Truck Driver Jobs Blog

WARD TRUCKLOAD PAYS ON PRACTICAL MILES; RAISES PAY

Altoona, Pa. (May 15, 2006) – Ward Truckload Express has recently moved to paying on Practical Miles rather than PC miles, resulting in a raise of approximately $3,000 per year for its drivers.
"We saw the industry moving this direction a few months ago and wanted to be one of the first to make this improvement for our driving force," says Creg Strock, director of recruiting & training at Ward Truckload Express. "Paying on Practical Miles is just the fair way to pay drivers and since we were adding a pay increase as well, we felt this was a good time to implement the change."
The company has recently upped pay for drivers with four years of experience from 36¢ per mile to 37¢ per mile and pay for those with five years of experience from 37¢ per mile to 38¢ per mile. Drivers joining Ward are required to have at least two years of experience and start at 35¢ per mile while three years of experience earns 36¢ per mile.
"In addition, we have a 2¢ per mile quarterly bonus that brings pay up even more," says Strock. "It can add up to as much as $650 per quarter."
Ward Truckload Express has experienced steady growth in recent years and has driving opportunities open now for regional and OTR drivers and owner operators.
One of the company's most attractive features is guaranteed weekend home time for 48 hours. According to company President Tim Ward, making allowances for the driver's lifestyle is a priority.
"Our goal is to provide our drivers with a lifestyle that balances time at home with time on the job," says Ward. "We are committed to providing excellent income potential and benefits, and we strive to create a pleasant work environment."
The length of haul for Ward Truckload Express OTR drivers ranges from 50 - 1,000 miles per load, with the average being about 410 miles per load. These drivers will average first year gross earnings of $52,000.
Company driver benefits include direct deposit, paid vacation and holidays; group-term life, AD & D and group medical insurance; voluntary profit sharing/401(k) plan, Ward pension plan and much more.
Benefits for owner operators/lease operators include 100% of loading/unloading billed, 100% of fuel surcharge, weekly pay settlements, direct deposit, 50% trip advance; EFS fuel card program, mobile communications at no cost, physical damage insurance, paid authorized tolls, bobtail insurance, fleet price tire purchase program, paid permits , and more.

BARR-NUNN TRANSPORTATION WANTS ANY COMPANY DRIVER TO FULFILL THEIR DREAM OF BECOMING AN OWNER OPERATOR!

As Posted on www.BigRigJobs.com

Granger, IA—January 26, 2006—Barr-Nunn Transportation is a widely acclaimed provider of highest quality transportation and logistics services. Since our inception in 1982, we have been the industry leader in pay packages, have grown to a fleet of nearly 650 tractors, 1,650 trailers and over 500 customers nationwide. Our large customer base and ability to efficiently meet the needs of shippers across the country have made us not just a stable operation, but one that is here for the long haul. We are also an organization that is poised for strategic growth. At Barr-Nunn, we want our Company Drivers and Owner Operators to be happy. We constantly work hard to come up with new ways to prove how much we value them.

"We are so pleased to announce our new program for Company Drivers who would like to become Owner Operators. Of course, we greatly appreciate all our Company Drivers and we’re happy to have them continue in that position. But, for those who envision a future for themselves as Owner Operators, we want you to stay or join us", says Doug Albrecht, Recruiting Director.

"This program isn’t only directed at our Company Drivers but for any Company Driver that wants to become an Owner Operator.", stated Rene Beacom, President.

Here’s how the new program works. Effective February 1, 2006, we are offering a transition payment benefit of up to $3500. This benefit will be for all current Company Drivers and all new Company Drivers hired between now and April 30, 2006. Additionally, with the down payment, we are offering 3 months of free comprehensive Owner Operator business consulting services through American Truck Business Services. At Barr-Nunn, we need all Owner Operators to be successful and this tractor purchase program is centered on Company Drivers owning their business.

To find out more about how Barr-Nunn anticipates and responds to the needs of our people, offers outstanding pay packages including our New Practical Mileage Program and gives them all the advantages they deserve, call us at: 888-999-7576, Visit our website at: www.barr-nunn.com

HEARTLAND EXPRESS DOES IT AGAIN, RAISING PAY TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!

As posted on www.BigRigJobs.com

CORALVILLE, IA. -December 6th, 2005- Heartland Express, Inc. of Iowa (www.heartlandexpress.com) the perennial leader for driver pay in the truckload industry announced today that they are doing it again! Heartland has announced that they are raising pay an additional 4 cents. This raise will take their over-the-road company drivers to an unprecedented $.50 per mile in all the areas they run and owner operators to $.95 per mile BEFORE any additional pay for fuel stabilization! Heartland's GREEN MILE$ program (an additional bonus for drivers who run in the NE area of the country known as the GREEN ZONE) will continue to pay a 4 cents premium per mile for a top pay of $.54 per mile!

