If you’re looking for a new employer in the trucking industry, consider this:
In an ideal world, what would your employment benefits look like?
Vision, dental, and insurance health of course. But what about paid time off, retirement benefits, and even bonuses for hauling safely?
So, ideally you’d have it all. And you should—trucking isn’t easy, and it’s far from the safest job you could do.
Maybe you love to drive, or maybe it’s just the best way to support your family right now.
Whatever your reason is, if you’re looking for a new trucking job, you deserve the benefits to balance out the risk of hauling on the open road. So, what’s the #1 problem with driving a truck?
Risks = Reward?
Well, there’s no single answer to that question. Like we said earlier, trucking is a dangerous job.
Whether you’re driving over the road or locally, trucking has been and can still be considered by some to be one of the most demanding jobs in America.
Not to mention, over-the-road (long haul) truckers are particularly prone to exhaustion, stress, high blood pressure, and insomnia.
Despite the risks, driving a truck can be very rewarding. The pay and benefits can (and should) be good, especially because there’s such a high demand for CDL truckers nowadays.
You’re putting in long hours on the road, staying alert all the time, and taking the risk of being on the road. So, you should get the pay benefits to show for it.
Well, if you’ve been in the industry for a while you’ll know that many trucking companies disagree with that statement.
Even though there’s a driver shortage, some companies still won’t budge—they’ll offer you mediocre pay and benefits that don’t suit your needs.
What to Look For
Your needs and your family’s needs won’t be quite like everyone else’s.
Everybody’s situation is different. But if you’re new to the industry or you’re just not sure what you need, consider these options:
Starting Pay
The median pay rate for truck drivers in the U.S. was around $24 an hour as of 2020. This might seem pretty good at first—about $49,000 a year—but keep the risks in mind. Make sure you’re not getting shorted for hours of hard work. Plus, with drivers being in high demand, you should be compensated fairly for your work.
Starting pay with percentage truck driving can range much higher, often first year drivers will make around $70,000 annual total. This is definitely something to consider when choosing between hourly or percentage pay driving.
Consider how often you’ll be getting paid too. It can be hard to get bills paid and keep a balanced budget if your trucking company is only paying once or twice monthly.
Each type of pay has its pros and cons, but mileage and hourly pay can be tricky. Employers might try to dispute your miles/hours driven, and you’ll usually be driving across the country. On the other hand, percentage pay can help you get paid more for less hours in the cab.
Bonus Pay
When you’re on the road you have to worry—not only about the cargo you’re hauling, but all the drivers around you too. Other drivers can make hauling dangerous, especially if the road conditions aren’t ideal.
So, when you begin searching for a new employer, look around for companies that offer bonuses for safe driving.
Health Benefits
Many companies will tell you they offer health benefits, and as soon as you start working they’ll go back on their word. All of a sudden, you’ll be doing a dangerous job with minimal health coverage.
Don’t let this happen to you. Get the details on what benefits your employer will provide. You should be looking for a few main points of coverage. The big three are general healthcare, dental care, and vision care.
Look for a company that offers a variety of healthcare options too. You don’t want to get stuck on a healthcare plan that doesn’t suit your family’s needs.
Paid Time Off and Holidays
Believe it or not, some trucking companies won’t offer paid time off to their drivers.
No matter how much you love trucking, you probably don’t want to be working 24/7, 365.
So, companies have to offer you vacation days—just make sure they’re paid days off. You deserve to take a paid break with your family once in a while.
And working on holidays would just be bad for your health. Who wants to be hauling on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day? Look around for a company that gives you holidays off and will compensate you for them.
Retirement Benefits
If you’re looking for a new employer, retirement benefits probably aren’t the first thing you’re worried about.
Still, you’ll be thankful you have them in the long run.
You’ll probably want a 401K, so you can put those hours on the road to good use later in life. Look for a company that will match a certain percentage of your deposits into a retirement account.
Driving with JFW
Don’t worry about sitting behind the computer looking for a new job when you could be out on the road…
Drive with JFW!
We’re a family-owned company, so we know that you need competitive pay and a variety of benefits to support your family.
That’s why we offer all the benefits you could ever want and more.
You won’t have to spend anymore time worrying about a retirement plan, or finding the health benefits that suit your needs.
Plus, we only drive locally. You’ll be able to make more money, take advantage of benefits that suit your needs, all while spending more time at home with your family. We offer:
PTO
Paid. Time. Off.
We offer an attendance-based, PTO program for all employees that activates immediately the day you start working! Every employee earns PAID days off that can be scheduled and used down the road.
Percentage pay
Percentage pay is a ‘Pay-by-the-Load’ style of pay. Drivers make a percentage of the amount that each load earns! So, the more efficiently and safely you can haul loads and perform your duties, the more money you can make for yourself and your loved ones.
Health Benefits
JFW offers its employees and their families Health Care, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Plans, and many other plan options to best suit your needs as an employee!
Paid Holidays
Paid holidays include: New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Retirement
(401k): JFW offers a 401K program to help you build your retirement! With a 2% match promise, JFW helps you invest in your retirement by matching all money put into your 401K account, up to 2%!
Quarterly Bonuses
We take safety very seriously at JFW and reward our safest drivers for representing us with class and accountability on the road! With no safety rule violations for the (3 month/yearly) quarter, you will receive a bonus based on what you have made for that time period.
Only the Best Equipment
We only utilize the best, most up-to-date, fuel efficient vehicles in our fleet.
Skilled Mechanic Team
Our mechanic team works 24/7 to ensure our equipment runs properly and meets DOT standards.
At JFW, we value our employees and the work they do to support their families.
You do a dangerous but necessary job—you should get the pay and benefits to show for it.
We strive for a safe, supportive work environment where our drivers are compensated fairly for the hard work they do.
So, if you’re tired of looking for a new job and you’re ready to put your CDL to good use, visit our website and apply now!