A couple of truckload carriers have raised driver pay heading into 2021. Beacon Transport announced Monday a 3-cents-per-mile pay increase for new drivers effective Jan. 1.
The La Vergne, Tennessee-based truckload carrier said the increase is one of the largest in its 20-year history and places pay for all new drivers at 50 cents per mile or higher.
“We’ve truly been blessed these past 20 years and there’s no doubt the success of our company is based on the consistent and committed work of our drivers,” said co-founder and Chief Manager Stan Pritchett.
The carrier, which specializes in moving nonhazardous dry freight in the Southeast and Midwest, sees the current lack of available trucks as likely to continue well into the new year.
“There’s been so much talk of capacity the past six months and as we look to 2021 it seems most people believe capacity is going to stay tight,” said co-founder and Vice President of Sales David Burns. “I just want to thank our customers who have given us the confidence and resources to make sure we are able to attract the high-caliber professional drivers needed to service them.”
Last week, Eagan, Minnesota-based carrier Bay & Bay Transportation announced it had implemented a wage increase on Dec. 7. The almost 80-year-old company now pays new hires with driving experience up to 58 cents per mile, and it increased per-mile pay by 4 cents for existing company drivers.
Bay & Bay also announced a $10,000 sign-on bonus for all new drivers joining its fleet.
In recent weeks several carriers — Roehl Transport, C.R. England, KLLM Transport, Covenant (NASDAQ: CVLG), Schneider National (NYSE: SNDR), Stevens Transport, Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD), Frozen Food Express and Anderson Trucking Service — have raised driver pay.
