The three jobs, side by side
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| Local | Regional | Over the road (OTR) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home time | Every night; many routes run four or five days a week | Weekly, or every other week on some fleets. Roehl lists daily, weekly and every-other-week options by fleet (roehl.jobs, October 2026) | Roehl's national fleet: "out for 11 to 14 days and home for 3" (roehl.jobs, October 2026) |
| How you are paid | Hourly, or by the stop or route; overtime rules depend on the employer and the motor carrier exemption | Cents per mile, or a percentage of the load | Cents per mile or percentage. TMC runs percentage pay and says first-year flatbed drivers earn "up to $100,000" (tmctrans.com, October 2026) |
| Who hires new CDL holders | Fewer. Private fleets often require experience: Walmart asks for 30 months of Class A experience in the past 36 (careers.walmart.com, October 2026) | Many. Carrier training programs place graduates on regional fleets | Most. Sponsored programs at TMC, Roehl, Prime, Knight and others start graduates on the road |
| Typical vehicles | Day cab, straight truck, local tractor-trailer | Sleeper or day cab | Sleeper tractor |
| Hours structure | Fixed start times; nights and early mornings common | Driving days bounded by federal hours of service | Driving days bounded by federal hours of service; loading and unloading waits are part of the job |
What the pay data shows
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 do not split drivers by local, regional or OTR, but the spread tells the story.
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| Occupation (BLS code) | Jobs | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (53-3032), national | 2,062,040 | $19.30 | $28.19 | $38.17 |
| Same, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 55,670 | $20.58 | $28.62 | $44.22 |
| Same, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | 49,750 | $18.42 | $27.33 | $38.22 |
| Light truck drivers (53-3033), national | 983,300 | $14.81 | $21.57 | $38.61 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. A median hourly rate of $28.19 is about $58,600 a year at 2,080 hours; most OTR drivers are paid per mile or percentage, so their hourly equivalent depends on miles run. Medians for every JobPin category are on pay benchmarks.
Carrier statements, read in October 2026:
- Roehl: drivers with at least one year on the job average $1,435 a week, about $74,620 a year; the top half average $1,625 a week, about $84,500 (roehl.jobs).
- TMC: first-year flatbed drivers earning "up to $100,000" on percentage pay (tmctrans.com). "Up to" is a ceiling.
- Prime: during the final training phase, at least $900 a week while away from home and available, or $120 a day at home (driveforprime.com).
- Knight: $650 a week with a trainer out of Atlanta, $850 a week out of Columbus, during the 3 to 6 week training phase (knighttrans.com).
- Walmart: in April 2022 Walmart said private fleet drivers could make up to $110,000 in their first year (Walmart announcement, reported by Supermarket News). The current driver page lists requirements and benefits but no pay figure (careers.walmart.com, October 2026).
The questions that decide it
- Can you be away from home for two weeks? If no, OTR is out, whatever it pays. Regional fleets that run "home weekly" are the usual compromise.
- Do you want hourly pay? Local work is where hourly pay lives. Mile and percentage pay rise and fall with freight, weather and waiting time.
- Do you have experience? Private fleets and many local jobs want one to three years. Walmart's 30-month rule is typical of the top of the market. Sponsored programs start new drivers on regional or OTR fleets.
- How do you handle nights and early mornings? Local routes often start at 3 or 4 AM. Regional and OTR schedules move with the load.
- What does the posting pay per unit? Compare cents per mile against the miles the fleet actually runs per week, and ask how detention time is paid. A high mile rate with low miles can pay less than a lower rate with steady miles.
Costs that change the picture
OTR pay comes with road expenses: food, showers, and time between loads that may be unpaid. Local jobs bring commute costs and sometimes fewer paid hours in slow weeks. When comparing offers, ask for a typical weekly settlement or pay stub from the fleet, and compare net weekly pay, not the headline rate. For pay frequency, ask whether the fleet pays weekly; Roehl pays the week after the work is done (roehl.jobs, October 2026). See jobs with weekly pay.
Who each one fits
- Local: experienced drivers, parents, anyone who needs a fixed schedule, and Class B holders (refuse, dump, delivery).
- Regional: new graduates who want home time within a year or two of training, and drivers who want mile pay without weeks away.
- OTR: new graduates building miles fast, drivers without ties to a fixed location, and anyone who wants the highest first-year ceiling and accepts the lifestyle.
Requirements that apply to all three
A CDL of the right class, a valid medical certificate, age 21 for interstate work (49 CFR 391.11), a record that clears the carrier's limits, and a clean Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse query. Since March 16, 2026, non-domiciled CDLs are limited to H-2A, H-2B and E-2 holders: the non-domiciled CDL rule. Starting from zero: how to get a CDL and paid CDL training.
Current openings
Driver jobs nationwide, Dallas, Houston. Local delivery without a CDL: delivery jobs and driver jobs that do not need a CDL.
More driver openings
Current source-linked listings could not be confirmed in this sample. Check the category search and each original posting for availability.
How to verify a listing
Every opening on JobPin links to its source posting. Confirm the pay structure (hourly, per mile, percentage), the home time, and the experience requirement on the carrier's own site before you apply. Pay figures written as "up to" are ceilings. No carrier charges a fee to apply.
How JobPin dates and sources listings: How JobPin verifies listings and events. Report a listing.