Question 1

How much do Eastwind drivers earn?

Accepted Answer

Drivers average $2,000–$3,000 a week. That is an average, not a guarantee, and it moves with your miles and your lanes. Pay is $0.75 per mile on 2024-and-newer tractors, or $0.80 per mile on a 2022–2023 tractor — same equipment, fewer seats. Every mile pays, including deadhead.

Question 2

Why should I believe those numbers?

Accepted Answer

Because you can check them without taking our word for it. There is no escrow, which shows up on your first settlement whether we told you the truth or not. Deadhead pays your full rate, which shows up the first time you run empty to a pickup. We would rather you verify two claims than believe ten.

Question 3

Is there escrow?

Accepted Answer

No. Nothing is held back out of your pay, so there is no deposit to build up at the start and nothing to chase if you ever leave. Drivers ask about this more than anything else, and the answer is simply no.

Question 4

Is it forced dispatch?

Accepted Answer

No. You tell your dispatcher the weekly miles you are aiming for and the one region you would rather stay out of, and they plan around both as much as possible. If you want 3,200 miles a week, say so. If you never want to see a particular lane again, say that too.

Question 5

Who pays for fuel and tolls?

Accepted Answer

The company. You are not buying fuel, you are not covering tolls, and you are not paying for the weight of the load. On a 1099 seat that is the question worth asking first, because it is where most of the money goes.

Question 6

How does pay work — W-2 or 1099?

Accepted Answer

It is 1099. You run under your own LLC, S-corp, Inc or sole proprietorship. This is the part most drivers want spelled out before anything else, so: your taxes are yours, and fuel and tolls are not. Your recruiter walks through the numbers before you sign anything.

Question 7

I do not have an LLC. Can I still drive here?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The office will set one up with you. It is the single most common reason a good company driver never makes the move to 1099 — not the pay, the paperwork — and it is a solved problem here. Ask your recruiter what it involves on the first call.

Question 8

What if I need cash before my first pay clears?

Accepted Answer

Cash advances are available through the office. Changing carriers costs money before it pays any, and since there is no escrow coming out either, the first couple of weeks are a lot less tight than they usually are.

Question 9

Do I pay to get out there?

Accepted Answer

No. Your drug screen is booked at a clinic in your own ZIP code before you travel anywhere, and results come back in about 24 hours. Only then does anyone arrange travel in. Nobody flies across the country for a maybe.

Question 10

Why would I take an older truck for more money?

Accepted Answer

A 2022–2023 tractor pays $0.80 per mile instead of $0.75 — five cents on every mile, which adds up. The spec is identical: APU, refrigerator, microwave, inverter, brand-new mattress. The 2022s just have more years on the clock. There are only a handful of those seats.

Question 11

What is actually in the truck?

Accepted Answer

An APU, a refrigerator, a microwave, an inverter and a brand-new mattress. Every truck, not a top tier you earn after a year. The APU is the one that matters most day to day — you are not idling all night to keep the cab liveable.

Question 12

Automatic or manual? How fast do they run?

Accepted Answer

All automatic. Governed at 70–73 mph, which is decent speed for making your miles — your clock is the same either way, so the truck that runs faster turns it into more paid miles.

Question 13

Can I pick my truck?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You are sent photos of the actual units available and you choose before you commit to anything. Freightliner Cascadia, Peterbilt 579, Kenworth T680, Volvo, International.

Question 14

What experience do I need?

Accepted Answer

A valid CDL Class A, at least 2 years of verifiable experience, and no SAP. Your record needs to be decent, not spotless — nobody has a perfect record and we do not pretend to expect one.

Question 15

What if my record is not clean?

Accepted Answer

Decent is the bar, and it is worth asking rather than assuming. Plenty of drivers rule themselves out over something that would not have mattered. Safety reviews the record and comes back in about 30 minutes, so you get a real answer fast instead of wondering.

Question 16

What does the freight look like?

Accepted Answer

Dry van, OTR, across the 48 states. No tarping, no reefer temperatures, no wash-outs. We do not run New York City at all, and Oregon and Washington get kept to a minimum where it is possible.

Question 17

Do I sit waiting for loads?

Accepted Answer

The dispatchers here have 5 to 10 or more years doing this and they know the shippers and the lanes, which is what makes planning around one driver possible at all. And if you do sit, detention, layover and extra stops are paid on top of the mile rate rather than absorbed.

Question 18

What else pays beyond the mile rate?

Accepted Answer

Detention, layover and extra stop pay. Clean inspection bonuses on levels 1, 2 and 3. And $500 for every driver you bring with you, with no cap on how many.

Question 19

Can I bring a pet or a rider?

Accepted Answer

Yes to both. Bring your dog, and bring a rider aged 18 or over. Both of these get asked late and catch people out, so they are answered here up front.

Question 20

What happens to my truck on home time?

Accepted Answer

It comes home with you. Park it somewhere safe and secure near home and that is the whole arrangement — no dropping it at a terminal and finding your own way back.

Question 21

How long am I out between home time?

Accepted Answer

At least three weeks on the road. Home time itself is worked out driver by driver rather than quoted off a policy, but the three-week minimum is the one fixed part and you should hear it now rather than after you start.

Question 22

How fast can I start?

Accepted Answer

Most qualified drivers go from application to first load in about two days. The application runs about two minutes, one photo of the front of your CDL starts it, safety comes back in about 30 minutes, and orientation runs four to six hours. You are in the truck that day and dispatched the next.

Miles with the windat your back.

The shortest road to your next truck

Start your application

Built around the person behind the wheel

No Escrow. Ever.

You Set the Miles

Every Mile Pays

Pick Your Truck, Pick Your Rate

Referrals Pay $500 — Unlimited

Dispatch That Picks Up

The trucks are new. The faces are real.

400+ trucks pulling east to west.

Rolling in about a week

30-Second Pre-Screen

One Photo, One Call

Screening Near Home

We Fly You In

Driver questions, answered

The wind is picking up.