Celadon Announces Enhanced Team Driver Pay Plan
Celadon Group Inc. has announced an enhanced pay package for all company team drivers.
The increase, which applies to dry van, temperature controlled and dedicated runs, is one of the first pay enhancements announced this year. The pace of driver pay increases has slackened since late 2015 as a cycle of pay increases that began in mid-2014 came to an end, according to the National Transportation Institute, which tracks more than 300 truckload fleets’ compensation trends.
“We understand the importance of retaining drivers in our fleet,” said Ashley Hay, Vice President of Celadon Recruiting. “By giving our team drivers a very competitive base pay, coupled with our WageLock program and utilization bonuses, we feel that we can help meet their financial needs and make Celadon a place where they can have a long and successful career.”
Celadon spokesman Joe Weigel told TT the base pay increased 8 cents per mile, and that the utilization increase was raised from a previous maximum of 6 cents for all miles. There is an additional 2 cents per mile payout when both drivers are doubles and pup certified as well as HazMat certified.
“We presently have around 150 teams, but we certainly expect this number to increase with this new pay package,” Weigel said.
The base pay for experienced teams now is 50 cents split per loaded mile, with additional bonus payments for teams that run more than a total of 17,000 miles.
Teams who run 17,000 to 19,000 loaded miles during a calendar month have a 6 cents per mile bonus. The bonus increases to 7 cents per mile for teams whose loaded trips total 19,000 to 21,000 miles. Above that amount, the bonus increases to 8 cents per loaded mile.
The Indianapolis-based company that ranks No. 42 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers, said that annual safety and productivity bonuses also are available for team drivers.
Celadon late last year introduced WageLock, a program that created a guaranteed weekly pay level for drivers when freight volumes are slower. Wage Lock payments vary based on experience, type of job and other factors.
“Our team company drivers receive the same benefits as solo company drivers while driving more miles and earning more money,” Hay said. “When you consider Celadon’s vast network of freight lanes and our new pay package, we feel we have the best overall driving opportunity for teams.”
