Truck Company Pay: Prime Inc. Paying $0.31 Per Mile?

A viral post in the freight community on Twitter caused a stir recently. A post claiming Prime Inc. was hiring company drivers for livestock hauling at a mere $0.31 per mile, though doubts about its authenticity linger. The post, real or not, sparked a broader conversation about trucker pay and the industry's current state. The responses range from shock and disgust to skepticism and resignation, as expressed in various tweets.

The original tweet:

Reactions from around Twitter:

One user posted a screenshot from Prime Inc.'s website questioning the original post:

Spotlight on Top-Paying Trucking Companies

This situation pinpoints the varying compensation standards within the trucking industry. To provide context, here are some of the top-paying trucking companies as of late 2023, offering a stark contrast to the alleged Prime Inc. offer:

In late 2023, TruckDriversSalary.com published a list of the top-paying trucking companies. This data, serving as a general baseline, isn't an exact science but provides a useful guide for understanding pay scales in the industry. It's important to note that individual pay rates can vary significantly based on location, experience, and specific company policies. We then calculated the rate per mile for each company from their list using the average annual miles driven with a mid-point value of about 92,500 miles per year.

1. GP Transco: $0.95 per mile
2. Riverside Transport: $0.95 per mile
3. Barr-Nunn: $0.94 per mile
4. Wal-Mart: $0.94 per mile
5. Empire Express: $0.91 per mile
6. Epes Transport: $0.91 per mile
7. Hogan Transportation: $0.91 per mile
8. Mercer Transportation: $0.91 per mile
9. Grand Island Express: $0.90 per mile
10. Artur Express Inc: $0.90 per mile

What about UPS?

In July 2023, UPS reached a tentative agreement with the Teamsters union that would raise the pay of full-time drivers to an average of $170,000 in pay and benefits at the end of a five-year contract, up from roughly $145,000. However, given the nature of UPS routes, there is a challenge in calculating a per-mile rate for their drivers. Looking at just long-haul, the company says its driver's earnings can double the industry's average per-mile rate per mile. Assuming the average trucking industry rate is around $0.40 to $0.60 per mile, UPS's rate could be approximately $0.80 to $1.20 per mile for long-haul team drivers. But this is a very rough estimate.

Sources: TruckDriversSalary.com | UPS.com