Pay & Earnings
CPM Pay (Cents Per Mile)
CPM (cents-per-mile) pay compensates a driver a fixed rate for each mile driven, most commonly counting only loaded miles unless a carrier specifically advertises “all miles” pay. It's the most common pay structure in truckload freight, though rates and what counts as a paid mile (loaded only, or loaded plus deadhead) vary significantly by carrier and route type.
Under a CPM pay structure, a driver's paycheck is calculated by multiplying miles driven by an agreed per-mile rate, with the specific rate often varying by experience tier, route type (OTR typically pays more per mile than local), and whether the carrier pays for loaded miles only or all miles including deadhead. Because CPM pay is sensitive to how many miles a driver actually gets dispatched in a given week, two drivers with the same quoted rate can take home very different pay if one runs significantly more miles or deadheads less than the other. This is why experienced drivers often evaluate a job offer by expected weekly take-home pay and typical mileage, not just the advertised cents-per-mile figure alone.
Why it matters for recruiting and operations
A high advertised CPM rate can still mean disappointing take-home pay if a route has low weekly mileage or heavy deadhead, which is one of the most common gaps between a recruiting pitch and driver experience in the industry. Recruiters who can speak to realistic weekly miles and whether deadhead is paid — not just the headline rate — set more accurate expectations and tend to see better early retention.
Related terms
Where this shows up in Fleegital
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