Russell Gerdin, President and CEO of Heartland stated, "it is my goal, above all else, to raise the driver pay rate to a level equal to the effort the job requires. Drivers simply need to earn more. If I do nothing else for the industry, I will do whatever it takes to move driver pay higher. I think offering fifty cents per mile is a step in this direction."

Included in this pay raise Heartland stated that they will be offering compensation for those drivers who hold a hazardous materials endorsement (HAZMAT) on their commercial driver’s licenses. Virtually all of the current drivers in the Heartland fleet hold this endorsement and for this will receive a penny per mile increase in pay. Drivers who join Heartland Express without holding the HAZMAT endorsement will receive this penny per mile increase, once they acquire the endorsement if they choose to do so.

John Cosaert, Executive Vice President and CFO commented, "with the new laws governing HAZMAT endorsements, Heartland is taking a leadership position in compensating those drivers who hold it. While HAZMAT loads are a very very small portion of the freight we haul, we do believe the drivers who can manage these loads deserve to be recognized with additional pay."

According to a recent industry survey the average driver pay for three years experience (according to those companies who completed the survey) is just under $.35 per mile. With this pay raise, drivers with the same experience at Heartland will earn 35% more per mile than that average.

Heartland Express is an irregular route truckload carrier based in Coralville, Iowa serving customers with primary shipping lane east of the Rocky Mountains and the southwest United States. They offer long-haul, regional, and dedicated opportunities. Any professional driver interested in getting more information about Heartland Express can call them at 1-800-441-4953 or access the company website at www.heartlandexpress.com.

Job Outlook for Truck Drivers and Trucking Jobs

Truck driver jobs should be readily available in the coming years. Not only is substantial growth expected in the industries that provide jobs to truck drivers, but the numbers of "baby boomer" truck drivers is expected to dwindle as that generation nears retirement age. Jobs have a high degree of variance in terms of income. In 2002 the average hourly earnings of american truck driving jobs was almost $16 per hour. The high wage variance comes in that the middle 50% earned between $12.51 and $20.01 per hour. The highest paying job sector for heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers was for general freight trucking which weighed in at a little over $17.50 per hour. The lowest paying sector was cement and concrete product manufacturing. The big employment picture for truck driving jobs is expected to have the same growth as all other occuupations through 2012. This stability of employment should make truck driving an attractive employment alternative due to it's deep roots in many other sectors of commerce. The feasability of using truck transport is considered better than other means of transportation, especially when dealing with time-sensitive goods and perishables. LTL or less-than-truckload jobs have better working environments and are therefore expected to become more competitive.

Truck driver/sales worker jobs are expected to perform below the entire truck driving sector. This comes as a result of specialization. The truck driver will no longer have to wear the hat of a trucker and a salesperson. The sales jobs that drivers have performed in the past are expected to be deligated to office personel. The driver/salesman is projected to become specialized in thier working position by just delivering product. Since job opportunities will always fluctuate from year to year, truck drivers should be wise in their choice for employment. The relative strength of the economy has a direct influence on how many job opportunities there are for truckers. When the economy is doing well, there is more freight to be hauled and thus more opportunities for truck drivers to gain high paying trucking jobs. The flip side to that is that when economic performance is low, there is less freight being sold that can be hauled via truck.

The good news for the younger generation of truck drivers and the future generations of drivers is that the most experienced drivers have served their country well and are nearing retirement. I would venture to say that the shortage of drivers do to a retiring labor force will outweigh most economic downturns. This increase in demand for qualified personel should increase the median wages paid for performing those services. Truck driving jobs will be readily available for a very long time. we should all be ok unless someone figures out a way to move freight through the telephone lines or something.

Truck Drivers Beware

News from www.bigrigjobs.com:
As of September 30 2005, truck drivers who get 2 major traffic offenses would lose thier CDL permanently. These violations include getting a DUI for alcohol or drugs. Even more shocking is the stipulation that says that these driving offenses can happen in a personal vehicle.

This means that you could lose your Class A driver privileges to work, while doing something completely off the clock and not at work. So, be careful out there, even on your own time. Because it could cost you your driver's license.

