How to Become a Company Driver

To get a job as a driver, you need to get a commercial learner's permit, attend a CDL class, and get a company truck driving job. You can become a company driver in as little as three weeks, but most programs take around seven weeks to complete.

Step 1: Meet the requirements to become a professional truck driver and get a commercial learner's permit (CLP).

The main requirements are below but make sure to check out your state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website to become familiar with commercial driving rules and regulations.

• Be at least 21 years old.

• The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires all professional truck drivers who drive across state lines to be at least 21 years old. You can obtain a CDL at the age of 18, but you will be limited to driving intrastate, and most trucking companies only hire CDL holders who are 21 years old and older.

• Good vision and ability to pass a vision test

• Have a clean driving record and solid work history.

• Pass a drug test

Step 2: Attend a CDL program.

To earn a CDL, you will have to attend a truck driving school or a community college truck-driving program. Trucking school programs typically last about three weeks, while a program at a community college usually lasts about six weeks. The length of time is based on the type of CDL license and the truck you would like to drive.

• Class A license (7- weeks to complete, 168 classroom hours) covers the heaviest of trucks (e.g., flatbed, dry vans, a semi, big rig, or 18-wheeler, truck trailer combinations - double and triple trailers, tractor-trailer buses)

• Class B license (4 to 8 weeks to complete, 70 to 120 classroom hours) covers trucks at moderate to heavy in weight (e.g., straight trucks, buses, garbage trucks, dump trucks, delivery trucks, cement mixers)

• Class C license (3 weeks to complete) covers smaller vehicles (e.g., delivery trucks, warehouse trucks, large passenger vans for 16 or more passengers)

Step 3: Get a company truck driving job.

Once you have your CDL, you will have access to a wide variety of truck driving jobs. Before starting employment at most companies, you will require to pass a drug and alcohol screen in addition to sharing your work history and passing a background check.

Company truck drivers get paid by the cent for each mile that they drive. The average company truck driver's pay per mile is between 28 and 40 cents per mile. Most company drivers complete between 2,000 and 3,000 miles per week. The average company driver salary is $61,664 per year or $29.65 per hour.

Other Common Payment Methods:

• Practical Mileage. The number of miles based on the most efficient path between the address at your starting location and the address at your destination is often calculated with an ELD. Think of it as similar to how Google or Apple Maps calculate a driving route.

• Household Goods (HHG) miles. HHG miles are also known as zip code miles. Companies calculate routes based on the shortest distance between the post office zip code in the origin city and the post office zip code in the destination city.

• Hub Mileage or Actual Miles. This type of truck driver pay uses the mileage change on the odometer. It accounts for all hours of service miles, including changes in routes or stops.

• Sliding Scales Pay. Companies that use this type of pay want to give short-haul drivers a chance to earn a higher income. For example, short hauls (1-500 miles) may pay $0.55 CPM, while routes of 500+ miles might earn $0.50 CPM.

It is better to be an owner-operator than a company driver because the earning potential is much greater for an owner-operator driver than a company driver.

Owner-operated usually means that an independent business person leases or purchases a truck and then contracts to haul loads for a trucking company. Owner-operators generally earn higher percent-of-load or per-mile rates than company drivers. However, they also must pay all the expenses of operating a truck and business.

Owner-operators are free to operate as they choose and aren't subject to forced dispatch. However, they must contract for enough loads, at high enough rates, to both cover expenses and make a living. They assume all the risks and responsibilities of business ownership. With hard work and discipline, you may earn more money as an owner-operator vs. company driver - but at some risk.

Overall, typical company drivers can expect to make between $35,000 to $70,000 per year. While an owner-operator typically earns 70% of the cost of the load or around $78,000 to $156,000 a year.

The duties of a company driver include dropping and picking up staff, collecting various packages, and maintaining a travel log to record work hours, travel time, and traveled locations.

Company drivers provide various transportation services, the nature of which is dependent on the company for which they work. They transport products, materials, equipment, and company staff to and from specified locations.

The Main Responsibilities of Company Drivers:

• Safely transport company staff and various products and materials to and from specified locations on time.

• Assist with the loading and off-loading of staff luggage, products, and materials.

• Adjust travel routes to avoid traffic congestion or road construction.

• Inform the company promptly of any tickets issued against the company vehicle during work hours.

• Ensure that the company vehicle always parks in areas that permit parking to avoid towing.

• Keep the company vehicle clean and adequately maintained by performing regular washing, cleaning, and vehicle maintenance.

• Provide accurate time records of the company vehicle's comings and goings.

• Report any accidents, injuries, and vehicle damage to management.