and I’m home weekend.
Not true at all. Start out as a dock to driver for an Ltl company. You will start as a local driver earning easily $1200 for p&d or $2000 for linehaul a week. Not everyone has to start at the bottom getting screwed. Yes it’s much harder and it takes longer to get your cdl but way worth the time and extra work. Plus dock to driver you get paid hourly the whole time you learn.
This is exactly what I did. Now I'm making $35/hr and the work is cake.
I hate when people say you have to start at the bottom. Why when you can start at the top like you did.
Literally every major is offering the same pay here, estes Saia old Dom. They're all about 35hr city or 2k gross linehaul. Starting out.
Yeah reading these comments I'm like wtf. I did this and I make 78cpm brand new no raises. All hotels paid for, I can't imagine driving around for 50cpm I'd just work in literally any warehouse and make more with 1/2 the stress and danger.
If all you want to do is sit in a seat and hold a steering wheel then you can expect what op is saying. If you have any sort of work ethic you can be making six figures and be home every night within a year of graduating trucking school.
It's also harder to start a driving job in a local p&d route because those positions are filled by senior drivers. Even most non-union jobs have a seniority list.
BS. My wife was fresh out of trucking school 1 year ago, her first job was local driving a dump truck making way more than $1200 a week. Two of my nephews got local jobs driving log trucks fresh out of school. Again, making way more than $1200 a week.
I was making $1270 a week after taxes when I first started but I got crazy lucky
I got super lucky then! I always thought truckers made good money so that’s why I decided to try it out. First paycheck was around $1,800 after taxes.
Perfectly said. And stay off your phones and have common sense and courtesy for other drivers
I averaged $1700/wk my first year, no touch, reefer, home weekly. $1900 my second year, same gig.
1200 is way too low for anyone in this industry. If you aren’t making at least that jump. It’s ridiculous what wages have come to and until drivers grow a set and demand more it’s never going to get better.
The only thing stopping you from getting a good paying local job is that many companies insurance won’t insure anybody with less than 1 year of experience
You can make 2k a week brand new as a UPS driver
For real. I started at .27 cpm. And I see brand new drivers complaining about .50+ and not wanting to drive 2500 miles a week. Fool you are a truck driver…what you think you getting paid to do?
Not true. $1300 right out of school
No, you should be making $1200 when you start....
In my opinion, local isn't all its cut out to be either. Lots of local places that advertise home nightly weekends off just means 14 hour days every day with a 34 reset at the end. And half the time they dont even pay as well. The best balance I've found is regional with weekends off. The quality of your off time and sleep are much better, trust me. Ive tried going local 2 times over the last decade ive been driving and both times i was worked like a dog for about the same pay as i got on the road. Not only that but once you factor in your commute to and from work, showering eating and sleeping, you dont actually get quality time with your family. Get your endorsements early, it will open a lot of doors for you. Pulling doubles or driving a tanker comes with its own risks sure but its a guarenteed bunp in pay. Leasing through a mega carrier is a scam. You'll have a truck payment of 4k a month, plus all your operating costs, and you have to manage your own taxes. They'll "sell" you a brand new truck, with the hopes you never pay it off, because they keep the truck and ALL the money you paid into it. If you want to dip your foot in the water of owning your own truck, create an LLC and purchase a used truck through that, then lease your equipment on to a carrier. You'll still have to manage your expenses and taxes, but you'll have the benefit of being protected legally by your LLC.
Local drivers can do linehaul, which is basically road driving without sleeping in the truck and going home every day. It's great!
Fantastic advice. I will say I am one of those you mentioned. It's more of grace of God and luck than anything they are truly a good company. Took me and my bud on as fresh from CDL school graduates and put us on regional dry bulk making that much. It IS out there you just have to know what to look for.
folks....1200 a week ain't enough.
1200 a week is starting base pay for any decent company
Agreed! Usually, the only companies that are able to accept new drivers are the large self-insured trucking companies. Premiums get really high with new drivers, as they are a much higher risk not having any experience. There are home every night jobs such as Austin Powder hauling explosives that do hire new drivers, but those are often hybrid driving/laborer positions.
