Truck Driver Pay Calculator
Recruiters quote pay three different ways so you can't compare. Put CPM, hourly, and percentage offers side by side and see the real weekly check.
Fill in at least one offer and hit COMPARE MY PAY
How this calculator works
Recruiters quote pay in whichever unit makes their offer sound biggest — cents per mile, dollars per hour, or a percentage of the load. This calculator converts every offer you enter into the same two numbers: the weekly check and the effective hourly rate, which is that check divided by all the hours you actually give the job — driving, docks, fueling, inspections. Enter one offer to reality-check it, or two or three to see a winner.
hourly weekly = hourly rate × hours worked
percentage weekly = truck gross × (driver % ÷ 100)
effective hourly = weekly pay ÷ total hours worked
The annual line assumes 52 paid weeks, and the ticket also shows a realistic 48-week figure — because home time, resets, and a slow stretch or two exist whether the recruiter mentions them or not. Estimates only: verify the pay structure, mileage basis, and detention terms in writing before you sign. Running your own truck? Start from your break-even with the cost per mile calculator instead.
Two worked examples
Example 1 — 62 CPM against $28 an hour
A dry van fleet offers 62 cpm and says the trucks average 2,700 miles a week: that's $1,674. A local food-service outfit offers $28 an hour. At 60 real hours a week they're nearly twins — $27.90 versus $28.00 effective hourly, about $80,500 a year either way at 48 paid weeks. The tiebreaker isn't the math, it's which number is sturdier: the 2,700 miles depends on freight, weather, and dispatch keeping you rolling; the hourly rate pays the same when you're stuck at a dock in Newark. When two offers tie on paper, take the one whose worst week is better.
Example 2 — percentage pay in two different markets
A flatbed carrier offers 25% of the truck's gross. In a strong market the truck grosses $7,000 and your cut is $1,750 — $29.17 an hour on a 60-hour week, best number on the board. Then the market softens, the same lanes gross $5,200, and the identical 25% pays $1,300 — $21.67 an hour, a $450-a-week haircut you didn't negotiate. Percentage drivers ride the freight market in both directions; judge the offer on what the fleet's trucks gross in a bad quarter, not the screenshot week the recruiter shows you.
From the road
"Up to 3,000 miles a week" is a ceiling wearing an average's clothes. Ask the only question that matters: what did drivers on this fleet actually average over the last month — then get the answer in writing, because a pay package is only as real as the miles or hours behind it. While you're at it, ask which miles they pay: household-goods (zip-to-zip shortest route) runs 5–10% under what your odometer will show, so 63 cpm on HHG can lose to 60 cpm on practical miles.
Then interrogate the week's dead spots. Detention after two free hours at $20 an hour sounds fine until you realize the free two hours happen three times a week. Breakdown pay, layover pay, orientation pay, holiday policy — the glamour numbers get the billboard, but the weekly check is made or lost in the fine print. A sign-on bonus paid over twelve months with a clawback isn't a gift; it's your own raise on layaway.
FAQ
What's a good cents per mile in 2026?
Company drivers commonly land in the 45–75 cpm range depending on experience, region, and freight, with specialized, hazmat, and team runs paying more. These numbers move with the freight market — treat any range as a snapshot and compare current postings.
Is hourly better than CPM?
Depends where the hours go. Hourly protects you on detention-heavy, multi-stop, city work. CPM usually wins on long open highway runs with steady miles. Divide each weekly check by total hours worked and let the effective hourly decide.
How does percentage pay work?
You get a set cut of each load's gross revenue — commonly 25–30% for company drivers, more for lease and owner-operators who cover their own costs. Big weeks when rates run hot, thin weeks when the board is soft.
What about detention pay?
CPM drivers only get paid for dock time if the carrier pays detention, usually after a two-hour free window, at $15–$25/hr when offered. Ask exactly when it starts and how it's claimed before you sign — it's often less than the miles you're losing.
Practical miles vs household goods miles?
HHG miles are zip-to-zip shortest route; practical miles follow what a truck really drives. HHG pay typically covers 5–10% fewer miles than your odometer — so ask which basis the CPM rides on before comparing offers.
Are sign-on bonuses real money?
Real, but deferred and conditional: paid in installments, forfeited if you leave early, sometimes folded into your first raise. Value the job on its weekly pay without the bonus.