When you accept a new job, what’s one of the first questions you ask? If you’re like most other truck drivers, you ask how much you’ll make. After all, pay can be your primary deciding factor.
Are you joining the Anderson Trucking Service (ATS) team or thinking about it? Understanding how you’ll get paid here is important. It may even influence your decision to be a company driver or an independent contractor.
As the operations support manager at ATS, I oversee the driver settlement department and help ensure our drivers receive the highest level of service as they navigate their settlements daily.
In this article, I’ll explain:
When you finish reading, you’ll have a clear expectation of how you’ll be paid, the frequency of paychecks, and how much you can expect to earn at ATS.
The weekly pay averages for ATS drivers depend on the division you’re driving in. The following numbers are the most recent weekly pay averages at the time of this article’s publication. The numbers show what the top-earning ATS drivers are making and what the average ATS drivers are making.
Dry Van Company Drivers (top earners): $1,900
Dry Van Company Drivers (average drivers): $1,350
Flatbed Company Drivers (top earners): $2,000
Flatbed Company Drivers (average drivers): $1,650
Heavy Haul Company Drivers (top earners): $2,400
Heavy Haul Company Drivers (average drivers): $1,850
Company drivers are paid on a percentage schedule with a cents-per-mile (CPM) minimum. As a company driver, you also receive company benefits. Drivers don’t receive holiday pay, but they receive paid vacation time. You can speak to your driver manager or the human resources department to determine how much paid time you have based on how long you’ve been with the company.
Related: Understanding Company Benefits at ATS
The percentage pay program at ATS ensures that every company driver makes the most on the load — whether percentage pay or mileage pay is higher.
Drivers receive 26 percent of the line haul unless the cents-per-mile (CPM) rate is higher. CPM starts at 50 cents for van drivers and 55 cents for flatbed drivers. Average company driver pay is 71 CPM.
For instance, if the CPM is particularly high on a load and drivers can make more overall on CPM than the standard 26 percent of the line haul, they’ll automatically receive CPM pay.
For example, let’s say 26 percent of the line haul on a particular load is $1,000. On the other hand, your pay schedule is set to pay $0.55 per mile and the load is a total of 1,900 miles (empty and loaded). You’d earn $1,045 if you were paid on CPM. Because CPM pay is higher than percentage pay on this particular load, you’d take home the CPM pay.
More often than not, percentage pay ends up being higher on the load, but in the cases it’s not, drivers are guaranteed to automatically take home the highest payout.
Company drivers also receive detention pay. Drivers get 25 percent of all the detention pay we can bill the customer for.
So, let’s say a customer orders a truck and on the driver’s way to the shipper, they cancel that load. We bill the customer for monetary funds to cover the cost of the truck en route. As the driver, you’d receive 25 percent of what the customer pays out.
Company drivers receive layover pay for breakdown time.
Drivers receive $200 after the first 24 hours of downtime and then another $200 for each 24-hour period after. The operations department (your driver manager and the operations manager) determines how this is paid out.
If you ever have a question about layover pay and feel you were owed a different amount, always ask and advocate for yourself.
As employees of ATS, company drivers are subject to a number of reimbursements. For instance, as an ATS company driver, you’ll be reimbursed for things like equipment and lumper fees (third-party workers who help load and unload a dry van).
If you break down and have to stay in a hotel/motel overnight, you can either choose to have the company pay for it upfront or you can pay for it and be reimbursed after providing a receipt. We’ll keep in touch with the shop to help get you back on the road as soon as possible.
Related: I Broke Down...Now What?
Company drivers are paid once per week. As a carrier, we have the flexibility to determine which day of the week we pay drivers.
At the time of this publication, we settle company drivers on Thursdays so they receive the money in their accounts on Friday mornings.
Independent contractors receive percentage pay. Keep in mind that, as an independent contractor, taxes will not be taken out of your settlements. Because you’re operating as an independent contractor, most of your expenses on the road are considered business expenses. These can be written off on your taxes each year.
The weekly averages for ATS drivers depend on the division you’re driving in. The following numbers are the most recent weekly pay averages at the time of this article’s publication. These numbers are after fixed expenses.
Dry Van Independent Contractors (top earners): $2,500
Dry Van Independent Contractors (average drivers): $1,400
Flatbed Independent Contractors (top earners): $2,700
Flatbed Independent Contractors (average drivers): $1,500
Heavy Haul Independent Contractors (top earners): $5,500
Heavy Haul Independent Contractors (average drivers): $2,800
Independent contractors are settled on a percentage pay basis. For new ATS drivers, this starts at 65 percent, so drivers receive 65 percent of the line haul. The percentage rises the longer a driver runs with ATS and the more miles they drive. Percentage pay caps at 67 percent.
Related: How to Read Your Settlement
Independent contractors receive additional pay depending upon the division they’re in.
ATS dry van independent contractors receive 100 percent of the fuel surcharge. Fuel is considered a pass-through charge, which means whatever a customer pays for fuel is passed through to the driver.
The amount customers pay for fuel varies; some customers are strict and use an algorithm to determine fuel costs. Other companies pay on a flat rate. This isn’t regulated, so while customers try to do their best, you may not always get enough to cover your fuel costs. As an independent contractor, be mindful of this when looking through your load offers. Each load offer will list fuel charges.
As an ATS flatbed driver, fuel is paid out a little differently. You’ll receive a fuel CPM that’s calculated weekly depending upon the national fuel index. You’ll be paid this fuel CPM for all loaded miles.
Flatbed drivers are also paid 100 percent of the stop charge and the tarp charge. A stop charge is paid to the driver anytime there’s a stop between the origin and the shipper’s destination. For instance, if you have multiple load drop-offs before you get to the final destination, we charge the customer. Then, we pass that money to you.
When you have to tarp a load, you’ll be settled 100 percent of the money we receive from the customer.
Related: Why is My Settlement Late?
If this sounds like a pay structure that accommodates your needs as a driver, fill out an application or a contact request form to speak with one of our driver consultants.
Not only are we proud to be a top-paying carrier at ATS, but we’re also proud to provide well-maintained equipment and great freight opportunities.
If you’re still unsure which is the right move for you — a company driver or an independent contractor — learn more about the pros and cons of each.