What is considered “above average” pay as a first year driver?
Posted by Serious_Mongoose61@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 23 comments
I’m in my first month of driving by myself, finished with a trainer. Werner has me on the dollar tree flex account so that means I can jump to different accounts when help is needed. They pay $300 to unload but for those that know dollar tree is ROUGH. You have to touch every single box. But currently I am helping dollar general, which is boosting my pay because those trailers are a bit more efficient when it comes to unloading so I can complete more loads within the week. Still a lot of work. But the pay remains the same at $300 per trailer unloaded.
To get to the point I’m brining in about 1800-2200 before taxes… it’s making me think I’m in a good situation and should avoid home time until they’re ready to move me away from dollar general.
With that being said I’m curious, what would you consider “good pay” for a new driver? Is this an opportunity or does the pay not do the amount work enough justice?
CMDR-L@reddit
I used to make like 15 or 1400 take home, but I was working near max and nights. I think my take home is like 1k a week now at 50 hours and I feel muuuch better.
IMO money with no time to enjoy it is pointless
genocyde26008219@reddit
Amigro, FD here. I’m lucky if I can bring home $1300/wk on a non-flex account (recruiter got me with “drivers avg $1400/wk). For reference I finished with my leader in March before I was thrown to the wolves. “Team blue! WEI care!” 😒
Natural_Elk541@reddit
I made $111k my first full year solo (only worked 3 months in the prior year).
It was physically exhausting, and it was dangerous work. Once I got a little more than a full year of experience I jumped ship, now I’m doing no touch OTR, out 16-17 days, home for 4-5. I’m less burned out, get quality home time, and I’ll make ~$95k this year. Benefit package is about the same
DingleberryOrchard@reddit
Walmart?
Serious_Mongoose61@reddit (OP)
I’d take that pay cut 100%… same here home 5 days out 18. But what do we truckers have to do to bring home 6 figures without touching freight? My goal is to be around 120k in the future is that even possible?
Bamfurlough@reddit
I would say that's good pay but it sounds like you're working your ass off. I make about that in the tanking industry but I don't think I work nearly as hard as that. I do plenty of onloads and offloads but I don't find most of them to be that much work. And yes, a lot of the time I'm placarded. I haul a wide variety of chemicals, I'm not a fuel or oil hauler. That would be way too monotonous for me.
Serious_Mongoose61@reddit (OP)
That’s what I plan to get into. Got the endorsements, just need experience. But you’re right it’s a lot of work if it weren’t for the pay I don’t think I’d continue to do it.
iTNB@reddit
I just finished my 1st year a few months ago. My check last week was 2770 before taxes. 2200 after taxes. But, I do specialized flatbed. This week I’m looking at 2300 gross. I’d consider that above average.
BrandontheCDLguy@reddit
It depends on how many hours you work imo. Especially when it's not hourly pay.
ColtNickel@reddit
It really depends, general OTR at a mega it seems to be between $700 to $1000, I know there are good dedicated accounts out there but the two Walmart accounts I’ve touched were absolutely terrible 400 to 500 after all deductions, my record was $2200 for one week but I got extremely lucky with some amazing loads just after New Years when everyone was on vacation going from GA to PA, PA to SC, GA to MI, MI to CA, CA to GA, GA to MI again and MI to FL where I went ahead and took some home time before the going got bad and it most certainly went bad in February.
No_Lake_7445@reddit
I’m on my third week of work and I get paid $24 an hour hauling concrete powder . I get paid every 2 weeks and my check for the 2 full weeks I worked was 2.3k after taxes so roughly around 1.1k I make a week. I’m home daily too. Pay really depends on the hours.
Tiburon712@reddit
Get your hazmat and tanker endorsements. After you’ve gained experience for 10+ months you can make the switch. I do unload the trailers and sometimes load them but I made 106k my first year as a hazmat tanker.
OkSense1496@reddit
I think the only time I ever saw $1,800 for a week of work was when I was hauling bulk petroleum in tankers.
$1,800 per week is not bad pay. But, as you mentioned, you're gonna be working a lot doing those dollar accounts. Lots of unloading.
Serious_Mongoose61@reddit (OP)
So would you be staying out and not going home if you were in this position? The reason I’m avoiding home is because I don’t want them to send me to dollar tree when I come back
OkSense1496@reddit
No idea, sorry. You could try telling your dispatcher "Hey, I really like this dollar tree account, can you keep me on it?"
Worst they can say is no
SheepherderHopeful55@reddit
Just make sure Werner is actually deducting your federal tax, they fucked me royally with that even though I had my deductions set to no dependents
BrattySubSam@reddit
What’s your pay schedule? Is that 1800-2200 weekly, biweekly, monthly?
Serious_Mongoose61@reddit (OP)
It’s weekly pay
BrattySubSam@reddit
That’s good. Even for touch freight
Numerobofis@reddit
For a rookie that’s pretty damn good
Serious_Mongoose61@reddit (OP)
Thanks, that’s good to know. Like I said though it is a lot of work haha giving me a run for the money for sure.
tonythebutcher13@reddit
That's good for shitty work, i did soda for my start for terrible money. That gross is good but its not worth it in the hassle, be VERY CAREFUL!
Get xp and switch to an ltl if you can get the same money or more, linehaul preferred.
drivermurph@reddit
For first year, it seems good to me. I was at 14-1600 gross my first yr. All electric pallet jack tho