How trucking pay really works
Per mile
The most common pay for regional and OTR work. Ask how miles are counted. Many carriers pay "practical" or "household goods" miles, which are shorter than the miles you actually drive.
Hourly and salary
Common for local jobs. Ask whether overtime is paid, because many trucking jobs are exempt from federal overtime rules.
Percentage of the load
You earn a share of what the load pays. Good when freight rates are strong, thin when they are not. Ask to see the rate confirmation so you know the real number.
The pay nobody mentions first
- Detention: pay for waiting at a dock. Ask after how many hours it starts.
- Stop pay, breakdown pay, layover pay: ask for each amount.
- Per diem: part of your pay moved to a tax-free allowance. It raises take-home a little, and it lowers the wages reported for things like loans and unemployment.
- Sign-on bonus: usually paid in pieces over months. Count only what arrives while you plan to be there.
What matters is the weekly average over a full year. Ask what first-year drivers at that terminal actually earned, then run it through the paycheck calculator.