Come Get Your Fresh Truck Driving Jobs

Go to www.bigrigjobs.com to get a better trucking job. The only application that you'll ever need is at https://www.bigrigjobs.com/Truck_Driving_Jobs/Truck_Driver_Application.html. Over the past few months we have helped hundreds of truck drivers find driving jobs with higher pay, better and more consistant home time, and better benefits. We can help everyone from the student truck driver who has just graduated from driving school and even the ones who haven't gone to school. Many of the carriers that we work with have their own schools. More often than helping student drivers, we help company drivers find better jobs. Most of the time the drivers that we help find better jobs are the ones who already have a job driving a truck but things are not working out like they had planned. The best way to find the best driving job that has the best combination of hometime, benefits, and pay is to expose yourself to as many companies as possible. Since we work with literally hundreds of trucking companies, we can do this for you. Just fill out 1 application at the link mentioned above and we will match your skills to the carriers who are hiring drivers with your qualifications. You can even put in your cell phone number. That way all that you have to do is just sit back and wait for the offers to start rolling in. After you have spoken to all of these companies, choose the one who is offering the sweetest deal. It's that simple. That's why we say "1 application, hundreds of offers".

Truck Drivers are Great!

I ran across some interesting stats today. It seems that the trucking industry is actually playing by the rules a little bit better than the rest of the population. The large truck fatal crash rate has dropped by 29% over the past decade. It is now sitting at a record low of 1.9 fatal crashes per 100,000,000 miles traveled. All of this while the total vehicle miles has increased by 42% over that same decade.
When considering fatigue, an amazing 92.2% of fatigue related crashes involved passenger vehicles. While only 3%-6% of fatigue related crashes involved truck drivers. That is an especially amazing statistic when one considers that an over-the-road driver's average run is nearly 500 miles.
After studying data covering 16 years from 1981-1996, it was shown that most fatal accidents are not the result of driver fatigue. One 2002 study showed that 25 percent of large truck fatal crashes occur in the first hour after beginning driving. While 2/3 of fatal crashes occur in the first 4 hours. Only 4% of big rig drivers involved in fatal crashes had driven for more than eight hours at the time of the accident.
Truck drivers are better about drug and alcohol use than the average American worker. The average rate of positive results for non truck driver related drug tests is around 6%. That's four times higher than that of truck drivers who chimed in with a 1.5% positive results when subjected to mandatory random drug tests.
Here is a real hum-dinger. According to 2002 data, 22% of fatal crashes for passenger cars involved intoxicated drivers. The results were slightly higher for light trucks who pulled down 23% intoxicated rate. Some of the least safe vehicles on the road, motorcycles, chimed in with a whopping 31% intoxicated rate for fatal crashes. So, you might ask what was the rate for truck drivers? A measley 2%.
What does all of this mean BigRigJobs? Well, it means for one that if you want to join the elite group of workers who haul 68 percent of total U.S. freight tonnage, you should lay off the sauce. For two it means that if you want to get a truck driving job then you had better quit smokin' dope. For three it means that if you are already a truck driver then you should be proud of the industry in which you work. You guys and gals are the ones who make this country keep ticking. And you are doing it the right way. Since there are over 500,000 trucking companies in the U.S. and 81% of them have 20 or fewer trucks, this means that small businesses should keep on trucking. And keep on running their business the right way.

Much of the data for this came from http://www.truckline.com/NR/exeres/CDD12521-C762-4A59-B8ED-8DF8947B6117.htm

Truck Driving Job Transition Period

It seems that trucking jobs are no different than other jobs. When you go from one job to the other, there is always a transition period that is not painless. Owner operators seem to have the most pain during this time. It usually takes no more than a couple of weeks to get your escrow account built up. But, during this time, your checks will be small if you even get one. Make sure that you owner operators out there have that nest egg set aside in Gore's "lock box" for this transition time. As you know, there will be other expenses like fuel and such to take care of as well. For you company drivers out there, make sure that you have your lock box ready too. As with most job changes I've had in the past, the new employer will pay on a different schedule than the old one. And since I'm an average American, I don't keep a lot in savings. This is a do as I say and not as I do kinda thing. Don't put yourself in the position of having to eat ramen noodles and jelly sandwiches for a couple of weeks just because you didn't think that someone would pay on a different schedule. Always ask those questions during the interview process. If you fail to prepare, you're just preparing to fail. <- That's not mine! One more: If you don't have your "lock box" full then Murphy will move into the passenger seat of your truck and everything that can go wrong--WILL! To get a real truck driver's perspective on this point your browser to http://www.truckingblog.net/just_truckin/2005/05/switching_compa.html .