Otr Vs Local Vs Ltl Vs Owner Operator Truck Driver
Any driver getting to start their career wants to know exactly which truckers get paid better than others. Will the paycheck be bigger if they are gone for weeks at a time, or if they own and operate their own truck? These different specialties have different responsibilities so how do the salaries compare?
Owner Operator
The average owner-operator in Canada can anticipate an average base yearly salary of $130,180. These dual role filling truckers have other responsibilities over and above drivers, including both accounting and business-related tasks.
Local Truckers
Local truck drivers may make it home every evening, but they have the greatest variation in salaries. What they earn is greatly influenced by where they live, and what they are hauling. The average yearly salary is $111,000, but this also in the best markets.
LTL
LTL, or less than truckload, drivers make an average of $64,000 per year. Generally, they carry loads that are not full or unusual loads, and they deliver them to customer locations. They can work nationally, regionally, or locally, and their average yearly earning may fluctuate depending on their location choice.
OTR
OTR, or over-the-road, truck drivers can be out on hauls for weeks at a time. They not only have the responsibility for driving their truck they also must ensure their cargo gets proper care during the trip. The long hours result in an average yearly salary of $73,000.
Financing Options For Trucking Owner
The vast majority of owner-operators will also need financing for trucks and other business costs, Finch said. One option is to get a microloan, which Finch described as very small, short-term loans with a low-interest rate, extended to self-employed individuals, new startups with very low capital requirements or small businesses with only a few employees.
Micro-lending organizations usually offer microloans of between $500 and $50,000, Finch said, whereas Small Business Administration microloans average about $13,000 each and have much stricter requirements.
Another option to consider is working with Seek Business Capital, which specializes in helping early stage businesses and startups find the best lending option for their unique financial situation, which can oftentimes be limited due to a short operating history.
In addition to securing financing, Finch recommends that aspiring owner-operators follow these steps to get their own authority:
A few states Kentucky, New York, New Mexico and Oregon require additional permits.
Hourly Truck Driver Wage
If youre a seasoned driver, you have earning potential you can earn as much as 60 cents per mile, according to TruckDriverSalary.com. Negotiating rates that are based around mileage instead of hours can be a smart career move for drivers. With that in mind, a truck driver that has an average speed of 70 MPH can bring about $42 an hour. Unfortunately, unless you have been driving for a long time and have a great driving reputation, theres not a lot of room for negotiating pay. You pretty much have to earn a lower rate until you are able to be experienced enough to call the shots. Plus, earning by mile might not always pay if theres certain days where traffic or road conditions are unfavorable. These are all normal factors that play into the pay rates of truck driving.
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How Much Money Do Truck Drivers Make
If youre considering a career as a truck driver, one of the biggest questions on your mind is probably How much money do truck drivers make a year?
The short answer to that question is, It depends.
While truck driving does provide a great opportunity to earn competitive pay and benefits, there are many factors that will influence how much you will make as a truck driver.
To help answer your question of how much truck drivers make, well break it down into three more questions:
- How do truck drivers get paid?
- How much do truck drivers make at Prime?
- What things influence truck driver pay?
How Do Truck Drivers Get Paid?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for truck drivers in 2014 was $39,520. The bottom 10% of truck drivers earned a median of $25,740, while the top 10% brought home a median of $61,150.
Its important to note, however, that truck drivers are typically not paid an annual salary or hourly wage, as with many other careers.
Company drivers are paid on a cents per mile basis.
- Average truck driver pay per mile is between 28 and 40 cents per mile.
- Most drivers complete between 2,000 and 3,000 miles per week.
- That translates into average weekly pay ranging from $560 to $1,200.
- If you drove all 52 weeks in a year at those rates, you would earn between $29,120 and $62,400.
How Much Money Do Truck Drivers Make at Prime?
Company drivers can also boost their earnings through various incentives offered by Prime:
The Trucking Industrys Biggest Problems
The ATA, a Virginia-based trade group, estimates the current shortage at more than 50,000 drivers. A report published last fall by The American Transportation Research Institute said the driver shortage ranked as the industrys top concern for the second consecutive year in 2018.
Compounding matters, the report said, is the estimated 898,000 new truck drivers that will be needed over the next decade, half of whom are needed just to replace retiring truck drivers.
Not everyone in the industry agrees that the main problem is a truck driver shortage. Instead, some say, the problem is driver retention by large trucking companies that dont want to pay top dollar on commercial truck driver salaries.
