Heartland Express trucks are seen on interstates all across the country. The once small operation now boasts drivers with an average experience level of nine years, and there are a variety of different trucking positions available.
When looking at the HeartLand Express pay scale, you’ll see a lot of high numbers on the company’s website with promises of a high pay per mile, but is it true?
Before we take a look at what the pay scale is and what others are saying about the company, let’s look at the requirements you’ll need to land the job.
HeartLand Express Trucking Job Requirements
The requirements to work for the company are rather standard, and you’ll need the following:
- Good work history
- Good driving record
- Class A CDL
The company does not list any information about the preferred distance from terminals, so keep this in mind when applying. Jobs are available across the country from HeartLand, so it shouldn’t be much of an issue finding a terminal in your area.
HeartLand Express Benefits
We won’t be listing bonuses and information similar in nature in this section, but we will be listing some of the benefits you’ll receive when you become a member of the team. These benefits include:
- Retirement: You’ll be able to pay into a 401k plan with a 50% match from the company. No limits are listed.
- Vacation: Drivers are eligible for vacation time.
- Insurance: All insurance is provided through Blue Cross Blue Shields. Vision, dental and health insurance can be obtained when working with the company. Insurance benefits kick in after working for the company for 2 months and are very affordable.
HeartLand Express Pay Scale
HeartLand offers several different positions that drivers can fill. And these positions have a direct reflection on your overall pay.
Over the Road (OTR)
Driving from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast, a variety of freight is available from the company. When you work as an OTR trucker, you can make:
- Up to $0.505 cents per mile
- Up to $0.545 cents per mile in the Green Zone
When you break down the pay even further, you’ll find that most drivers will not hit these high numbers unless they’ve been in the business for a decade. A more realistic overview of what pay scales look like are:
- 1 Year: $0.45 with no hazmat and $0.46 with hazmat
- 3 Year: $0.46 with no hazmat and $0.47 with hazmat
- 5 Year: $0.47 with no hazmat and $0.48 with hazmat
- 7 Year: $0.48 with no hazmat and $0.49 with hazmat
- 10 Year: $0.495 with no hazmat and $0.505 with hazmat
As a driver, you’ll also be paid $0.04 per mile for driving Green Miles. Your pay will increase for the first ten years working with the company before you hit the top tier. Safety bonuses of $0.01 – $0.03 are given, too. If you’re a refresher, you’ll receive double pay.
If you’re stuck at a customer for over an hour, detention pay is given.
Heartland Expresss Trucking Salary Position
If you want to drive a normal route and want to be home weekly, a salary position is ideal.
These positions have pay that can vary by location, but you’ll receive $1,000 – $1,100 per week under most circumstances.
The company pays the most to those that have their hazmat, but it’s just $25 more a week.
All of the same benefits that an OTR position receives, a salary position will receive. The one bonus that is provided differently is:
- Short Haul Pay: $20 for 0 – 50 miles; $15 for 51 – 100 miles
Dedicated
The dedicated routes will pay decently, and these positions will allow you to receive routine home time, which is a good thing for drivers with families. The dedicated route pay is as follows:
- 1 Year: $0.37 with no hazmat and $0.38 with hazmat
- 3 Year: $0.38 with no hazmat and $0.39 with hazmat
- 5 Year: $0.39 with no hazmat and $0.40 with hazmat
- 7 Year: $0.40 with no hazmat and $0.41 with hazmat
- 10 Year: $0.415 with no hazmat and $0.425 with hazmat
A driver that is on a dedicated route will receive the same bonuses as those on a salaried position.
Teams and Owner Operators
While the company does have team drivers and owner-operators, they provide very little information on both in terms of benefits and bonuses. But there are pay scale figures:
- Teams: Pay can be as much as $0.58, or $0.62 for Green Miles
- O/O: Owner-operators will earn up to $0.95 a mile
What you’ll find about this company is that there is a lot of downtime in some areas. And you may be required to run a 200 – 300-mile trip for a customer that doesn’t want the haul delivered just yet, so you’ll be sitting without making money.
If you’re a hard worker, you can make nice money, but don’t expect too much home time in most cities.
Many drivers state that they’re only allowed 36 hours or less of home time, but you are allotted 20 miles per day for personal driving.
The amount of miles you can expect to run a week can be as high as 2,500, but this is an inflated number, according to most drivers. Sitting is common at HeartLand Express, and one driver averaged 1,800 miles per week over a 13-month period.
So, the miles are not optimal, but the pay is decent. The same driver also reaffirmed that you’ll be out for 3 – 5 weeks at a time and will only get less than two full days of home time.