"How much will I make?"
"What's the average pay per week?"
These are among the first questions the driver recruiting team here at Anderson Trucking Service (ATS) hears when talking to drivers.
If you’re like most drivers, one of your biggest concerns is pay. Maybe you have a family to support at home. Maybe you're trying to reach specific financial goals.
Either way, not only do you deserve to be paid more than enough to cover your bills, but you also deserve to be paid sufficiently for all the work you do — from tarping to going the extra mile for a customer.
No truck driver should ever feel like they can't support themselves or their families. That's why we've put together a list of the best-paying trucking companies in the industry right now, which includes Old Dominion Freight Line, Mercer Transportation, Sysco Foods, Walmart, UPS, GP Transco, Marten Transport, ABF Freight System, Barr-Nunn Transportation, and Hogan.
The carriers on this list might not pay the highest of any carrier in the industry, but they'll pay you well for the work you do.
This list is comprised of companies with options for flatbed drivers, dry van drivers, reefer drivers, and more.
My definition of best, for the purpose of this article, is a carrier that pays you well for all the work you do — meaning they might have high accessorial pay, they might pay you if you have to sleep overnight in your truck or they might have other great pay programs.
The pay estimates given in this article are just that — estimates — and are subject to change.
Although ATS pays its drivers for all the work they put in, adding ourselves to the list would make this a biased source of information. With that being said, you won’t see our name on this list.
Founded: 1934
Headquarters: Thomasville, North Carolina
Insight: Old Dominion Freight Line, with an industry-leading on-time record and a low claims rate, is a great company to work for. Most of their driving positions allow drivers to get home daily, but they have a lot of options for both new and seasoned drivers.
Old Dominion offers great benefits, including a 401(k) match on weekly contributions and an annual match based on the company's net profits. They also offer safety bonuses and tuition reimbursement programs for new and qualifying drivers.
Local drivers average $78,000 a year. Line-haul drivers average $100,000 a year. Team drivers average $202,000 per year.
Founded: 1977
Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Insight: Mercer Transportation hauls a lot of specialized freight. They also haul freight for the DOD. Both of these types of freight drive truck drivers’ salaries up.
Mercer, however, only works with owner-operators. They don’t publish their pay online, but most drivers report making well over six figures there.
Drivers are settled within hours of Mercer receiving the paperwork on finalized loads.
Owner-operators reportedly make an average of over $200,000 per year.
Founded: 1969
Headquarters: Houston, Texas
Insight: Sysco Foods is a private fleet. Private fleets often tend to pay their drivers very well because they’re only hauling their products and their overhead costs aren’t as high as other trucking companies. They set up their own freight lanes and distribution channels. Their primary focus is getting their goods to the final location, and then they focus on profit.
Because they pay so well, trucking jobs in private fleets are among the most coveted in the industry. They have local routes available from coast to coast.
A typical driver at Sysco will make around $80,000 per year.
Founded: 1962
Headquarters: Bentonville, Arkansas
Insight: Walmart drivers are part of one of the largest and safest fleets in the world. They have strict hiring standards which help them maintain their prominent safety record.
As a private fleet, they’re well-known for paying their drivers well and for paying them for all of their time. For instance, if you have to spend your night in the truck for your Department of Transportation (DOT) 10-hour break, you’ll be compensated for it. They also pay quarterly safe driving bonuses.
They have a large variety of driving options, like hourly driving positions, regional routes and over-the-road (OTR) jobs.
Tenure is heavily rewarded at Walmart; in fact, their turnover rates are among the lowest in the industry. The top reason drivers leave is retirement.
The longer drivers stay, the more they’re rewarded with pay and great hours. For example, a driver who’s been at the company for 20 years could be making as much as $150,000 while only working nine-to-five Monday through Friday. Because of this, it can be difficult as a new driver, but sticking around is typically worth your while.
Drivers can make up to $110,000 in their first year with Walmart.
