How Truckers Get Paid

You may be wondering how truckers get paid. That could mean how the pay is determined or it could mean how it is provided to the driver being that he is on the truck constantly moving. We will cover both to make sure you get the answer you need!  

Hoover over the bullets to read the detail. Some are actually links to other pages.

How driver pay is determined

A driver's pay is calculated many different ways. It depends on how the company is set up. This could be important when comparing companies to each other. If one company says it's paying ,80 cents per mile but it's 1099 and another is paying .50 cents per mile W2 wages, take the .50!

(See the link in the list for more details)

It's best to ask a company, "What is the average pay per month for a driver of my experience." Then ask what is the average amount of time at home for the pay that is quoted.

There is no way that is automatically better. It depends on how the company has it set up. Hoover over each type.

• Paid by the mile
• Paid by the load
• Pay by the trip
• Paid by percentage
• Paid by the hour
• Paid by the weight
• 1099 Pay 

How The Money Gets To the Driver

You might be wondering how the driver get's his/her pay. There are several ways that this can be done.

• Standard checkStandard Check
• Electronic Payment System
• Fuel Card
• Electronic transfer to bank account
• Payment Cards such as Comdata or Tchek Cards

The most common way drivers get paid is through electronic payment systems. Com data and T-Check are most common. Drivers are issued cards similar to ATM cards.

Cards can have money loaded to them just like a prepaid credit card. The cards can be set up in various ways depending on the trucking company.

At many companies the driver can also make specific adjustments in how payment is made on the card. For instance, he/she might want half of the money put on the card and the other half going into a bank account so the spouse has easy access.

Or he/she could allocate half to the card, 1/4 to the checking account and 1/4 to savings or retirement account.

Having some pay getting loaded electronically is convenient for the driver since most truck stops will have ATMs that the driver can use to access the funds.

How Much Do Drivers Get Paid
How Does Miles Determine Pay
How Drivers Get Paid