Compare what a driving job pays per week and per year under cents-per-mile, percentage-of-load and hourly pay models.
The three pay models
Most US driving jobs pay one of three ways. Cents per mile is the classic OTR model: predictable per mile, but unpaid when you are sitting at a dock. Percentage of load pays a share of what the truck grosses, commonly 25 to 30 percent for company drivers and much more for lease operators who carry the costs; it rises and falls with the freight market. Hourly pay dominates local and LTL work and is the only model that fully pays for waiting time. This calculator turns each model into a weekly and annual figure from the same working pattern so you can compare offers directly.
Benchmarks
On the cost side, ATRI's 2026 report shows carriers spent an average of 81.8 cents per mile on driver wages plus 21 cents on benefits in 2025, which together made up the largest share of operating cost. On the earnings side, the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational data for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers gives median and percentile wages nationally and by state, and is a good reality check against any recruiter's claims.
Comparing offers fairly
Adjust the inputs to the realistic version of each job, not the advertised best case: use the miles the fleet actually runs, the gross its lanes actually produce, and the hours you will really log. Then look past the headline at home time, benefits, detention pay, and how the fleet handles slow weeks.
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