How Much Do Truck Drivers Make?

So, you are looking for a new career, and you’re considering CDL Training. A career driving commercial trucks is a stable promising choice and the industry is still growing. Statistics say the shortage of hired drivers continues, and companies big and small are constantly looking to fill open spots. In the US, trucks are needed to move about 80% of cargo through the country, so it doesn’t seem like there will ever really be a time where drivers are not needed. Generally speaking, truck drivers are paid per mile. The average rate per mile is $0.49, but it varies depending on different factors. Indeed estimates that the average yearly salary for a truck driver in the US is about $81,669. This data is based on the 757,572 salaries which were submitted by users or posted in the for-hire ads on the site.

how much do truck drivers make

Is Just Having Professional Truck Driver Training Enough?

You need to graduate from a truck driving school in order to open professionally driving commercial vehicles as an opportunity for yourself. A CDL opens the job market for you, and there are still other factors that can increase but there are still many things that can positively affect your income.

  • The class of Commercial Driver’s License: Class B CDL allows you to drive vehicles of restricted size and capacity, and a Class A license opens much more possibilities to you. With a Class A CDL, you have a more vast choice of available jobs.
  • Experience: Some skills and confidence can only be gained with practice. The trucking industry does not differ in that from any other job: to enter the best companies, you have to demonstrate the best skills.
  • Routes: Payment per mile means that the longest hauls are the most profitable. This is why the local drivers who make 2000 miles per week are paid less than team drivers who drive up to 6000 miles. But material benefits come with a catch: long-distance drives mean you spend more time behind the wheel and less time at home.
  • Specific knowledge and certifications: Suppose you have some uncommon knowledge, like nuances of operating sensitive or oversized cargos, or have additional certificates, such as a TWIC card. In that case, you can apply to more liable and better-paid jobs.
  • Unionization: Unions protect the rights of their members, including better working conditions and more fair wages.
  • Good driving record: No violations and accidents mean that you are responsible and reliable—desirable worker qualities for any job.

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Of course, there are truck-driving jobs that are more profitable than others. Let us look at some:

  1. Company team driver: Driving in shifts with another colleague allows you to cover more miles in less time, and long hauls pay well.
  2. Hazmat hauling:  Working with dangerous materials, such as gases, flammable or toxic liquids, and explosives require precise skills, accuracy, and accountability.
  3. Working in specialized teams: Those operate delicate cargo, such as security equipment. Getting this job demands absolute law abidance and the ability to pass many security checks, but the more liability—the better paycheck.
  4. Private fleet driving: Getting into a top-tier company with their own trucking fleet can provide you with a higher income. Of course, competition for such a job is also harsh.
  5. Delivering oversized cargo: It is more difficult because you have to be an impeccable driver with a deep knowledge of specific laws regarding your cargo. Such qualifications are rare, thus, making you a more valuable worker.
  6. Jobs that not everyone wants, like driving to remote areas or on ice roads. They are less attractive in comparison with other market options, so the companies offer better wages to compete.

With an appropriate skill set, certificates, record, and working place, your income as a truck driver may reach $100,000 per year or more.

Where to Enter a Truck Driving School in USA?

If you are already looking for a place to get your professional truck driving training, visit https://startcdl.com. It is a training center located in Philadelphia, PA, and it could be rightfully called the most unusual, comfortable, and responsible truck driving school in the USA. What will you receive from studying in Start CDL?

  • Guaranteed CDL and employment. You pass your exams when you are ready, know everything you need and feel confident. The school instructors are dedicated to graduating you into a highly skilled driver with a demanded qualification.
  • More training hours than in any other school. Practice makes perfect, and here you can practice all you need.
  • A flexible schedule allows you to adjust your own routine to make working and learning in parallel possible.
  • A hostel for students from other states.
  • Training programs for A and B classes licenses, upgrading, and renewal, manual and automatic gearbox.
  • Over seven years of teaching experience and more than 6700 successful graduates.

The full training lasts about a month. Some students take more time, some take less: as mentioned above, the school instructors do not force you to take the exam when you are not ready and risk failing it. You become a graduate after successfully passing a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) exam and getting your ready CDL two weeks after. The license can be either sent to you or you can pick it up in person. For any questions, you can contact school personnel via an e-mail, phone call, website online chat, or by filling in a form on their website and waiting when the manager calls you back. Do not be afraid to make a first step and start your new path to a profitable job today!

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