driver pay
Industry-Leading Driver pay
Melton’s OTR driver Pay Per Mile
How much money do truck drivers make? At Melton, our trucking pay per mile is based on verifiable over-the-road (OTR) experience.
Once you become a part of the Melton Truck Lines team, you will receive raises based on your accumulated months of OTR experience until you drive 120,000 miles with Melton. At that point, you will continue to receive raises based on the Melton miles you drive. Take a look at our pay per mile for our CDL drivers!
| Qualified Driving Experience | Pay Per Mile |
| 0-5 months | 52 CPM |
| 6-11 months | 53 CPM |
| 1-3 years | 58 CPM |
| 3+ years | 60 CPM |
| After 120,000 Melton miles | 60 CPM |
| After 240,000 Melton miles | 61 CPM |
| After 360,000 Melton miles | 62 CPM |
| After 600,000 Melton miles | 63 CPM |
| After 900,000 Melton miles | 64 CPM |
| After 1,200,000 Melton miles | 65 CPM |
How Much Do Truck Drivers Make?
Most truck drivers are paid by cents per mile driven. The average truck driver’s pay per mile ranges from $0.40 to $0.50 depending on experience and type of freight. With an average of 2,500 miles per week, truckers will average $1,125 a week or $58,500 per year.
We’re proud our truck driver pay per mile falls above the average industry pay, along with our many bonus opportunities and chances to earn extra every year.
What is the Average Pay Per Mile for Truck Drivers at Melton?
Our average truck driver salary is $65,000 – $75,000 based on OTR experience and tenure with Melton. The top 50% of Melton drivers average $98,000/year!
How Much is the Starting Pay for New Truck Drivers?
New CDL graduates will start at an average of $0.43 CPM across all types of driving. Melton starts new drivers at a minimum of $0.52 CPM.
Bonus Trucking Pay Opportunities
Driver’s bonus pay, profit sharing, tarp pay, per diem pay, and additional bonus opportunities could lead to huge earnings for our truck drivers on top of our CDL driver’s average weekly pay of $1,300-$1,500! This means our truck drivers make an average of $5,200-$6,000 a month.
Melton offers many ways for our flatbed drivers to get additional pay on top of our trucker’s pay per mile. These additional pay opportunities place Melton’s pay and benefits package in the top 10% among North American for-hire trucking companies.
Driver Referral Bonus
If you refer a driver and they are hired with Melton, you will receive the payouts below as long as you are still an active driver.
Total
30 Days After Hire
6 Months After Hire
Total
30 Days After Hire
6 Months After Hire
Tuition Reimbursement for CDL Graduates
Recent CDL school graduates with four or less months of OTR can qualify for Melton’s tuition reimbursement program. Our plan will pay $150 every month up to $10,000! Payments will begin once you are off the Road Training truck at your hire date each month and will continue until fully paid.
If the driver paid less than $10,000 pursuing their CDL the payout will stop at the amount they paid.
Additional Pay
Melton Truck Lines has doubled tarp pay to $100 per load, adding over $10,000 to annual driver pay, among other additional opportunities for hazmat certified truckers, drivers who complete clean DOT inspections, and more! The extra trucking pay opportunities listed below are paid in addition to our base pay per mile. Please call 866-715-8653 for details.
| Extra Pay Opportunities | Pay |
| Tarp Pay | $100/load |
| Over-Dimensional Loads | 16 cpm |
| Hazmat Loads | 6 cpm |
| Canada Loads | 6 cpm |
| Extra pick-up/Drop/Repower | $25 |
| Clean DOT Inspections | $25 |
Holiday Pay
Drivers receive an additional $30 per day for paid holidays, including New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Layover Pay
Drivers receive $75 after 24-hours and $75 each additional 24-hours of waiting after your last an “Empty Call” request.
Breakdown Pay
Melton does our best to keep our trucks rolling with top-of-the-line maintenance and 24/7 outside repair, but sometimes things happen that are out of our control or take longer than normal to repair.
The amount of breakdown pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Vacation Pay
Drivers receive one week of paid vacation after one year of employment, two weeks after two years, and three weeks after ten years.
Vacation pay is based on average weekly wages and is paid on a regular paycheck.
NYC Borough Pay
Drivers receive an additional $75 for traveling into the NYC boroughs. Traveling in NYC is less than 1% of our freight.
Per Diem Program
Ask about our new Per Diem Program that can increase your take-home pay by $2,500-$6,000 annually. Our Per Diem Program FAQs can help drivers decide if the program is beneficial for them.
Our Per Diem Calculator can assist drivers in determining their additional take-home amounts.
Fuel Bonus
Drivers have the opportunity to earn an additional $1,500/quarter (up to $6,000 / year) extra for achieving our fuel bonus criteria.
We have fuel bonus experts here to advise you on best practices and adjustments you can make to achieve the bonus and maintain consistent MPG.
Career Paths
Melton offers numerous career paths and opportunities for drivers to get involved, have fun, and earn extra cash on top of base pay.
If you’d like to explore the opportunities we offer our drivers, you can visit our Career Paths page here!
Road Warrior Program
Melton has added an extra layer of flexibility by providing our OTR drivers the option to choose an additional day of home time or extra cash based on the amount of time they are out on the road.
In 2022, participating OTR drivers cashed in an average of $1,200 in Road Warrior program payouts!
To learn more about Melton’s driver pay and for more truck driving pay information, check out these blog posts about driver pay.
