How to Get a Truck Driving Sign On Bonus

When taking the next step in your trucking career, you may want to pause and consider which companies offer a truck driving sign on bonus, and which do not. Sign on bonuses can be a great way to start your trucking career, especially if you need a little extra cash on the front end of your employment. This may differ from company to company, so it’s important to do your research before deciding; read on to learn more.

Truck Driving Sign On Bonus: What is It?

A sign on bonus is typically a monetary incentive provided to new employees to encourage candidates to seek employment from the company providing the bonus. The bonuses may be paid in full upon employment, but some of them require employees to progress in their position before receiving the full bonus amount. They’re especially prevalent in times when there is a labor shortage, or workers are in high demand. They’ve gained a presence in the trucking industry recently, where drivers are in high demand.

 For anyone seeking to begin their truck driving career, sign on bonuses can be particularly beneficial: with Truck Driver Institute, you can get your CDL in just 3 weeks. Upon graduation, our students have an over 86% job placement rate! Truck Driver Institute also partners with many different carriers, ensuring that our students receive a placement that suits each student’s needs and preferences. That means that if you start today, you can potentially get a truck driving sign on bonus in just 3 weeks.

Why Are They so Prevalent?

Sign on bonuses has affected the trucking industry in a big way because of the recent worries regarding truck driver shortages and the rising median age of truck drivers. Trucking companies have found sign on bonuses as an effective way to advertise their positions to younger individuals, in need of a career that allows them to earn money quickly. In fact, in some cases sign on bonuses can reach values as high as $20,000- Cowan Systems has been known to offer sign on bonuses with values ranging from $15,000 to $20,000. These sign on bonuses can be life-changing for anyone starting their career, and are a great opportunity for new drivers to enter the industry. 

How Are They Paid?

This is where you must exercise caution. Especially for the higher valued bonuses, it’s rare that they are all paid at once. Some are paid all at once. Others, however, are typically split between several payment dates or split equally across a period of time. 

Some common way trucking companies split up their bonuses is by doing so between several landmarks in your trucking career. For example, you may get half of your sign on bonus when you are employed, and receive the second half upon completion of your first solo trip. While sign on bonuses is an excellent way to kickstart your trucking career, it’s important you stay conscious of how and when that bonus will be paid. 

How to Get a Truck Driving Sign On Bonus

Now that you’re informed on just what a truck driving sign on bonus is, it’s time to tackle the issue of getting one – to do this, you need to first get your CDL and then find employment. With the assistance of Truck Driver Institute, both are easy! Read on to learn more information about doing both. 

Get Your CDL

Before you can get hired and earn a truck driving sign on bonus, you need to earn your commercial driver’s license (CDL). A CDL is required before you can drive certain commercial vehicles and before you can get any truck driving jobs. Luckily, Truck Driver Institute provides a 3-week long CDL course that gets you certified, and offers job placement services for our students. Upon graduation, over 86% of our students have found job placements within the trucking industry- many of which offer sign on bonuses for new employees. 

Get Employed

Once you’ve received your CDL and can pilot a commercial vehicle, it’s time to get hired. As mentioned above, Truck Driver Institute is happy to do the work for all of our CDL graduates. To get you started, however, here are a few examples of trucking companies that offer truck driving sign on bonuses: 

• Cowan Systems: Cowan Systems was founded in 1944 by Joseph W. Cowan. They now employ over 1,700 truck drivers and offer some of the highest sign on bonuses in the industry.

• Central Transport: Founded in 1946, Central Transport now provides logistics services across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. They have previously been ranked in the top 500 private companies by Forbes.

• Walmart: Walmart needs no introduction. One of the largest companies in the world and a trucking giant, Walmart has opted to offer their new drivers competitive sign on bonuses to keep its truck driver workforce strong.

• J.B. Hunt: Founded in 1961, J.B. Hunt began as a small poultry transportation company based in Arkansas. Now a Fortune 500 Company, J.B. Hunt has opted to provide their drivers with sign on bonuses to compete with the rest of the industry. 

• Transco Lines: Founded in 1984, Transco Lines is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. They have a smaller team consisting of just 310 drivers, but are currently offering sign on bonuses for new employees. 

Start Your Career With Truck Driver Institute

A sign on bonus can be a great way to kickstart your career and supply a little extra cash to get you started. If you need cash fast, your best bet may be to get your CDL and get hired by a trucking company. If that’s the case for you, Truck Driver Institute has you covered. We offer CDL courses that take just 3 weeks, and boast an over 86% job placement rate for our students upon their graduation. If you’re ready to start your career with a little extra cash from a truck driving sign on bonus, visit our site or contact us to learn more.