Gardner Trucking Inc. is a little-known outfit out of Chino, CA that offers truck driving jobs to all that qualify. They have recently (2019) been acquired by CRST but they are currently is still up and running.
Median Annual Salary
$60,215
While the company has been around for decades, they do not disclose their pay scale publically on their website, or anywhere for that matter. But we have the data here…
Gardner Trucking Jobs
The company has a lot of reviews online where you can see drivers talking about their experience with the company.
It should be noted that the following information pertains to truck drivers using company trucks – not owner-operators.
Those that drive trucks will:
- Be paid $600 a week on average (starting out at $500 & topping out at $700 per week)
This is a lower-end salary which reflects the driver’s overall experience.
Newer drivers that need experience under their belt will easily find a home with Gardner. However, experienced drivers will often find that the pay scale is too low.
That being said, there are benefits to working with the company – despite lower earnings:
- Holiday pay. Drivers are paid for holidays, which is a nice benefit that many companies do not offer.
- Weekends off. The one bad thing in the trucking industry is that there is little home time for drivers. Oftentimes, drivers will find themselves on the road for weeks at a time. This local company allows for weekends off, which is great for the family man or woman.
- Benefits. The company does offer health and medical benefits to their drivers. This is likely offered to just those driving company trucks and not drivers that are owner-operators. This is common in the industry.
While mileage-based pay is the norm, Gardner also pays hourly to some employees. This rate can be as high as $15 an hour for a routine trucking route.
Note: If there is one song of praise that this company gets, it’s that their equipment is simply above the norm. New trucks are introduced into the fleet routinely, and the company maintains its vehicles to the highest standards.
Owner-operators will, of course, be paid differently.
Gardner Owner-Operator Jobs
Gardner trucking jobs also include owner-operator offerings.
As an owner of your own rig, you’ll make a lot more money than your counterparts, but you will also have other responsibilities that a company driver would not have.
Owner-operators are paid a percentage of the haul. How high? We couldn’t find the answer.
Typically, an owner-operator will earn significantly more than their counterparts, so it should be expected that the pay scale will be in the $1,000 – $1,200 a week range.
The nice thing is that you’ll be able to have home time, which is rarely seen with other companies.
Deadhead Pay
When conducting my research, I found that Gardner Trucking was getting a bad rep because they did not provide deadhead pay to drivers.
If you’re new to the trucking industry, deadhead pay is when you’re traveling without a load. As you can guess, not receiving this pay greatly reduces the potential earnings of a driver and is one of the reasons the company’s pay scale is lower.
According to a new recruit for the company, they now include the following:
- Deadhead pay of .25 cents a mile
- Detention pay
Detention pay only kicks in after 2 hours, but it is a nice benefit.
With deadhead pay, drivers can expect to earn significantly more money working with the company. This information is up-to-date as of 6 days ago, so new drivers will receive deadhead and detention pay.
Many drivers note that there is a lot of time waiting and a lot of time driving with empty loads, which caused an issue for truckers. It seems, as of right now, that this issue is somewhat remedied.
Benefits of Working With Gardner Trucking
With a major correction made by allowing deadhead pay, working for the company can be far more lucrative to drivers. In fact, drivers should have no issue breaking the $800 – $900 a week limit – if not more – working with Gardner.
Aside from pay, there are a lot of perks that this company does offer:
- Affordable benefits
- Local runs
- Family time
- Weekends off
- Paid holidays
As a trucker, time off is somewhat of a luxury. Most trucking companies will expect their drivers to work very rigorous schedules where they may not be home for weeks at a time. Trucking is not a job that is easy by any means.
However, Gardner does allow for adequate daily home time, so it is a major perk that many of the bigger trucking companies in California simply do not offer. With guaranteed weekend time off, truckers will find that they can strike the perfect balance between work life and family life. For anyone just starting in the field, Gardner Trucking is definitely a great choice.