Try These Methods To Increase Your Salary This Year

It is always a good thing to be grateful for what you have, but it is also wise to be mindful that you can make more. Maximizing your career as a truck driver is easier said than done, but with determination you can make it happen.

There are a number of avenues that can be chosen to make a significant increase in your salary. We want to see you thrive in your career, so we are giving you a bit of insight into how exactly you can make the trucking industry work for you.

Add Some CDL Endorsements

Passing the CDL exam is a huge accomplishment and if you've made it past that step it certainly deserves a pat on the back. There are however certain things your CDL can’t do for you.

By adding extra permissions to your CDL you will be allowed to carry loads the CDL alone won’t permit you to. Having additional endorsements will give you a competitive advantage over other drivers, allowing you to have an opportunity to choose between loads that generally pay more. Getting your HazMat endorsement or Tanker vehicle endorsement will help in increasing your salary.

Gain Additional Experience

There are a few things truckers are required to have knowledge of, but a lot of times that knowledge only comes by experience. Experience is one of the most important criteria for truckers to have in order to get a competitive salary. Experience takes time, and getting to the point where you are making the big bucks requires a bit of patience.

It is proven that drivers with 5 to 8 years of experience earn anywhere between $50,000 and $70,000, including benefits. In comparison to inexperienced drivers, who make an average of $18 per hour, experienced drivers can make up to $50 per hour. Talk about a major difference.

Reputation Goes A Long Way

We’ve all been taught that reputation goes a long way and in the trucking industry it is no different. With a clean performance record truckers are presented with better driving opportunities that lead to better pay.

Companies are interested in protecting their reputation and hiring someone whose reputation coincides with that is ideal. Having a good reputation isn’t up to anyone else, but you. The money is out there, you just have to work hard for it.

Get With The Times

By improving your IT knowledge you are already more sought after than drivers with tons of experience, who still choose to use paper logging methods. Anyone who refuses to adapt to the modern age we are currently in are slowly being weaseled out. By being up on the latest IT trends you are now a more valuable asset to the industry. This makes your time more valuable to the company you’re with.

It is not possible to dodge hard work on your way up the industry ladder. In order to get paid more, you are going to have to do a lot more than ask for a raise. There are large salaries available in the trucking industry, it just requires people with a certain type of caliber to access them.