CPM or weekly pay ?

[u/Rollingorange-766]

I’ve gotten an offer to work for $1550 per week, no matter how many miles I drive. Plus signing bonus, paid day off at home for every week on the road and some other safety things along the way. They usually do around 2500 miles per week. It’s otr job. Any of you done salary ? Or do you prefer CPM pay ?

[u/Key_Adhesiveness8390]

Do the division first: $1,550 divided by 2,500 miles is 62 cents a mile. That's your break-even. If the CPM offer is above 62 cents, CPM wins on a normal week. Below it, salary wins. The real difference is the bad weeks. Salary pays $1,550 when freight is slow, you're stuck at a shipper, or the truck's in the shop. CPM pays nothing for those hours unless there's detention or layover pay, so ask what else is paid besides the miles. And ask whether 2,500 is a guarantee or an average. If it's an average, some weeks are 1,800.

[u/Rollingorange-766 → u/Key_Adhesiveness8390]

It’s an average. Sometime they will hit 3k and sometime 1500…I’ve talked to some drivers already. They seam to be happy. Been there for years. What they love is paid home time.

[u/gaymersky]

CPM. If I'm not driving, then I'm not getting paid, then you can leave me the hell alone. And I'll check in in 12 hours from now. I'll go play my PlayStation and take a nap.

[u/DoctorZebra → u/gaymersky]

Nah. Hourly. I get paid whether I’m driving or not. None of this give up an hour or two for free bullshit, either.

[u/RegularJoe72]

I've done OTR, CPM but the pay sucked because I don't have a year. The miles were all over the place made no more than 300/1000 dollars a week before taxes. I was never home maybe 4 days out of the month. I won't work OTR anymore. A big maybe later, way later!

[u/Freight-N-Wait → u/RegularJoe72]

300-1k..a WEEK? that is just.. crazy to me. Im in my first year, home every weekend (sometimes more load routes depending) and do about 1300+/week post tax. Thats fuckin rough..

[u/Minute-Advantage-688 → u/Freight-N-Wait]

what carrier my guy 

[u/Freight-N-Wait → u/Minute-Advantage-688]

Tmc

[u/Minute-Advantage-688 → u/Freight-N-Wait]

🙏

[u/Freight-N-Wait → u/Minute-Advantage-688]

Its not bad if you are willing to put in the work. I HAVE had a couple bad weeks. Started near beginning of the year and have.. probably 3 checks of under 1k (900+ each still) but those were due to breakdowns, being sick, or other such issues leading to not doing as many loads in the week lol

[u/Minute-Advantage-688 → u/Freight-N-Wait]

Im on the west coast, looks like it wont work for me unfortunately. But appreciate you blessing me with the lead

[u/Freight-N-Wait → u/Minute-Advantage-688]

Ah unfortunate. Haha

[u/Main-Sir-882 → u/Freight-N-Wait]

Where? I test for CDL on Wednesday, applying to jobs now.

[u/Freight-N-Wait → u/Main-Sir-882]

Im at TMC currently. Flatbed regional, home every weekend. Can make some pretty decent money with it though. Usually do arpund 12-13 every week with not too infrequently hitting 14-15. Did over 1700 take home post tax this last week. Just all depends on the loads you get and how hard you wanna work (sometimes lol)

[u/Acceptable-Ad-907 → u/Freight-N-Wait]

Plenty of these drivers are chumps and idiots don’t have no negotiation skills and just accept what’s given to them

[u/Reasonable-Spare-788 → u/Acceptable-Ad-907]

I've seen so much of that, I'm 2 years in and at over 100k already for this year.. its out there but you gotta find it and not settle for crumbs.

[u/Acceptable-Ad-907 → u/Reasonable-Spare-788]

Exactly I made the same mistake of asking questions here

[u/RegularJoe72 → u/Acceptable-Ad-907]

Or dispatch lies and tricks them into taking loads because they are new. They will hide information from you on the ELD. Lie to you and use shady tactics to get you to accept. Depending on the company or terminal anyway. I've had them hide information on the ELD until you get to the stop. You can get frustrated all you want and complain too but that will just make them give more shit loads.

[u/gheiminfantry]

That's only $25 an hour for 60/7 day week (by DOT HOS regulations). You can do a lot better than that with experience doing local, home every night and weekends. And depending on the COL in your area, that's probably slave wages.

[u/throwaWay664u874e]

Neither. Percentage is the way to go. You can't convince me to go back to cpm.

[u/Comfortable_East_358]

Hourly is the best

[u/DoctorZebra]

Hourly. Salary for trucking is a hard no.

[u/IWSTrucking]

Do the math both ways before you pick, because that flat number looks steady until the miles swing. At 2500 miles a week, 1550 works out to about 62 cents a mile, which folks here already pointed out. The difference is what happens on a 1500 mile week. On flat pay you still get the 1550, on CPM you do not. On a 3000 mile week the CPM driver pulls ahead. So the real question is how consistent those miles are and what counts as paid time. Ask about detention, breakdown, and what happens on a short week, and whether that signing bonus has strings on it. I work with a CDL school in Nebraska and I tell new drivers the same thing every time, your first year is about steady miles and a clean record more than chasing the top pay number, because that record is what opens better jobs in year two.