How to Make Good Money Driving a Truck

1. How to Make Good Money Driving a Truck If you believe trucking isn’t for you because it’s a dead-end job with low pay and very little future, it is time for you to rethink what you assume about our industry. Trucking has received a lot of bad press in recent years and, unfortunately, a lot of it is simply not true. Trucking is an excellent career choice that offers a lot. You can make good money driving a truck and enjoy a rewarding career along the way. The average truck driver now makes just over $43,400 per year. Truckers also enjoy benefits including health insurance and retirement plans. The thing to remember is that average pay is just that. You can earn a lot more if you are willing to do what it takes to be above average. That’s what this post is about. Compared to the average salary of all workers in every sector, $43,400 per year isn’t bad. But you can make more. Below we explain how. If you want to know more after reading this post, contact C.R. England and ask about our driver training and CDL schools. Make Money by Working Hard The secret to making money in any career is working hard. It doesn’t matter whether you are a computer programmer, doctor, engineer, or truck driver. You will never maximize your income without working as hard as you can on behalf your employer and those customers you serve. The hardest workers in trucking make the most money. Why? Because hard workers get the most lucrative loads. Employers are not stupid. They trust their most precious loads to drivers they know are trustworthy. They give them to the drivers who work hard, obey the rules, and serve their customers. If you want to make money in any career, you must be willing to work hard. Make Money by Learning Hand-in-hand with working hard is learning. You are never too old to learn and learning new things will increase your income potential. For example, learning in the trucking industry might mean getting additional endorsements on your license that allow you to hall hazardous or oversize loads. Both kinds of loads pay more. Get your hazmat endorsement and you will increase your income. Learning can make you a more efficient driver as well, leading to more loads in shorter amounts of time. In essence, efficiency is more money. The better you get at doing your job, the greater your earning potential.

2. Make Money by Working with Your Dispatcher This next tip is one that is lost on a lot of drivers. Unfortunately, drivers and dispatchers often view one another as enemies. They are not. They are supposed to be working together as a team for everyone’s benefit. As a driver, you will make more money by working with your dispatcher rather than against him or her. Dispatchers love drivers they get along with, and they’re more likely to think of those drivers first when new loads come up. Make Money by Moving Up Lastly, truck driving is a career that offers job advancement. You can make money by moving up the ladder with your company. For example, you could become a driver trainer after proving yourself a safe, reliable, and efficient solo driver. Driver trainers make more because they have more responsibility. Down the road, you could move into CDL training, dispatch, and even management. You could eventually go on to own and operate your own trucking company. The point is this: there is plenty of room for upward mobility in the trucking industry. The further up the ladder you go, the more money you will make.