Understanding truck driver accessorial pay
If you’re looking into a trucking career, or are new to the industry, you may have heard or seen references to accessorial pay.
While you’ll earn most of your money through per-mile, hourly or percentage-based pay, accessorials will be an important part of your truck driver compensation. So it’s important to know the different types of accessorial pay and to ask the following questions when you talk with a recruiter:
- Do you offer accessorial pay?
- What types of situations does your accessorial pay cover?
- How much is the pay for each category?
- What’s needed to qualify for accessorial pay in each category?
To better evaluate employers’ responses, here is an overview of the most common types of accessorial pay:
Detention Pay compensates you for delays at shipper or that are outside your control.
Layover Pay is provided when you face an extended delay between loads that is outside of your control. As the name implies, it often involves you having to “layover” somewhere, often overnight, while waiting for another load.
Border Crossing Pay covers the additional time, paperwork, and potential delays associated with crossing international borders.
Tarping Pay applies to drivers hauling flatbed loads that need to be secured with tarps, chains or other materials. This pay acknowledges the additional technical and physical skills needed for this specialized type of transport.
Stop Pay recognizes the additional time, effort, and potential delays associated with delivering to multiple locations while covering your trip or assigned route.
Hazmat Pay compensates you for transporting hazardous materials, due to the additional training, safety precautions, and regulatory compliance involved, drivers receive extra pay for handling such sensitive freight.
Every trucking company is different, so you’ll want to make sure you understand how prospective employers manage all aspects of truck driver pay. If you’re considering driving for Halvor Lines, our Halvor Lines recruiters will be happy to walk you through all aspects of our pay structure, including accessorials and bonus programs.
If you’re new to the industry and wondering how to get your CDL, check out our How to Become a Truck Driver infographic and Q &A. And make sure to check out our Halvor Gold Paid CDL Training program, which lets you earn while you learn. We’d love to connect with you!
