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If you are looking for a career in the trucking industry, truck driver pay is one of the most important elements to understand when looking for a new job. Your pay may vary based on your experience, where you are located, how many miles you drive, as well as any specialized qualifications you may have.
There are various ways to be paid as a trucker, including hourly pay, pay per mile, salary, and pay per load. You may also be reimbursed for any place you stay overnight, food, and any other expenses you may have during your travel.
Percentage pay is one of the most common types of ways to get paid in the trucking industry. If you’re not familiar with percentage pay, we’ll discuss what it is, the benefits of this type of payment method, as well as companies currently paying their truckers a percentage.
Top 5 Companies That Pay Truckers a Percentage
If you’re looking for a trucking job with percentage pay, below is a list of the top five companies that pay their truckers percentage pay.
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Founded in 1972 in Des Moines, Iowa, TMS Transportation is one of the largest and most successful privately-owned flatbed trucking companies in the United States. TMC not only accepts experienced truck drivers but inexperienced drivers who may have recently graduated from an approved truck driving school.
The business offers truckers a choice between percentage pay and mileage pay. Percentage rates start at 26% for new graduates, 27% for experienced drivers, going as high as 32%.
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Based in Marshfield, Wisconsin, Roehl Transport is one of America’s largest trucking companies. Their major terminals reside in major cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Dallas.
Their owner operator and lease purchase program offers compensation where you can choose to be paid percentage pay or mileage pay — they leave that decision up to you.
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Founded in 1966 in Crete, Nebraska, Crete Carrier began as an all-owner-operator company. The company now hires company drivers but remains loyal to its owner-operators. There are a few different options of pay packages to choose from, including flat-rate mileage and percentage of gross load revenue.
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CRST has over 50 years of industry experience and is passionate about supporting its owner-operators. There are a variety of ways to make money at CRST. Those with their own rig can make an average of $1.60 per mile, while those in an extended lease purchase program will earn 70% of revenue, plus a fuel surcharge.
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Similar to our other examples, USA Truck is committed to owner-operators and helping them grow their business. There are options between mileage pay or revenue pay of 65% plus fuel surcharge. USA Truck is a top choice for many owners because of its benefits, including self-dispatch, bonuses, and an extensive lease purchase program.
What Is Percentage Pay?
The two most common payment methods for over-the-road drivers or owner/operators are either mileage pay or percentage pay. Each method of payment has its benefits and fallbacks, but it’s important to understand the differences between the two:
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Mileage pay is true to its name in that truckers are paid a certain dollar amount for every mile driven. For example, let’s say you were paid 55 cents for every mile driven. If you drive 1,500 miles, your pay would be calculated by multiplying $0.55 by 1500 miles, for a total of $825.
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Percentage pay is calculated a little differently than mileage pay. The pay is based on a percentage that the shipper paid to have the load hauled. For example, if your percentage is 30% and the shipper paid $3,000 for the load to be shipped, you would calculate your pay by multiplying $3,000 by .3 for a total of $900.
Typically owner operators are responsible for negotiating the percentage of the linehaul, which is the gross revenue of the load minus any fuel charges. If you’re hauling a load with higher gross revenue, you’ll get a better driver payout. Both owner-operators and lease-to-own operators can expect to be paid for most of, if not all, of their fuel surcharges.
Benefits of Percentage Pay
Now that we understand the difference between percentage and mileage pay, it’s important to understand the benefits of percentage pay to make an educated decision that best suits you and your needs. Some benefits of receiving percentage pay include:
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An end to mileage disputes. Drivers of all experience levels dread disputes with employers over whether or not your miles and compensation are fair. Mileage pay can sometimes be a little murky, whereas percentage pay is a more transparent, fair pay system that is difficult to dispute.
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Rising costs. The industry’s current freight rates, on average, pay company drivers around $55,000 per year at the starting rate of 25% of the linehaul revenue. The percentage rate for drivers will increase based on their experience within a company.
Because of the overwhelming demand for professional drivers, shipping rates will continue to increase, making percentage pay much more lucrative.
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Better job satisfaction. Statistics show that truck drivers who receive pay based on a percentage split are much happier and satisfied with their jobs than those paid hourly or by mileage.
According to a Stay Metrics survey, drivers who received pay on a percentage split indicated they were 31% more satisfied than those who receive hourly pay and 29% more satisfied than those who receive per-mile pay.
It’s important to understand the differences between payment methods in the trucking industry. Be sure to ask questions during your job search and make sure you understand all of the logistics behind how you will get paid.
The pay scale will vary depending on various factors, so it’s important to understand your compensation on an individual basis, based on your experience, abilities, and qualifications.
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Author
Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research. Caitlin holds a degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
