what is good cpm for a new driver

I'd take .40 over. 43 in a second if it was someone that kept me MOVING.
Sitting around is something I can not tolerate.
I work for a semi-private carrier (we haul our own freight 80% of the time) and when that 10 is up I've got something to do.

Some guys like an 8hr day and 16 to rest and unwind.
I'm not wired that way.
Each driver (especially new drivers) have to figure out if they're a Grinder, or a Easy Go'er.

No shame in either, but TO ME, down time is wasted opportunity while away from home.
CPM can be easily surpassed with steady work.
3cpm at 600 miles is $18.
I'd rather have the extra days work (.40 x 600 =$240) than worrying about the $18.

Find somewhere that keeps you MOVING ( and pays a competitive wage).

That made sense in my head.

 

I'd recommend you look at your financial needs and then work at the company with the best benefits, most attractive runs, that pays more than you need for your bills. Looking at the highest CPM is a good way to get tricked into working for some lousy companies. They can pay you $3/mile as a company driver, for example, and still underpay you if you only get 100 miles per week. EVERY ad will claim 2,500 miles per week and then mention some tricky worrding like "our drivers average $Xk per year." Or they will say "you can earn UP TO X CPM" when they know new guys will be lucky to get half of that CPM and will also get about half of the miles of another driver.

Talk to drivers currently working at the company before you make a decision. Not just any driver at the company, but ones working in the division doing the type of work you will be doing and ideally living near where you live. That's the only way to kow what kind of pay/conditions you can expect. 99% of newbies are more afraid to talk to company drivers than to waste a lear of their life working for a company. What you earn at ABC trucking is more important than how pay at ABC trucking compares to the industry average. They pay to work around NYC is one thing and it will be higher than the pay to drive in central Nebraska.

Call the trucking companies with yards or terminals near where you live and make them put some of their drivers in contact with you. Reading web pages and ads will not give you good results, even though it's a lot easier.

 

And tankers are SOOOOO much easier to back than a 53 ft box.

 

Ok.....here's the reality of trucking. If a company starts you off at 44 cpm, that's good for a rookie provided you get the miles. Also, many folks drove during a different era where it wasn't uncommon to get 3500 or miles per week. In the elog era, on average, drivers will run between 2300 and 2800 miles with a couple of 3000 mile weeks sprinkled in there. Most long hauls across the country pretty much are team runs. Solos rarely run more than about 500-600 miles on average daily. There are some exceptions, not many. Trucking has become more regionalized in recent years. 60K is doable, chances are that will be what you average all through your time on the road. Only the upper 5 or 10 percent is breaking 70k or more. Those numbers I spit out are for your average driver with a plain CDL and no endorsements. If you get hazmat then your income increases drastically. Since you're looking into tanker, you should get the endorsements and that will help you long term

 

I personally wouldnt do that unless you have hazmat and just need experience pulling tanks to go and make 100k plus hauling fuel making 30+ an hour with OT after 40.

Also, I would haul flatbed on percentage or anything on percentage, before I'd do cpm

 

Swift raised their OTR rates across the board to low 40's late 2018 to match Knight pay after the merger. I was there. The ranked bonuses for OTR only (not dedicated) are easily achievable probably avg. another 4 cpm (gold level) on top of that.

The only dedicated account where I know some Swift drivers is JCPENNY out of Reno or Norcal, and like Chinatown said, it's about $1200 gross and home weekends.

I paid Swift off and am working with JBHunt now. $1400+ gross per week, home daily, and two full days off in a row, Actually miss Swift regional OTR though, home daily is not all it's cracked up to be, in a day cab, but 72k is not bad for second year company driver earnings! and they only required 6 months exp for this particular account.

 

14 hour days