How do you really compare pay per mile?
If you’re a professional truck driver – or considering becoming a professional truck driver – one of the first things you want to know is how will you be paid. Today, over 95% of drivers get paid by the mile. And while this may seem very simple – it’s a lot more complicated than you might realize.
The vast majority of truck drivers begin their careers as over-the-road (OTR) drivers. This is the best way for entry-level drivers to get the experience they need to become true professionals. At the best companies, new drivers partner with a driver mentor during their first months on the road. This helps them build confidence more quickly and is one of the keys to the high safety standards in the trucking industry.
So why is figuring out your pay so complicated? The answer is in the miles. If you’re thinking about this career, you’ve seen ads advertising “cents” per mile. Some companies offer $.28, $.32, $.35, $.40 even $.45 cents per mile. And from the outside it would seem pretty simple:
MILES X CPM (cents per mile) = MY PAY!
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to compute. The MOST IMPORTANT thing to consider is the AVERAGE LENGTH OF HAUL (ALH) for a trucking company. That’s the number of miles a driver normally gets when delivering a load. When you see an ad offering a high CPM (cents per mile) – chances are that it’s not going to be a very long haul. It may involve a lot of hand work (tarping, loading, unloading) and you may have to wait a long time in line to make a delivery (retail).
At Stevens Transport, we have the HIGHEST AVERAGE LENGTH OF HAUL of any motor carrier. On average, our drivers get nearly 1250 miles for every load they deliver. And at Stevens, we deliver NO TOUCH freight. We deliver to the distribution centers – not to retail establishments. On average, our drivers can do 2-3 deliveries per week – which means they can average 2500-3200 miles per week. Here is a quick way to compare:
Trucking Company CPM Weekly Miles Pay
Stevens Transport $.35 2500 $875/wk
Carrier B $.38 1700 $646/wk
Carrier C $.40 1500 $600/wk
When choosing a trucking company, always remember that MILES = MONEY. The best companies have the most miles for their drivers. Make The Most Money With Stevens Now! Call 800-333-8595 Today! #Drive4Stevens