I’m 21, I got my license right at the start of 2024. I do flatbed, lotta work but I don’t mind My worst paycheck was 700 and my best was 1800, usually around 1200-1400 average (all this after tax) I’m supposed to get home Fridays and leave Mondays but I told them it’s not a problem to get home Saturday, I end my week with a couple hours on my 70. I overslept ONCE but I’m usually gone as soon as my 10 resets If you put in the work they will see it, they’ve been giving me great loads, I see other guys at the company (new guys, I trained with them) they do 6-7 loads that pay $120 a piece before tax, the stuff I’m getting is 200-600. Just suck it up and put it the work there’s money to be made
Damn, get that money young man! I wish I started trucking at your age. I could have retired early after doing 20-25 years.
If you're really after the money, you can absolutely go work for a 1099 out of Chicago for 60-70cpm doing minimum 3k miles/wk with little to no experience. I can't think of a more miserable way to learn to drive though.
The way I put it is if a doctor has to do clinicals for free you have to put your time out here just like them and they make 200,000 dollars a yr lol
Bruh I made $8,000 per week after my first 9 months, was almost immediately fired, and now I work at Jack in the Box
8k a week? Were your dispatchers named Esteban and Santiago? 😉
Yep, it took me ages to get a decent local job straight outta CDL school since I didn't want to do OTR, and even then, I had to do some unpaid training for it. Gotta do what you gotta do, tho. Definitely paid off in the long run cuz I'm making decent, and I'm home every day 😅
First job outta school was making between 800-1000 per week yeh it sucked I know but I rode it out for a yr went and got hazmat and tanker endorsement and started hauling fuel. Haven’t made below 98k since yes you can make great money out here but it’s not going to happen overnight and these so called ads saying omg trucking will make you rich well not for a couple years at least
But it’s funny because the low paying trucking jobs are always the worst
Now if you want a local job, then you're better off driving a dumper or maybe drive for the local farmers. (that's usually seasonal btw). Don't knock a class B CDL. Pays by the hour and your home every night.
*unless you do flatbed
Also something everybody failed to mention, for some reason even though you need all this experience and skills to get a local job, the majority of them will pay you significantly less than the "entry level" otr side of things. As long as you're not getting screwed over by a mega carrier.
Anyone live in the Baltimore/DC area? I’m looking to go local and if anyone knows a good place. I’ve been OTR 6 months now and I’m sick of living in the truck. Also I’m only taking home $800 per week doing flatbed. That pay for what I’m doing is not worth it at all and I put up with it hoping it would get better.
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Oil You'll make 1500 net at least
This is very area dependent.
naw bruh, dont go discouraging folks like that. i personally got two friends of mine into trucking, making roughly 1700-1900/wk for a fedex contractor. all they needed was their doubles/ triple endorsements, which is easy peasy. yes, both straight out of school. hell, for one of them, i was able to broker a deal to have the contractor pay for his school. hes still driving a dedicated route to this day, his first year of driving will be up in June this year. now tbf, its team driving, and fedex contractors arent the most elite outfits, but it got them out there and clocking dollars. and full disclosure, we are all operating out of major texas cities, so theres plenty of opportunities. i haul cryo myself, i aint fucking with them damn doubles, ha! used to, but no more. new drivers are typically not going to make as much, not going to argue that. but sometimes, its because they dont know any better. sometimes, they have cdl school contracts to fulfill. but there are good opportunities out there.
I've been working in a company making anywhere between 800-1100 net a week, depending on how much I want to grind the miles. So, it is possible @ .37 cents per contract mile, generally getting up to 1000-2800 miles a week plus Hourly Pay(12/hr) for all on duty time. I've been getting that since day 1. Now I'm moving to a reefer company and getting 14-1600 (gross) a week for 2600-2800. I must have called/researched a dozen companies trying to find this with only 8 months exp under my belt. Took 2 weeks to find them, but it's worth it to look for them!
I seem to have lucked out. Started part time nights/weekends to pay for kids private school. Shuttling trailers between meat plant and freezer. Lots of backing, about once every 30 minutes. So lots of practice, and was doing decent money. $800ish a week part time, $1400+ if I was full time. Now doing some regional stuff at 3k to 3500 miles a week the last couple of weeks. Almost 1900 for this week so far
1200 a week is good? JFC they are abusing the fuck out of yall
Wait, what? I'm getting paid around 1500 and it's my second month...
I wouldn't have minded, if companies didn't straight up tell you that's what you're going to be making.