Something that is important to understand is that the messaging in mainstream media about a supposed driver shortage is not true, said Norita Taylor, public relations director at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association , a Missouri-based organization that advocates for the rights of professional truck drivers.
Taylor points to studies conducted by OOIDA, the BLS and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration showing that many truck drivers are simply leaving large carriers and either hiring on with smaller fleets or becoming independent owner-operators.
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Frequently Asked Questions About A Truck Driver Salaries
The average salary for a Truck Driver is $58,122 per year in New York City, NY Area. Salaries estimates are based on 1519 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Truck Driver employees in New York City, NY Area.
The highest salary for a Truck Driver in New York City, NY Area is $89,794 per year.
The lowest salary for a Truck Driver in New York City, NY Area is $37,622 per year.
If you are thinking of becoming a Truck Driver or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Truck Driver.
How Much Do Truck Drivers Make An Hour
As of 2019, the average truck driver is making $24 an hour. $1,680 is about how much truck drivers make a week because the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has a restriction that drivers cannot work more than 70 hours over an eight-day period. A truck drivers salary per hour can be influenced by a number of things. Companies, destination, experience, type of jobs, and where you live factor into how much a truck driver makes an hour.
Certain companies are known for paying more than others. Sysco and Walmart are on the higher end, when it comes to salaries. Both of these companies have a truck driver hourly wage of up to $41. Where other companies may pay as low as $17 dollars per hour. If you work for a Union there will be specific regulations put in place to maintain a fair salary.
The time and places you drive also factor into pay. If you are an ice trucker driving across the frozen lakes up North then you will be getting paid more. Over-the-Road drivers also tend to make more money than those who drive locally.
Carrying hazardous materials may require special training but it can also lead to a higher income. Other trainings are also available that allow you to work specific equipment. Depending on the company, those with seniority are given first choice of the routes.
The state in which you live can also affect your hourly wage. Wyoming is one of the highest paying states for truck driving. New York and New Jersey are also towards the top.
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Does A Company Have To Pay Overtime Wages To A Truck Driver
Yes, a company may have to pay overtime to a truck driver if they have worked more than 40 hours in a work week, however there are certain exemptions. There is an act call the Motor Carrier Act of the FLSA) which exempts drivers who regularly travel across state lines to make deliveries from overtime pay. Thus, the 13 overtime exemption applies to drivers who are:
For more information on 13 regarding overtime laws and truck drivers visit .
Every case is different. Therefore, if you work as a truck driver and believe that your employer is violating the law by not properly paying you overtime wages, contact one of our experienced attorneys immediately. There are strict statutes of limitations to file these types of lawsuits so it is important that you do not wait. If you wait, you may lose your ability to recover some or all of your back pay.
How Much Do Class A Cdl Drivers Make
Have you ever wondered about the salary of CDL Class A truck drivers? Several factors play a role in determining a Class A truck drivers salary, and we will cover them all. We will discuss factors such as miles driven, over-the-road trucking benefits, and experience level to see how each of these affects the annual compensation. You can determine whether you want a trucking job with more liability and a higher salary, or a safe, comfortable position that provides an average salary and competitive benefits.
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Which Regions Pay The Most To Truck Drivers
First of all, are there locations where you can earn more as a truck driver?
For the most part, you will find little variation in salaries from one state to the next after different costs of living are accounted for. That said, you will find some of the highest wages in the following states:
- Alaska
- Massachusetts
Should You Work for a Large or Small Trucking Company?
In terms of pay, you will find a wider range of salaries available at large companies than at small ones:
- Truckers who work at smaller companies report CPMs ranging from $0.35 $0.50.
- Truckers who work at larger companies report CPMs ranging between $0.23 $0.60.
That means that you could potentially earn more or less at a large company, depending on your level of experience and the role you choose.
You should consider other factors as well. If you choose to work at a small trucking company, you will probably enjoy a more personal connection to your coworkers and managers. You also might have a more flexible job and more of a chance to demonstrate leadership.
But a lot of small companies hire truckers as contractors rather than employees and this can lead to quite a few hassles with taxes, benefits, and other matters, and may ultimately eat into your earnings.
Which Trucker Jobs Pay Best?
