Schneider drivers to get major pay raise

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Despite a truckload downturn, North America’s largest TL carrier, Schneider National, has beefed up the paycheques for its entire company driver fleet.

Under the new pay package, effective Sept. 30, drivers will earn up to $4,500 more per year, the company says.

In addition, the carrier has improved its driver dispatch program to get more drivers home on a weekly basis.

Unfortunately, though, the pay boost does not apply to Canadian drivers. “Schneider’s pay increase will not apply to Canadian drivers at this time. Our Canadian drivers already enjoy one of the best pay packages in the Canadian marketplace,” a spokesperson for Schneider confirmed for TodaysTrucking.com

Schneider announces one of the largest
driver pay increases in its history

One of the largest driver pay increases in Schneider history, Mark Rourke, Schneider National truckload president, noted that the company’s investment in its U.S. drivers goes beyond pay to address work-life balance.

Recent changes in Schneider National’s driver dispatch system have sweetened driver time at home. Nearly two-thirds of Schneider drivers now get home daily or weekly.

The new compensation program is for Schneider mileage-based over-the-road, dedicated and bulk drivers.

Inexperienced drivers receive company-provided training and will earn $.30-$.34 per mile (US $36,000-$46,000 per year); experienced drivers with one-year behind the wheel will earn $.39-$.42 per mile; drivers with three-years of experience will earn $.40-$.43 per mile; Veterans with five-years-plus experience will earn $.41-$.455 per mile.

Compensation varies by region where the driver operates.

Gordon Klemp, president of the National Transportation Institute, which tracks driver pay trends through its National Survey of Driver Wages, said the increase is particularly significant given the softening of the freight industry in 2007.

“This increase puts Schneider among the top tier for both pay and benefits, something all drivers are looking for when deciding where they’d like to work,” said Klemp. “Schneider is one of the first truckload carriers in 2007 to announce a pay increase, and drivers will certainly take note.”