Success comes from hard work, and some of the hardest work can bring a good income.
Most of the truck drivers are wondering where the highest paying trucking jobs can be found.
They are usually set up at the niche market. Niche hauls have very specific needs and expectations.
Hauling specialized loads is a good strategy for getting good rates and making a decent profit.
Types of highest paid trucking jobs
Ice Road Trucking
Ice road truckers work primarily in Alaska and northern Canada. During the season, roads are being heavily maintained. Hauling season begins from mid-January to mid-March since the ice roads are only useable for 3-4 months of the year.
After that, they become unstable as the ice thickness begins to weaken in spots.
Ice road trucking companies make strict maintenance on the ice roads. They also inspect the equipment and train drivers with a lot of attention. Driving on the ice road is not an easy task to do because it requires driving a lot of miles in convoy surrounded with nothingness.
One of the top reasons that ice road truckers get into the job is for the pay. The season is only a few months long. In this short period of time, they make an entire year’s salary of practically non-stop transporting materials and supplies
Drivers report earning anywhere from $20,000 to $80,000 during the season.
We are suggesting a great movie with an ice-road trucking theme for your spare time.
Tanker/Liquid Hauling
Salaries are typically higher for CDL drivers with a Hazmat endorsement.
Hauling hazardous material requires more attention and certification is required. Not all truckers are able to earn the Hazmat endorsement.
Regarding the demand for these specialty drivers, most companies are willing to pay more for the certification.
Hazardous materials are gasoline and a variety of caustic and explosive liquid materials.
Not only the dangerous goods are hauled, but drivers sometimes are exposed to chemical fumes when piping off hazardous chemicals.
Oversized Loads
In road transport, an oversize load is a load that exceeds the standard or ordinary legal size and/or weight limits for a truck on the road. Anything over 8.5 feet wide is an oversized load. These loads require safety precautions and expertise since they are dangerous and complicated.
To start hauling this type of loads, there are permits that need to obtained and some fees that need to be paid.
In general, oversized loads costs per mile start around $2.30. Costs can quickly go up. Larger loads can cost over $10 per mile.
Specialty Car Haulers
Car hauling is one of the most difficult trucking segments to master, but it also can be one of the most financially rewarding.
Exotic car transport costs $1.50 per mile for 1500 miles. The typical rate range of hauling cars for money can be anywhere from $300 to $700 per car.
Obviously, the value of the car that is hauled plays into how much you will get for hauling it. A driver with good experience and skills who has a contract to haul new cars for a car maker likely will make between $75,000 and $110,000 a year.
Dump Trucks – Mining Industry
The use of dump truck services in the U.S. is generally in the construction and mining industry. These mining dump trucks are used to haul/transport large amounts of material such as dirt, rocks, coal and other aggregate materials.
Dump truck and mine machinery operators are responsible for loading, storage management and transporting of materials excavated from a mine site, on a range of different mining operations.
Average Salary ranges $100,000 – $200,000.
Team Driving
Team driving is when two drivers take turns driving the same truck. The rate for each driver may be lower than for a solo company driver, but each person’s annual income is often higher because teams can drive drastically more miles.
On average, driving teams log anywhere from 4,500 miles to 5,000 miles per week. Solo drivers, on the other hand, log on average between 2,400 and 2,800 miles per week.
If you are interested, we are hiring team drivers. Check our Company Drivers page for more info.
Owner-Operator
An owner-operator both owns and operates the truck that he is driving. They are independent drivers that don’t work for a specific company. For all operating expense incurred while operating the truck, such as insurance, fuel, maintenance, etc, the owner-operators are accountable.
Owner-operators tend to make around $303.000 per year in United States. Depending on experience, the type of loads a driver will dedicate to in and carry, and how much time is spent on the road the pay is varying.
Read more about ways to start an independent career, becoming an owner-operator.
Union Drivers
A truckers union is a group of workers in the trucking industry that group together in order to make decisions about their working conditions. Union companies tend to hire drivers for local driving.
Salaries vary, but according to employment website ZipRecruiter, the average pay nationwide for union truck drivers is $55,000.
Further reading: 16 Type of Jobs You Can Get With a CDL License
Conclusion
For variety of reasons, truck drivers are not very attracted to these jobs.
Even though they are the highest paying trucking jobs, they also have some flaws.
More attention is required, as well as liability, greater risks, higher skill level, driving experience and work in remote areas.