If you do want to advance your career, the following trucking jobs are some of the highest paying out there:
: You Will Probably Make $40,000+ as a Truck Driver, But You May Ultimately Make More than $100,000 Per Year
Container Port Group Driver Pay
Container Port Group has been in operation since 1971 under the name of Rail Container Services. The company started in Cleveland helping the Norfolk & Western company thanks to the storage and shipping capabilities of the company.
Services were expanded to the Midwest with a terminal opening in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1975.
Expansion continued, with terminals opening in:
- Baltimore
- Memphis
- Houston
As a leading intermodal trucking company, Container Port Group was formed in 1986 with the merger of Rail Container Services and Midwest Container Services. The merger formed a single entity that provides a complete intermodal container transportation service.
One of the unique aspects of the company is that they do not own their own trucks. Owner-operators are responsible for all of the companys shipping. If youre an owner-operator, you will have to call in daily and secure loads on a schedule that works best for you. Different terminals have more loads available than others.
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How Much Does A Cdl Driving Make In New York City New York
As of Feb 27, 2022, the average annual pay for the CDL Driving jobs category in New York City is $60,946 an year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $29.30 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,172/week or $5,079/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $98,718 and as low as $26,325, the majority of salaries within the CDL Driving jobs category currently range between $53,746 to $76,232 with top earners making $92,685 annually in New York City.
The average pay range for a CDL Driving job varies greatly , which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the CDL Driving job market in both New York City, NY and the surrounding area is very active.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for CDL Driving jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job within the category on ZipRecruiter today.
When Noel Molina Smells Trash He Smells Money Lots Of It
Molina and his co-worker, Tony Sankar, have been picking trash together for a decade in New York City.
They’ve seen, and smelled, it all. Stale fish, footlong rats, dead pigs and cows. Countless drunks have heckled them. And yes, one time Sankar saw a human leg in a dumpster.
They work the graveyard shift — 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. — rain or shine, ice cold or burning hot.
And yet, they love their job. Part of the reason is they get paid well for their hard work.
“Your trash is my money,” Molina, 32, says with a baby-faced grin.
Molina made $112,000 last year as a garbage truck driver and Sankar made $100,000 as a helper, riding on the back of the truck. Their wages have grown in eight of the last nine years, according to their bosses, brothers David and Jerry Antonacci, owners of Crown Container, a waste management company.
Molina dropped out of high school in the 10th grade and he’s worked at Crown for 10 years. He says his starting salary was about $80,000. Sankar too dropped out of school before migrating to the U.S. from Guyana 20 years ago.
Not everyone makes six figures, but most trash workers are doing better than high school dropouts and even graduates.
Nationwide, the annual salary for a garbage truck driver is $40,000, according to the Labor Department. Across all professions, high school dropouts earn about $24,000, while high school graduates make $30,000 annually, according to the U.S. Education Department.
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Here Is What Truck Drivers Make On Average Starting Out
First of all, driver salaries vary a lot as in upwards of 35%.
As of the time of we originally published this piece , Glassdoor.com reported that truck driver pay started out around $28,000 per year and max out around $65,000 per year, with the national average being $43,464.
In 2021, those numbers have moved to $37,400 as a starting base and maxing out at $77,612, with the national average at $57,474.
The most recent statistics from the BLS are reported for 2020. They have the average at $47,130, which equates to $22.77 per hour.
The numbers reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are similar. The median pay in 2016 was $41,340, which equates to $19.87 per hour.
Indeed.com provides a good sample of salaries for all experience levels and is the source we use most frequently here at TDS.
This number is higher than our own internal research but the key take away is that the pay range varies widely.
It is also worth noting that our aggregate amounts are quite different from what most truck companies like Yellow Freight publish for their pay rates. Take a big-picture view of these numbers and use all data points to get a complete idea of the pay range.
When you move beyond your initial year, there are job opportunities in the field however which pay even more than thatlike team truck driving and the role of an owner operator truck driver .
No College Education Required
One thing that plays virtually no role in a commercial truck driver salary is formal education. A high school degree is all thats required to enter driver training programs.
Beyond that, there are a few steps you can take to improve your truck driver salary. Building a good work record, developing the right contacts and earning different certifications are all beneficial. So is picking the right employer. Private carriers that ship their own goods, such as Walmart, usually offer better compensation packages than for-hire or full truckload companies, Taylor said.
Private carriers tend to treat their employees better, with more home time and better pay and benefits, she said. Regional companies, like less-than-truckload , are the same way.
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