CDL A OTR Truck Driver

Overview

DSL Express and partners now hiring solo and team over the road CDL A OTR Truck Drivers to run our newly updated and modernized fleet. Company drivers with 2+ yrs of experience and a decent MVR/PSP score. Now hiring immediately. Seeking drivers from Illinois and around the Joliet, IL and in the greater Chicago area (and in other states) - All great markets for us.

We offer nationwide OTR routes! Location is no issue at all.
Pay is respectable. The lowest full-time earnings here start at $104,000 per year, and the pay goes higher for drivers who apply themselves.

• 30% Line Haul + Bonuses (most popular for solos)
• $1,900–$2,400 Weekly Average + Bonuses
• OR switch anytime to miles pay
• Up to 60 cents (automatic drivers)
• Up to 65 cents (manual drivers)
• Well over $104K+ per year on percentage (up to $145k top end).
• No Forced Dispatch

$1,900 – $2,400 per week (with some peaks reaching $2700+ on legal hours). Pay is performance based and we offer percentage pay at 30% of the gross and option to switch to miles pay anytime. For average drivers slow season typically is between $1,900–$2,100 and Peak season $2,100–$2,400 - rare slow weeks during slow season can dip to $1,500, rare peak weeks during busy season can hit $2,700+.

Most weeks fall between $1,900–$2,400 depending on season overall. Rule of thumb:
Just expect peak seasons to be better overall and pay to be on the high end most of the time. On a normal year, Q1 is slow, Q2 is peak, Q3 mediocre, Q4 peak. For the last 25 years, excluding crazy covid years, this has been the consistent pattern.

• 87% of drivers chose percentage pay in 2025. Miles seems to be an industry problem recently.
• Top year around runners (the top 5 per centers) hit the $145,000 range last year in 2025.
• Most top runners were somewhere in the $125,000 range in 2025.
• Average drivers good at what they do but not top tier still made $115,000 range last year.
• In 2025, nobody made less than $104,000 when running full time here ($104,130 to be exact).
• Drivers who were seasonal or had excessive home time were considered outliers and not included.

• We are paying up to 30% line haul plus bonuses. In this post covid market, drivers drive less and make more on this.
• Average pay in dead season is usually between $1900 to $2100 with some rare best weeks of about $2400+ and a rare slow week of about $1500.
• Average pay in peak season is usually between $2100 to $2400 with some rare best weeks of about $2700+ and a rare slow week of about $1900.
• Average miles on percentage pay is reduced on purpose. We not only save fuel but our contracts make more by the mile. Its a win/win. Usually 2000 to 2500 miles in slow season and up to around 3000 in busy. You dont have to chase the dragons tail with miles or get burnt out to make more. Plenty of time to make your stops as well and fewer missed appointment times on drops and pickups.
  
  Its just a smarter way to do business.

• Every driver is given option to switch any time to up to 60 cents plus bonuses depending on EXP and MVR (Up to 65 for manual drivers).
• Average miles when doing miles pay is anywhere between 2500 and 3600 miles per wk. Some drivers do more than others. We run alternate routes with miles pay drivers. However, the market isnt what it used to be. The long east west runs are dead in dry van (for the time being).
• The average gross income is roughly $1600 to $2400 legal max per week per driver. A bit less for automatic only drivers.

• Want to drive in a team provided you have a team member?
• Up to 75 cents per mile plus bonuses. Depending on the EXP and MVRs of the team.
• Average miles when doing miles pay is anywhere between 5500 and 7000 per wk. Middle to lower side recently.
• The average gross income is $4100 and $5200 per wk total split. Roughly $2000 to $2600 per week per team driver.
• Sorry - This is not a team market right now. Solos on percentage generally do better and especially when…