How much can I make as a truck driver?
It is believed that there are currently around 120,000 unfilled truck driver jobsacross, and that this figure is expected to reach 890,000 by the year 2025. It is not surprising that the average automobile driver on a typical interstate passes hundreds of trucks advertising, “TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED—GREAT PAY.” It is also no wonder that Truck Driver Recruiting is such a challenging job.
Truck fleets are competing for more CDL truck drivers to keep their loads moving anduse claims that their truck drivers receive great pay along with great benefits to appeal to as many truck drivers as possible. The basic principle of high demand and low supply puts CDL drivers in the driver’s seat when it comes to negotiating compensation. It generally results in a higher than average pay rate for truck drivers as compared to other entry level jobs. The average truck driver salary is generally well above the market price for most non-experienced jobs.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the average experienced Truck Driver in US can make up to $50,000 annually or around $25.64 per hour.
However, that statistic is only a rough estimate of how much money truck drivers make. The Bureau of Labor Statistics combines many different types of truck driver related activities into a single broad category, lumping togetherwages data from over 1.7 million long-haul truck drivers to arrive at that figure. Because the types of truck drivers represented can vary significantly, the salary varies accordingly. The fact is that roughly ten percent of US truck drivers make only $28,160 annually, while the remaining 90% tend to gross $65,000 or more.
It also worth noting that these figures can vary significantly from what most truck driver recruiters for of the bigger truck driving companies like JB Huntadvertise for their pay rates. They often utilize an assortment of formulas to arrive at their published pay rates. In Summary, be sure to take a broad view of these rates and consider all data to get a more accurate idea of the potential pay range.