← All lessons
Level 2: On the desk · Lesson 8 of 17

How drivers get paid

You will get more pay questions than any other kind. To answer them, you need to know how your drivers are paid, and you need to check before you answer.

Most OTR company drivers are paid cents per mile (CPM). Which miles matters: some carriers pay on practical miles (the route a truck would really drive), others on shorter 'household goods' or zip-to-zip miles, which can pay a few percent fewer miles than the driver actually drives. Drivers notice. Others are paid a percentage of the load's revenue, by the hour (common for local work), or a flat rate per load.

On top of that come extras: detention pay, layover pay, stop pay for extra pickups or drops, breakdown pay, tarp pay on flatbeds, and sometimes safety or fuel bonuses. Each one only gets paid if someone records it. Often that someone is you.

Owner-operators are paid differently: usually a percentage of the revenue or a rate per mile, and they pay their own fuel, insurance and repairs out of it. Their weekly statement is called a settlement, and it has deductions on it. A short settlement to an owner-operator can mean they can't make their truck payment.

Pay problems are one of the fastest ways to lose a driver. A missed $60 stop pay feels like the company doesn't respect them. When a driver says their pay is wrong, look it up, fix it if it's wrong, explain it if it's right, and follow up when it's paid. Never guess and never say 'that's payroll's problem.'

On the desk

A driver is paid 60 cents per mile and runs 2,400 miles this week. What is his mileage pay?

More info

Terms in this lesson

CPMCents per mile: the most common OTR pay.
Practical milesThe real route a truck drives.
Household goods (HHG) milesShorter calculated miles some carriers pay on.
Percentage payA share of the load's revenue.
SettlementAn owner-operator's (or driver's) weekly pay statement with deductions.
Stop payExtra pay for each pickup or drop beyond the first.
Breakdown payPay for time lost while a truck is being repaired.

The scenario answers

  1. A driver is paid 60 cents per mile and runs 2,400 miles this week. What is his mileage pay? $1,440. 2,400 × $0.60 = $1,440, before any accessorial pay like detention or stop pay.
  2. A driver says, 'I drove 1,050 miles but only got paid for 1,000.' What's the most likely reason? The company pays on shorter calculated miles, not the miles actually driven. Many carriers pay on household goods or zip-to-zip miles, which come out shorter than the real route. Know which your company uses, explain it honestly, and check that the load was routed correctly.
  3. A driver's settlement is missing $120 of detention he earned last week. What's the best response? Look into it now, get it submitted, tell him when it'll pay, and check that it did. Own it from start to finish. Drivers judge a company by whether problems like this actually get fixed.
  4. An owner-operator leased to your carrier gets 72% of a load that pays $3,000. What's his gross before expenses? $2,160. $3,000 × 0.72 = $2,160. Out of that he pays his own fuel, maintenance, insurance and truck payment, which is why loaded miles and rate matter so much to owner-operators.

General training, not legal or compliance advice. Rules are the US federal ones (FMCSA) as of 2026; check the current text and your company’s policies.