It doesn’t matter if you want to become a flatbed truck driver, if you are one currently, or if you want to get into the trucking business, it’s important to know how much you can expect to make. The salary for a flatbed truck driver can vary depending on a number of factors.
Here in this guide, we’ll walk you through what these are and answer the question, how much do flatbed truckers make? We’ll also offer some tips and ways in which you can earn and make more money over time.
Before we talk about how much do flatbed drivers make, let’s take a look at what they do. A flatbed truck is a large truck without any sides that holds and can carry heavy and oversized loads across long distances. It requires a particular skill set to become a flatbed truck driver. These heavy-duty vehicles are quite difficult to drive so you must have these specialized capabilities if you want to get hired and be successful in your role.There are many different items you may be in charge of transporting such as:
Machinery
Mobile homes
Lumber
Building supplies
Shingles
Military vehicles
The primary responsibility of any flatbed truck driver is driving to a particular location with a heavy load and loading and unloading the truck. You’ll need to plan deliveries, complete paperwork, and most importantly, know how to safely operate the flatbed truck. Your truck needs to remain clean and in proper working order, which will be your responsibility as well.
When it comes to answering the question, how much do flatbed truck drivers make, this number is usually going to come in at around $61,000 in the US. However, this isn’t always the case and the annual salary for a flatbed truck driver can fluctuate a bit by location or state. It’s even about $1,000 more than your average truck driver will make in a year.
These jobs are in demand and a flatbed truck driver is a role that provides a good salary and offers you a lot of independence. You may even consider becoming a business owner and having your own fleet. If you run your own trucking business or employ flatbed truck drivers then you should also secure insurance right away.
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The average flatbed truck driver salary in the US is usually going to be over $57,000 per year. You’ll discover there are companies out there who are willing to and who will pay a great deal more when hiring flatbed truck drivers. These are jobs that are in demand and employers must have exceptional drivers and candidates to choose from to ensure all goes smoothly.
On average, in the US, a flatbed truck driver makes just over $30 an hour. However, it can also range and you could earn up to $50 an hour or as little as $11 an hour. What this does is makes it clear that there is room for advancement and there are other elements that will come into play related to your overall pay.Some of what can influence your pay in this job include the following:
Location and where you are working and employed (areas such as Montana and Connecticut are known to pay the most)
Your employer and the benefits they offer
Your skills and experience
The distance you travel (greater mileage can mean greater pay)
You will benefit financially if you are able to put in more miles and hours per day and each week.
Now that you know how much does a flatbed driver make, let’s talk about how to become one and how to make more money. Want to become a flatbed truck driver? There are some to-dos you’ll need to take care of and requirements you’ll need to meet first. These are as follows:
Obtain a CDL A License
Be 21 years of age or older
Meet applicable DOT regulations
Have a clean driving and safety record
Consider taking on more challenging types of jobs at longer distances if you want to earn more as a flatbed truck driver. The more miles you can cover, the more you’re going to get paid. Gain technical skills for specialized loads and earn greater compensation by spending extra time loading and unloading as well as checking all loads.
Your salary will also be influenced by the kinds of loads you’re hauling. For example, dangerous or hazardous loads are going to pay more. Also, learn all about load securement to keep your items safe and free from falling off, and think about adding tarps to your loads because businesses will likely pay more for this type of service and added security and protection from the weather.
Of course, you can always start your own trucking or flatbed trucking company and run your own business as a way to boost your salary. You can earn more by being in charge of and in control of the kinds of jobs you accept and the types of clients you choose to work with. Of course, in this instance, you’ll need and want to secure the right business insurance policies to protect you, your business, and your flatbed truck drivers.
Driving a flatbed truck requires specialized skills and knowledge and can be a dangerous and risky job role to take on. There are also risks and safety concerns if you are the owner of your business and are working with clients and employing flatbed truck drivers.
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1 / 5
Use anyone except Employers. Period. They are non-transparent and shameful. After I complained long enough to warrant a call from a supervisor, the supervisor called back from a PRIVATE NUMBER (no caller ID), left a message that they are not reversing their decision (without any communication with me), and failed to leave a phone number for me to call back. She was hiding! They also fact find via email and phone calls, which is terrific for speed and communication. However, after setting a precedence of email or phone calls, they send time sensitive information via email, without any heads up... they are hoping you miss it and forfeit via expiration. Evil policies. Go elsewhere.
1 / 5
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
1 / 5
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
5 / 5
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
5 / 5
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
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