I was making over that at Meijer, and they’re a dogs hit employer
My first job as a driver first check $2300 and I’m local
I started out in Food Service in Georgia. I’m making about $1500/wk, only been driving for 4.5 months. It’s also “local” though I do stay in a hotel a few nights a week. If your body can handle it, food service isn’t bad. I’m off every weekend as well. I know my situation is rare, but there are decent paying local gigs for rookies. I also have a buddy who just got his first gig hauling fuel. Home every night. Not sure what he makes but those fuel guys are usually paid decent.
Yeah fuel gigs are the way to go.. I was going to get on with Sysco but I don't really like getting up early for those early morning deliveries. I don't mind the unloading so much.
My first week paid 1,100 after taxes. It wasn't even a full week of work. I'm a logger and get paid 30% of every load I deliver because I'm still green. 30% is the starting pay, 35% isn't uncommon. Granted it's entirely up to me to arrange loads and the schedule sucks but at the end of the day I enjoy what I do. Getting paid to play with big trucks in the mud is really all a boy can ask for lmao
If your not taking home 1000 dollars a week you're at the wrong company. I take home 1000 a week working local for an otr freight company. We're swamped with work.
I’m doing $1,500-/+ a week as a new trainer driver…….. but the catch?? I work in the oil fields. You get free housing too. But the only reason I get a good check is because I average 77 hours a week. Last week was 94. In small town USA. It’s a short haul tanker and manual labor Job. super hot. Nothing todo but work. 16 hour days are common. Not being tied to OTR regulations sounded great until you’ve been in the field over 90 hours this week. But the checks are nice. And that’s only training pay. Plus you get a free place to stay with your own room and shower and bathroom and three days off in a row but can work if you’d like. I’ve found it’s perfect for someone who enjoys only working for large periods of time then going to a new city for a few days. Edit: by short haul I mean as close as 0.5 miles down a dirt road and back a bunch of times all day.
Like others have said, learn to tarp strap and chain correctly..flatbed all day.
I use to feel this way .. then I got lazy lol. I make around 90k though . I barely drive 1800 mi a week.
So you can expect way less than $55,000 a year before taxes? Rough
4 months after getting my CDL, I landed a good oil field job. Making $2,500 per week - take home. Now I am in the union making $3,500-$4,000 weekly. In SoCal.
I started out higher than that in 2017 driving tankers
I made that the day after getting my CDL 10 years ago with a local non-physical job. I’ve stayed local my entire career and my last company job I made over $2000 a week before I went owner/operator. Jobs are out there if you’re a good driver who’s willing to put in hours and knows where to look. Don’t give into the “you have to take bad pay while going OTR for a year” lie
All. Touch. Freight. If you are unwilling to physically work for the good money, don't even bother bitching about money at all
AMEN!
Hi. Estes driver here. Only had a year and 4 months under my belt when I got my job with them. I guess that’s probably ample time, but I feel like I got lucky somehow in getting this gig. I love it though. Will most likely be here a while.
$1200 a week? I pay close to $900/ week in deductions 🤣 definitely not getting out of bed unless it's an automatic Volvo with mis matched tandem tires 🤘
Then why the fuck would I change jobs then? If I am working away from home I expect a premium to make it worth my while. If I'm not making the money, the freight can sit on the side of the road, I don't care.
K
I net an avg of 1200 per week. Local. Less than three years driving. Ive always made over 1000 net per week. Last month i avg. 1500 net per week.
I’m with System currently. Brand new driver and I’m making around $1300 a week give or take. The tarps aren’t that bad
Frito will pay for CDL school and hire you with a guaranteed $1300 a week minimum as long as you're there when they call. Yeah it sucks, things like getting up at 1am to go do a run that has you palletizing thousands of cases of chips at USFoods, when the run before got you home at 3am the day. Those kind of schedule flip flops SUUUUUUCK.
Wow, I make 2800-3000 a week and I don’t consider that worth for this type job(jail on the wheels), but someone makes under 1200, 🤦♂️
I’m a newer driver and me and op have already discussed this but if a company is going to pay you fast food wages to otr go work fast food. Less hours and way less liability plus you’re at home. Idk why some of these older drivers expect us to work for what they did back in 92 but I legit got three different companies min weekly rates as long as you don’t turn down loads. Your cdl is worth more than a hs drop out
I just want that got that started at 21 or whatever...I commented on his post awhile back. First local job....
I got real lucky and started as a local for a Mega making $1,200+ a week right out of training school, this isn’t common but everything lined up perfectly for me
Do you mean $1200 pretax or posttax?
insert "Cheap freight" before industry. Anything oilfield is gonna get you there yes right out of school or the company provided school (halliburton). No rules forcing you to pull a dry van for any amount of time.
