The main job types, plainly explained
Local jobs get you home daily. Think food service delivery, LTL pickup and delivery, construction and dump truck work, and port or rail yard drayage. The trade-off for sleeping in your own bed is that local work is often physically demanding and paid by the hour.
Regional jobs usually keep you within Texas and neighboring states with home time weekly. Over-the-road (OTR) means multi-state runs and weeks out at a time, with the highest mileage-based earning potential. Dedicated routes are a middle ground: consistent lanes for one customer, predictable schedules, and steadier paychecks.
How the pay actually works
Most OTR and regional drivers are paid cents per mile, commonly called CPM. Your paycheck is miles multiplied by your rate, so anything that keeps the truck moving, like detention pay for waiting at shippers, matters. Local drivers are usually hourly, sometimes with overtime after 40.
Some jobs pay a percentage of the load's revenue instead, which is common in owner-operator and lease arrangements. Whatever the structure, ask about accessorial pay: detention, layover, tarp fees for flatbed, and stop pay. Two jobs with the same CPM can pay very differently once accessorials are counted.
Typical pay ranges, with honest caveats
These are broad ranges seen across job listings, not promises. Local hourly CDL work in the San Antonio area is commonly advertised in the low-to-mid $20s per hour, with experienced drivers and specialized local work higher. Regional and OTR company drivers are often advertised in the $55,000 to $85,000-plus annual range, depending on miles, experience, and freight type.
Specialized niches like tanker, hazmat, and oversized loads tend to advertise above those ranges. First-year drivers typically land below them. Treat any specific number in a job ad as a starting point for questions: ask current drivers at the company what they actually averaged last year, and ask how the number was calculated.
Why San Antonio is a solid freight town
The I-35 corridor connects San Antonio to Austin, Dallas, and the border, while I-10 runs east-west across the state. Distribution centers cluster along both corridors, and the Eagle Ford energy region plus constant construction keep flatbed and dump work busy.
Local knowledge is an edge here. Companies value drivers who know the Loop 1604 industrial areas, the rail yards, and which receivers run slow. If you are bilingual, say so: it is a genuine advantage with many San Antonio shippers and customers.
How new drivers break in
Most new CDL graduates start with a training carrier: a large company that hires rookies, pairs them with a trainer for several weeks, and then moves them to solo. The pay during training is modest, and there is often a contract commitment, so read the terms.
Your record is your resume in this industry. A clean license, no failed drug tests, and stable job history open doors that no amount of interviewing can. Protect your record from day one, because every future employer will pull it.
Questions to ask every recruiter
Recruiters are salespeople, and the good ones respect direct questions. Ask: what did your San Antonio drivers actually average per week last quarter, not what the top driver made? How many miles does the average driver on this account run? What is the home-time schedule in writing? What accessorial pay exists for detention, layovers, and extra stops?
Then ask about the costs that come out of your check: insurance contributions, escrow, equipment fees. Ask about the trucks: average age, automatic or manual, APU and inverter policy. Finally, ask to speak with a current driver on the same account. A company that refuses has told you everything you need to know. Write the answers down and compare across companies before you commit.
See job boards and employers hiring CDL drivers in the San Antonio area.
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