Founded: 1907
Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
Insight: Like Walmart, UPS rewards its drivers for their tenure. They also have a variety of driving positions. Truck drivers with their CDL can move freight in a tractor-trailer, but UPS also has well-paying positions for package delivery drivers and personal vehicle drivers.
UPS is known for having a safe fleet of drivers and for providing a variety of freight options.
It can take drivers a while to reach a high-paying position, but once you’ve got a few years under your belt there, you’ll more likely than not make more than most truck drivers across the country. Like many companies on this list, the longer you’ve been there the more money you make and the easier the job gets.
Pay for tractor-trailer drivers begins at $35 per hour.
Founded: 2006
Headquarters: Joliet, Illinois
Insight: GP Transco is the newest company on this list. Despite being a newer company in the industry, they’re consistently known for competitive pay. They have positions available for owner-operators, company drivers and team company drivers; all are paid well.
GP Transco is a technology-driven company, which helps them maximize their drivers’ earnings.
In their first year, company drivers make between $80,000 to $90,000 with the opportunity for a raise after six months.
Founded: 1946
Headquarters: Mondovi, Wisconsin
Insight: Marten Transport is primarily a reefer carrier. Not only are they a top-pay-certified carrier, but they were also one of the first carriers to introduce guaranteed pay. And their guaranteed pay doesn’t just last for a month or two; it lasts for the duration of your time there.
They offer various positions for drivers, including regional, dedicated and OTR routes. Their great pay and options for drivers means that they have one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry. Drivers typically stay with the company until retirement.
Drivers can expect a guaranteed minimum weekly paycheck that amounts to at least $70,000 per year for new drivers. The rate they pay per mile is lower than some of the other companies on this list, but their exceptionally high accessorial pay makes up for it.
Founded: 1923
Headquarters: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Insight: ABF Freight System is a less-than-truckload (LTL) freight carrier. It’s a subsidiary of ArcBest Corporation.
ABF has both local routes and OTR routes. Because they’re an LTL carrier, they have high-touch, high-stop freight. However, drivers are compensated very well for it.
ABF drivers average $70,000 and higher each year.
Founded: 1982
Headquarters: Granger, Iowa
Insight: Barr-Nunn Transportation is a dry-van truckload carrier. They’ve been top-pay certified for 17 years. They’re also known for having great pay raises.
They have options for solo or team company drivers and team owner-operators. Barr-Nunn is also known for having newer equipment and for being a good all-around company, which makes for satisfied drivers.
A company driver at Barr-Nunn can make on average $111,000 per year.
Founded: 1918
Headquarters: St. Louis, Missouri
Insight: Hogan Trucking is a privately owned family company operating with third-generation ownership. Owned by the Hogan Family of companies, they've been in operation for over 100 years.
Hogan has both competitive pay and great benefits, including the Hogan Puppy Policy, an employee assistance program that provides free access to mental and physical care, a 401(k) match program, paid time off and comprehensive health coverage. They pride themselves on giving their drivers plenty of miles, including student drivers. This keeps all drivers earning fair, competitive pay.
They have a variety of driving programs and offer opportunities for new and seasoned drivers. They have both dedicated and regional routes that allow you to get home daily.
A dry van driver at Hogan can take home $1,600 to $1,800 per week. This is about $88,000 on average per year.
The companies on this list not only pay well but have great retention rates. When drivers leave these companies, it’s usually not because of pay, but rather some other issue like culture or not living in an area that allows regular home time.
Pay is always changing, so talk to recruiters at each of these companies to determine how much money you can expect to earn with them.
Discuss the driving options at each company and ensure they align with your wants and needs. Make sure you're choosing a company not just for the pay, but because they're also offering what you're looking for when it comes to freight, equipment, and home time.
ATS is a top-pay carrier with options for solo drivers and teams, whether you want to move dry vans or flatbeds. We’re known for our freight variety, with drivers especially excited by our specialized, over-dimensional freight. With a stake in the wind industry, you can work your way up to move wind turbine blades.
We also have options for DOD team freight.
If you have more than six months of OTR experience and are interested in the rewarding truck driving career ATS has to offer, fill out an application today.