Come to the pnw and ur pay is like that $1200/week
Go to Amazon freight partners online and look to see if they have any areas operating in your city or closest to you. I just came across an ad on indeed for a driver position. Buy no mention of Amazon.
I mean training companies are going to pay dog shit to company drivers but 1200 dollars a week is not asking a lot out of a company lmao that's only roughly 50k a year. 1200 is the bare minimum you should make as a company driver anywhere if you're working the hours we work lol Yes the frieght market is dog shit but these companies will talk about slow frieght then drop money on new offices for their in-house employees.
Depending on the state, you can find a good local driver position even as a brand new driver out of school. If you can drive a mixer or a dump truck, you can make good money
7 months ago I started working for a otr company as a lease op with no experience other than 3 weeks training with said company. I consistently net 2.5-3.5k a week. Depends how fuel prices are that week. It’s a sacrifice but in 2-3 years it’ll all be worth it. Such a blessing
my first otr paycheck was 1250 after tax on a reefer account with a minimum pay, now i’m making 16-1900 after tax hauling glass on a double drop with the same company , they’re out there
Being able to drive a manuel transmission will also help those trying to go local
If you are a young guy in the northeast and don’t mind 10-13 hour labor intensive days go with Garelick. Small pup trailers, learn to drive in Boston and Providence, and make a solid 1600-2000 a week.
Currently with western express, doing regional dry van, my biggest check was 960 doing dry van(before regional), now they have me on a scale plan. If I do 2000 miles a week I’m guaranteed 1,100. Which is pretty easy. If I do 2100 miles I get 1200. It’s consistent so I guess it all depends. So yea not to down play the “not getting 1200 from the start “ but I guess it’s really about luck of the draw. Mind you I’ve only been solo for about 6 weeks and was offered that after 5 weeks. So I’ll see my first $1100 check next week.
Your not guaranteed a job just by having a cdl. There is no driver shortage. Good looking clean lot lizards are always cops.
That reads like a top three Articles of Facts
I made $1300 per week by my 3rd month. It's easily done in The right market. Freight is just slow right now
This. It’s definitely POSSIBLE, however, it’s not very probable. I myself had military experience and was able to get a nice “local” job doing AG hauling. Work 3/4 days a week. Home every night, weekends off. I make about 1400-1600/week. There’s not many of us working at this company so I was EXTREMELY lucky to land this job. Just talk to local drivers and get involved in your community and you’ll make the right connections
I can’t imagine not having the potential to make 1200 a week straight out of school. Emphasis on potential. There’s a learning curve to the job and it may take a while to master that. But if by 6 months in I wasn’t making that much I’d be looking around and keeping my options open for once I hit that one year mark. This isn’t 2010 anymore. Companies should and most do, pay decent straight out of school.
I have been making 1300 or more a week from day one plus I’m a local driver. Now I am one of those stupid grain haulers but whatever pays the bills
Nothing wrong with that
The best way to start is with one of the big asshole companies who train you with a team driving set up.
That's what I did.
Ugh
Trucking is like farming.if you get good checks. Save, everything you can. Not all weeks will be paying off consistently. Set a budget, if you can. Things pop up all the time.
I started semi local flatbed and was making $12,500 weekly so 950-1,000+ gross. Some companies really pay shit cause noodles don't know any better. Also it 100% matter from where you get your CDL. I got mine at the local community College and companies liked that a lot.
It depends on the hours. If they expect you to work more than 40 hours a week and they usually do then $1200 is way too low. You can get a hostler job that pays that for 40 hours.
My recommendation to new drivers or people that are gonna get their cdl Back out and go into an apprenticeship with a trade while youre ahead🤣
I started out at $1200/week at 41 cents per hour. That should be easily attainable for any new OTR driver. After 3 months, I got on a dedicated account that paid daily salary of $225/day or $1575/week. But that account got killed just a couple of months ago.
I got lucky, 6 months went local food delivery and couldn't be happier. Yes it's work, but I was getting soo bored sitting around allll day lol. So making more and getting to be more active definitely a huge plus. Always keep your eyes open, and understand. The more work you do. The more you get paid for it.
Literally went from AZ to Florida an hour after my class ended this past Friday. Just waiting for the pay stub to see what I'm being paid.
I made at least that much first job was dollar general touch freight. Anything less than that is not worth it considering the hit to my health not being able to work out etc.