What Are the Top Paying Careers for Truckers?
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The transportation industry has undergone significant changes in the past few years. From a driver shortage and supply chain issues to shifting company priorities and advanced powertrains, there are very lucrative opportunities for truck drivers.
What are the best-paying jobs in transportation? What are the top-paying careers for truckers? How much do truck drivers make? The team at International Used Truck Center will cover these topics and more with our guide, including a semi-truck driver’s salary.
How Much Do Truck Drivers Make on Average?
According to Indeed, the average truck driver salary is $1,977 a week. On the high end, the salary is $4,216 per week.
How much do truck drivers make per year? The top drivers, like those for Walmart, can easily make six figures according to Newsweek. The retail giant made headlines in April 2022 when it offered new truck drivers between $95,000 to $110,000 for a truck driver’s first year driving over-the-road trucks. At the time, it was one of the top semi-truck driver salary marks in the nation.
The job market for truck drivers took an interesting turn in late 2023 when Yellow Trucking filed for bankruptcy after its LTL segment created overcapacity. But there was a silver lining. Truckers could then market their skills to find some of the best-paying jobs in transportation after the mass layoffs at Yellow.
What Are the Best-Paying Jobs in Transportation?
A semi-truck driver salary offers some of the top-paying jobs in transportation simply because they require a certain skill set. There is also a greater risk with OTR drivers because they are driving an 80,000-pound machine at highway speeds.
See our list of some of the best-paying jobs in transportation when it comes to semi-truck driver salary figures.
Specialty Loads
Because driving specialty loads requires a specific skill set, permits, and licensing from DoT, individual, specialized loads can be lucrative runs. Put enough of these runs together, and a driver could have some of the most lucrative jobs in the industry.
For specialty loads, we mean:
- Oversize Loads
- Car Haulers
- Time-Sensitive Shipments
- Critical Freight Delivery
- Heavy-Haul Trucking
- Super Loads
- Over-Dimensional Loads
Hazmat
Getting a hazmat DoT license means extra training and experience. As such, these drivers get paid more. If you can
Private Fleets
As we stated, Walmart drivers can make a six-figure salary in their first year. Of course, that comes with trade-offs. How often will you need to drive? How many times will you be home every year? How much experience do you have? Private fleet drivers can be very lucrative for experienced drivers with a clean driving record and no at-fault accidents. They’ll also make some of the top semi-truck driver salaries in the industry.
Tanker/Liquid Hauling
Tankers require specialized handling because the liquid inside can slosh around, causing unbalanced loads when driving. There are also flammable or cryogenic liquids involved, which require hazmat handling. As such, semi-truck driver salary for hauling liquids.
Team Driving
The beauty about team driving is that when one driver hits 10 hours in one day, the other driver can take over provided they’ve had eight hours of rest between driving. Team drivers can ensure loads are delivered on time, which can lead to bonuses and more loads.
Need a Truck? We Have Some of the Best
International UTC offers quality used trucks across the country, from sleepers and day cabs to specialty trucks and box trucks. Contact us for more information! If you need financing for your purchase, can help with that, too.
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