Anderson Trucking Service, a Minnesota-based carrier, announced a 10-cent per mile pay increase for its 327 flatbed drivers. The raise applies across all driver classes and tenure levels and covers both loaded and empty miles, according to the company release reported by Trucking Dive.
The carrier said its top 50% of flatbed drivers averaged $1,600 per week this year, while its top 20% averaged $2,100 per week.
Anderson joins a run of carriers announcing pay increases, including Roehl Transport and Averitt. Nussbaum Transportation announced two increases, one in May and another on Sept. 23.
Avery Vise, vice president of trucking at FTR Transportation Intelligence, attributed the wave of raises to tightening driver capacity. Vise said driver supply has fallen for nearly three years, and preliminary Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows truck transportation and warehousing employment at its lowest August level since 2017. Competition for drivers has increased as federal regulators cracked down on non-compliant commercial driver's license schools, stepped up enforcement of English language proficiency requirements and tightened access to non-domiciled CDLs.
Vise said low capacity combined with modest freight improvement produced a surge in freight rates, and carriers have responded with more aggressive recruiting to handle more volume for their customers.
Large carriers report similar pressure. Executives at J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Schneider National said at investor conferences earlier this month that driver recruitment and retention costs are rising. Schneider President and CEO Jim Filter said the company began exploring higher driver pay in the second quarter to retain its most productive drivers. J.B. Hunt has added driver sign-on bonuses and raised pay ahead of peak season.
Source: Trucking Dive - https://www.truckingdive.com/news/anderson-trucking-raising-pay-for-flatbed-drivers-by-10-cents-per-mile/831571/