Revised February 6, 2026
"Where's my money?"
"Why isn’t this load included in my check?"
"What does this deduction mean?"
"Why is my net amount zero?"
"What does this section even mean?"
If you've ever asked one of these questions after getting your settlement check, you're not alone.
When you’re out on the road working hard, you deserve to know exactly how your pay is calculated, and to feel confident you're being paid what you've earned. If your settlement isn't clear or doesn't make sense, it can lead to frustration, confusion, or even unnecessary worry. As a professional driver, you have enough things to worry about. Uncertainty around your paycheck should not be one of them.
As operations support manager here at Anderson Trucking Service (ATS), I help drivers make sense of their settlements all the time, and I firmly believe that transparency matters. My goal, and the goal at ATS, is to make sure our drivers understand every line of their settlements so they can trust in the process and better plan their finances.
In this article, I'll walk you through:
We'll start with a quick vocabulary lesson.
Every trucking company has its own way of doing things, and that includes the terms used on settlement statements. While the exact wording can vary, there are a few common phrases you'll see across the industry.
Keep in mind that your pay settlement will look different from company to company. Every carrier either structures its settlements differently, pays on their own, unique schedule, or uses different financial software. That software determines how settlements are formatted, what details are included, and how they're displayed.
Depending on the company, you might receive your statements electronically or by mail. Be sure you know how to access your settlements and review them regularly to stay on top of your earnings.
Now let's break down some of the most common terms you'll see.
Your earnings will always be listed on your settlement statement and they'll appear as either gross earnings or net earnings.
So, what's the difference?
Gross earnings represent what you've earned before any deductions or percentages are taken out. This means taxes, insurance costs, truck payments, and maintenance account contributions have not been subtracted yet.
While your gross earnings don't reflect what you actually take home, many carriers include them for the sake of transparency — so you can see what the carrier billed for the load and how your percentage pay or cents-per-mile (CPM) was calculated.
If you're a company driver, your settlement will include deductions like federal and state taxes, same as being any other kind of employee. If you're a lease driver, taxes aren't withheld automatically, but you'll see deductions for things like truck payments, maintenance funds, and insurance costs.
Note: At ATS, the gross amount you see is after our 30% company portion has been deducted. The total truck revenue, on the other hand, is calculated before that 30% comes out.
Net earnings, then, are what you actually take home. They represent your pay after all deductions have been made.
Deductions
Deductions are amounts taken out of your settlement to cover various expenses and are usually split into two categories: fixed deductions and variable deductions.
Fixed deductions are just that: fixed. They stay the same every time you receive a settlement Fixed deductions include things like your truck payment and truck insurance.
Variable deductions, as the name implies, do change from one settlement to the next. Common examples include fuel costs or maintenance deductions. For instance, some carriers require drivers to set aside a specific amount of money into a maintenance account for every mile driven. Since your mileage can vary week to week, this deduction will fluctuate along with it.
An advance happens when a driver takes a portion of their pay before their regular settlement date. This can be helpful if you need pay sooner to help cover load-related expenses or to handle personal needs while on the road.
Different carriers partner with different financial service providers, so you might hear an advance referred to as an "EFS (Electronic Funds Source) code," or a "T-Chek."
If you don't take any advances during the pay period, your settlement will simply show a zero in this category.
Reimbursements are payments made back to you for expenses that aren't your responsibility as a driver. Common examples include lumper fees or loading and unloading fees, though items eligible for reimbursement vary by carrier.
Sometimes, you need to pay these costs upfront, in which case your company will reimburse you in a future settlement to ensure you're not out of pocket for expenses that should be covered.
Your settlement should include key load details, like your load number, total mileage, and the origin and destination cities and states for each haul.
Every load you complete during a pay period should appear on your settlement. But it's on you to ensure the required paperwork is submitted on time. Otherwise, your payment will be delayed until the next settlement (or until you turn in the missing documents).
Depending on the company you drive for and the financial software they use, your settlement may or may not show both gross and net earnings for each load. Some carriers provide thorough breakdowns; others keep it brief and straightforward.
If you ever find yourself in arrears (meaning you owe money to your trucking company), you may see a promissory note listed on your settlement, which is basically just a legal agreement outlining how one party will repay another.
There are a few different reasons you might owe money back to the carrier:
Load-related charges
This'll show up on your settlement as a negative number or as an open/pending deduction until the balance is paid.
An ATS settlement is broken into seven sections, each designed to give you a clear, accurate picture of your pay. Let's dive in.
Section One: Settlement Overview
This section provides a quick snapshot of your settlement, including what was deposited into your bank account and your average take-home pay per mile for the period. Tracking this number over time helps you spot trends and make adjustments to increase your earnings.
Section Two: Earnings and Deductions Summary
Section two breaks your settlement down further by summarizing your loads, earnings, and deductions. For example: if you hauled two loads, you'll see the earnings and deductions tied to each one. Totals here will match what's shown in section one.
Section Three: Detailed Load Information
This section provides a load-by-load breakdown, including mileage, fuel purchases, routes, delivery details, and any additional earnings or accessorial pay. It shows exactly how each load contributed to your settlement.
Section Four: Deductions Breakdown
Here, deductions are grouped into two categories, which makes it easier to understand where your money is going:
Cost of running the truck (truck payments, insurance)
Section Five: Open and Pending Loads
This section lists loads that haven't been paid yet due to settlement cutoff dates, loads currently in progress, or loads awaiting paperwork.
Section Six: Pending/Not Taken Deductions
If your earnings don't fully cover your deductions for the week, the unpaid balance appears here.
Example: If a driver earns $1,000 but has $1,300 in deductions, the full $1,000 is applied, and the remaining $300 carries over to this section. In this case, the driver would receive $0 for the settlement.
A lot of carriers follow a "priority order" when applying deductions. Usually, it's fuel first, then truck payments. Any unpaid, lower-priority items roll forward. Make sure you understand the priority system your company uses.
Section Seven: Year-to-Date Summary
The final section shows year-to-date totals for miles, earnings, deductions, reimbursements, and disbursements, along with current maintenance and reserve balances.
This section is especially useful for tracking income and preparing taxes. Instead of compiling 52 weekly settlements, you can rely on four quarterly summaries, saving you time and hassle.
Who Can Help Me Understand My Driver Settlements?
If you have questions about your settlement, start with your dispatcher. They'll be able to confirm which loads were hauled, which are included in the current settlement, and which are still pending. If needed, the settlement or driver pay department (my area of expertise) can provide additional support.
When reaching out, make sure you're parked in a safe location and have your settlement pulled up. This way, it's easier to walk through the statement line by line so you understand exactly how your pay was calculated.
I often get questions from drivers about unpaid loads or missing paperwork. Your company should always be able clarify what's needed to help ensure you're paid on time. Companies also provide settlement guides during driver orientation, which can be a helpful reference when reviewing your pay.
Pay settlements can be confusing — especially if you've worked for multiple carriers with each one handling driver pay differently. While most carriers use similar settlement terms, the level of detail and transparency can vary, and no two companies do it exactly the same.
That's why, as a professional driver, it's important to not only understand how to read your settlement, but how you're getting paid. Again, if you ever have questions, you should always feel comfortable reaching out to your dispatcher or your carrier's driver pay department for clarification.
Check out ATS driver opportunities or explore what it takes to drive for a top-paying carrier.