Knowledge Center
OTR, regional, local, owner-operator — the money and the life compared.
The three ways trucking jobs pay — cents per mile, percentage of the load, and hourly — plus the accessorial pay, per diem, and bonuses stacked on top, and how to compare two offers that look different on paper.
8 min read →
The three lanes of a trucking career — over-the-road, regional, and local — and how each trades pay, miles, and home time, so you can pick the one that fits the life you actually want, not just the biggest headline number.
8 min read →
What a company driver actually takes home — how the paycheck is built from base pay plus accessorials, what gets deducted, what a weekly pay guarantee really promises, and the questions that separate a good W-2 seat from a bad one.
8 min read →
A company driver rents stability; an owner-operator buys a business. The honest comparison — gross versus net, who carries the truck's costs and risk, and the questions to answer before you sign either way.
9 min read →
Health insurance, retirement, PTO — and per diem, the most misunderstood line on a driver's pay. What per diem actually is (a tax reclassification, not extra money), what it costs you, and how to value a benefits package.
9 min read →
A CDL is a starting point, not a ceiling. The main directions a driving career can go — endorsements and specialized freight, dedicated and local seats, owner-operator, and off-the-road roles like trainer, dispatcher, and safety — and how each changes pay and life.
9 min read →
Your settlement is the record of what you earned and what was taken out. A line-by-line guide to earnings, accessorials, deductions, reimbursements, and per diem — and the checks that catch a mistake before it costs you.
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A lease-purchase promises a path to owning a truck. It also puts the truck's costs on your settlement while tying you to one carrier's freight. What these programs are, where the risk sits, and the contract questions that separate a fair one from a trap.
9 min read →
There is no single "good" cents-per-mile number — a high CPM on short, badly counted miles can pay less than a lower CPM on steady, honestly counted ones. The factors that make a mileage offer good or bad, and how to compare two of them.
8 min read →
Pay is only half of a trucking job. Home time, the type of freight, and how hours-of-service limits shape your days decide whether the work fits your life — and the trade-off between miles and time home is real. How to weigh it honestly.
9 min read →
Free guide
Shawn’s free guide on what this career really gives you — plus the driver list for career resources as they publish.
