Could someone tell me how much truck drivers (semi-truck/18-wheelers)
make per year?  Does pay depend on what you are transporting i.e.
frozen goods, automobiles, oil?  Is the profession more profitable if
you own your own truck? If so, how much would you make per year. All
considering you work an average trucker workday whatever that may be.
Thank You.

http://www.payscale.com/salary-survey/vid-16647/fid-6886 

GIVES THIS INFO.

I see signs on the backs of trucks all the time that say "Drivers
wanted, $.37 per mile" and they range from $.37 to $.43 (the ones I've
seen recently anyways).

Assuming a trucker averages 50 miles an hour for 40 hours a week (2000
hours a year), that is 2000 X 50 X .40 = $40,000.  And the company
pays all expenses such as lodging, gas, truck repairs, tolls...
At the same time, I doubt most truckers drive quite 2000 hours a year. 

Owner/operators definately have more potential to make a larger salary
than non-owner/operators.  However that potential requires:
1) Good credit --to buy the truck without an absurd interest rate
2) A good driving record --to not pay absurd insurance rates for the truck
3) Ambitions --the trucker has to assume he'll be a trucker for a long
time to make the investment worthwhile
4) Risk --If the trucker has an accident then he is out much more $$
if he owns the truck than if he does not.... and --if the trucker
doesn't find good work with his truck then he still has to make the
big truck payments

Considering these 4 things (and probably more that I missed) verses
the extra pay associated with owning the truck you drive, a trucker
must decide if owning a truck is right for him or if driving someone
else's truck is more his speed.

Thank you both very much for your help.