![New Truck Driver Pay [An In-Depth Guide]](https://blog.drive4ats.com/hubfs/Images/Blog/Pay%20for%20New%20Drivers/CashInWalletFeatured.png)
When I graduated from college, one of the first things I did was research jobs in the local market to see how much money I could make. If you're graduating from trucking school, you're probably doing the same thing. Or, maybe you're thinking about truck driver pay before you've even enrolled in trucking school.
You're probably wondering the following:
- How much money will I earn annually?
- What's a good starting salary?
- How can I Increase my pay?
Lucky for you, I'm here to answer all of those questions for you. Getting a grasp on pay expectations might be what persuades you to either go into the trucking industry or pursue something else.
Pay is always changing as the market fluctuates and the trucking industry works to adapt. Despite those changes, this article will give you a good idea of what you’ll make as a new driver in the industry.
New Truck Driver Pay Expectations
Before I can dive into how much you’ll make as a new driver, let's clarify the different definitions of “new.”
When people in the industry refer to new truck drivers, they might be referring to a driver still in trucking school, a driver who just finished their time driving with a trainer, or a driver who has under six months of experience.
Let's talk about each.
Drivers in Trucking School
For drivers still training in trucking school, some carriers pay a flat daily rate that can range from $100 a day to $250 a day.
When carriers pay new drivers mileage, it usually ranges anywhere from 20 cents-per-mile (CPM) to 50 CPM.
The amount and way you’re paid while you’re training vary widely from carrier to carrier. Some pay a flat daily rate and some pay per mile. Typically, however, you can expect the pay to be fairly low. The first few months out of trucking school are tough because you don’t make a lot of money.
Once you finish trucking school, you’ll go out on the road with a trainer. You can choose to drive with a new carrier or stay with a trainer a the trucking school you went to.
You'll spend anywhere from eight to 12 weeks out on the road with a trainer. The reason the timeframe ranges so widely is because each company does it differently. Some companies require you to drive a certain number of hours or days and some require a certain number of miles.
Drivers with 3 to 6 Months of Experience
Following trucking school, you can still expect to receive somewhere around 35 to 50 CPM.
Once you’ve completed your time driving with a trainer, you’ll still have a tough few months ahead of you money-wise. Until you get to six months of experience, you’re still not considered experienced by a lot of carriers. Many carriers require at least six months to a year of experience before they will hire you.
However, there are outliers. Some companies will pay drivers with three to six months of experience just as much as experienced drivers. In some cases, drivers will immediately get paid 50+ CPM.
Drivers with 6 to 12 Months of Experience
Drivers with six to 12 months of experience can expect to receive 60 CPM or higher.
With six to 12 months of experience, you’re still pretty green in the industry. However, just as pay for drivers with three to six months of experience can anticipate an increase in pay as the industry changes, so can this category of drivers.
A lot of drivers with six to 12 months of experience are now in a position where they can go to top-paying companies in the industry and get paid a premium. They can expect to make upwards of $70,000 per year.
As long as you’ve demonstrated you can drive safely and you haven’t job-hopped, expect to start getting paid well in this phase of your career.
What is a Good Starting Salary for New Drivers?
It’s tough to nail down a good starting salary for new drivers because the pay tends to be fairly low.
A good rule of thumb is to find a carrier whose CPM pays out the equivalent of $40,000 or $50,000 per year (or higher).
Once you’re past six months, you should easily be able to find a job that earns you $60,000 per year. After one year in the industry, you should be able to earn $80,000 per year and higher.
If you do your research on trucking companies, you should be able to find some companies that pay even higher than the averages listed above.
How to Earn More Money as a New Truck Driver
There are several notable ways you can increase your pay as a driver. When you employ the methods below, you’ll give yourself better access to companies that are willing to pay new drivers more.
Don’t Job-Hop
As a new driver, you should stick with one carrier; you shouldn’t hop from carrier to carrier. It doesn’t look good if you only have six months of experience and you already have a few carriers under your belt. In fact, it might look like being a truck driver isn't the right move for you.
If you notice you're switching carriers often early in your career, evaluate if you’re making the right career move or if you need to pursue something else. Conversely, take a closer look at the carriers you’re choosing to work for.
After you finish your drive time with a trainer, it’s ideal for you to stay with the first carrier you drive with for at least six months to a year — even if you don’t love the carrier.
Staying with one carrier sets you on a good career path. If you start moving around before your first six months are over, you hurt yourself and your options. You make it more likely that carriers won’t hire you or you won’t be paid well.
Pick a Good First Carrier to Drive For
You need to be very intentional about the first carrier you decide to drive with. Not only should you carefully choose where you go to trucking school, but you should also be mindful about the first carrier you drive for. Because it’s ideal for you to stay with that carrier for at least a year, you want it to be a good company that pays you well and treats you well.
You also want to work for a stable carrier with some longevity. If you get your driving experience with a tiny, unstable carrier that closes down within its first year of business, future trucking companies can’t verify your experience. If that’s the only experience you have, you may have to start back at square one and get a few months of lower-paying experience.
Making a mistake in choosing your first carrier can set you backward in a big way.
Stay Accident-Free
If you can keep yourself accident-free in your first six months as a driver, you increase your chances of being hired by a carrier that’ll pay you a premium rate. You have the opportunity to double your pay because you’ve proved to companies you’re safety-minded.
It goes without saying that you should try to remain accident-free your entire career.
Earn CDL Endorsements
It’s beneficial to get endorsements right away in trucking school. Getting endorsements as an experienced driver isn’t nearly as beneficial as it is to get them early in your career. Earning endorsements early on allows you to start hauling specialized loads immediately.
For instance, if you have six months of experience and a hazmat endorsement, you open your opportunities up quite a bit.
Learn how to earn your endorsements here.
Set Goals
Ultimately, the best way to increase your salary is by setting goals at the start of your career.
We talk to hundreds of drivers each year who have been disqualified from jobs because of unintentionally poor decisions they made in the past.
Set goals for where you want to be one, three, and five years down the road in your trucking career. Each decision you make should help you get one step closer to reaching your goal.
Maybe you want to work at a specific company that requires two years of hazmat experience with no accidents; working there is part of your three-year plan. Based on this goal, while you’re in trucking school, you should decide to get your hazmat endorsement right away. Then, when you’re deciding between two companies early in your career and one offers hazmat freight but the other doesn’t, you should choose the hazmat carrier.
Every decision you make should take your long-term goals into consideration.
Figure out what it takes to work at your dream carrier, take notes, and determine how you can reach your goal of working there by taking small steps.
How Long Will it Take to Increase My Salary?
Your first few months — if not a year — can be tough in the trucking industry, but you should expect to get a good boost in pay after six months in the industry.
After a year in the industry, you should be getting paid a premium rate — as long as you have a great record. If you follow the tips I mentioned above, you can substantially increase your pay after one year as a truck driver.
The Best Companies For New Truck Drivers
Getting into the trucking industry can be difficult. There are tons of pathways to get there, but getting your footing can be tough — especially when the payment for the first year isn’t typically substantial.
The industry is always changing and pay is increasing in some cases, so it may be a totally different story a few years down the road.
Until you have the experience you need to get hired at top-paying carriers, find a good carrier and stay with them, avoid getting into accidents, get your endorsements early on, set goals, and be willing to do the hard work it takes to succeed.
If you’re looking for the best trucking companies for new drivers, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of great training companies for new drivers to pursue. As long as you do well at one of these companies, you increase your chances of getting hired by a top-paying carrier once you have enough verifiable experience.