Top high paying trucking jobs are:
- The owner-operator.
- Ice Road Truckers.
- Hazmat/Tanker/Livestock Haulers
- Log Truck/Car Hauler/Flatbed/Overdimensional/Wide Load Hauler.
- OTR Driver
- Gravel/Dump Truck Driver
- Shunter/Team/Local Truck Driver
- Hotshot Trucker
- Truck Driving Training Instructor
- Truck Driver Recruiter
Ice road truckers are on the top in the top 10 high paying trucking jobs. The owner-operators make more money then ice road truckers, but they own the trucks.
1. Truck Owner-Operator Income. How much the truck owner-operator makes a year?.
The car-haulers, flatbed, and tanker hauler owner-operators make around $180,000 gross a year. A highway owner-operator can take home around $100,000 a year after all trucking expenses. The strenuous side of highway driving is you have to sleep in the bunk for five days a week, miss your family and kids, and drive in inclement weather conditions. On top of that, you may be playing with tools in the yard, saving truck repair and maintenance bills.
Local owner-operator
The income of a local owner-operator is approximately $120,000 per year. As a city owner-operator, your truck will not surprise you with that bigger tow and repair bills. You can survive with a cheaper truck in a local owner operator job, and also the companies do not pay good enough to afford higher model trucks in city owner operator jobs.
A local owner-operator can take home approximately $80,000 a year after all trucking expenses.
Downfall in trucking
Unfortunately, competition in trucking is increasing but the income is not. On top of that autonomous trucking is around the corner. Companies are not paying enough to highway owner-operators and local owner-operators to afford brand new trucks, and repair costs are decreasing, one of the reasons why owner-operators are coming back to truck driving.
2. Ice road truck drivers earn between $40,000 to $200,000(As per chorn.com).

Ice road truck drivers earn around 42k a year in a three month season. This job is perilous, a lionhearted can drag tractor-trailers over the frozen lakes, not just a CDL.
Villages and towns in northern Canada and Alaska are surrounded by lakes. It is impossible to build the roads there. Ice road truckers drive around 15mph in dangerously freezing conditions and deliver living to the lives. Ice road trucking jobs are really stressful as well, most ice road truckers quit after the first trip. There is a TV show on ice road trucking, watch it and feel the danger.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/ice-road-truckers
3. Hazmat / Tanker / Livestock hauler yearly earnings are around $85K.

Experienced Class-A CDL Hazmat tanker driver can make around $85K a year. You need several endorsements on your CDL to apply for a tanker driver job. Working conditions are really shielded, play safe stay safe, it is hard to handle the fluid load. You need a TWIC card to apply for most tanker driving jobs.
According to pascal.com, the average salary of a tanker driver is about $ 85,000 per year.

4. Log Truck/ Transportation /Flatbed /Overdimensional / Wide Load hauler makes around $80K to $100K a year.
Driving a log truck is not an easy job, you need excellent off-road driving and the load securement skills. Load securement skills are the biggest competency of flatbed drivers, the trailer may go not the load, in any situation.
Flatbed and lof truck drivers earn around $80,000 a year. Depending upon the flatbed loads, the load value, size, and weight, wide load haulers earn around $100K a year.
Wide load-hauling is not an easy job
Sometimes we find it hard to drive a 4-wheeler in the lanes, think about the driver delivering a load hanging outside.
It is hard to find transportation or car hauling jobs. Nowadays, some hotshot truckers are making good money hauling cars. In Ontario, Canada some car hauling companies like Livingston, Oakwood Transport hire experienced car haulers. The average income of a transportation or vehicle delivery driver is around $85K a year.
5. Dry/Reefer OTR drivers make around $75,000 annually.
OTR or highway truck driver job is easy as compared to other truck driving jobs. Dry van/Reefer drivers make up to 75,000 a year. The hardest part of OTR driving is staying out of home for days, weeks and even months. But you have a private room full of amenities, grab a CDL and enjoy the truck driving.
Read more about how to get a license in Ontario.
How to get AZ license in Ontario

6. Gravel/Dump truck driver earns about $70K a year.
How you like to sit in a muddy metal, backing into a backhoe. The gravel truck driver job is not easy, it is a big patience test, waiting for your turn in a gravel pit at 3 am in the morning, can’t nap, hang tight. Moreover, it is a seasonal job, but these are well-paid jobs. The average earnings of a dump truck driver are $70,000 a year.
7. Shunt/Team/Local truck driver makes yearly from $65K to $70K.

You can see your sleeping kids every day, leave your home 6oclock in the morning and back by 9 pm, this is the local truck driving job. Drivers working in this category come home every day, except for team drivers. Local drivers make around $ 65- $ 70,000 a year
The local truck driving job is easy on driving, print the dimes sitting in the traffic and on the docks. Most of the local truck driver jobs are paid by the hour.
The income of a shunt driver
In terms of revenue, shunt drivers are similar to local truck drivers. You won’t face a cop in the whole carrier, which is the beauty of a shunt truck driving job.
If you want to learn the ethics of trucking, like old school respect, only motion lotion at fuel islands, no jake brakes at 2 am even in sleeping lunch boxes, start as a team driver. If you want to extract the fun juice from the “South of the Border” in SC, go with a veteran trucker.
8. Hot Shot Trucker revenues range from $60k to $ 65K a year.

Hotshot trucking is an emerging trend. Hotshot truckers pick the loads that tractor-trailers do not. You are the boss as a hotshot trucker, moreover, you can use the same pickup for household and trucking.
Hotshot truck drivers earn around $1.20 per mile. According to Neuvoo.com, the average earnings of a hotshot truck driver is $ 45,500 a year.
9. Truck Driving Training Instructors make between $55k to $ 60,000 per annum.
Truck driving training instructors also make good money. It is hard to become a truck driver training instructor, you might need to have enhanced CDL in some of the states.
According to PayScale.com, truck driver training instructors earn 22,500 to $51800 a year.
This is a helpful link to get a driver training instructor’s license in Ontario, Canada.
https://work.chron.com/obtain-professional-certificate-truck-driving-instructor-26881.html
10. The Truck Driver Recruiter earns around $35,000 annually.
Every job in trucking is not a driving job. Some office jobs are also good like dispatcher, recruiter, payroll. But if you want to perform best and be driver-friendly on these jobs, grab a CDL and drive trucks for at least a year.
The truck driver recruiter earns about $35,000 a year.
In the end, I would say start driving anywhere, work hard, keep your CDL safe and safe on the road.
Thanks for explaining how a dump truck driver has to be patient. I’ll a truck and driver for a project next month. Hopefully, I can find a driver that has the right amount of patience because it will be a long job.
Wow! Such a great article you have there especially now that technology is really an advantage to promote your business. Your article also gives information to that small company with low budgets. I hope you will post more articles soon. Thank you.
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