C.R. England Announces Historic Driver Pay Increase
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C.R. England is implementing the largest overall percentage increase for driver pay in its history.
The increase will benefit linehaul drivers in the over-the-road division and drivers in training. It will mark the third time Salt Lake City-based C.R. England has implemented a historic pay increase for drivers since 2018. Driver paychecks have increased 50% on average in that time.
“I am thrilled to announce our biggest OTR pay increase in company history,” CEO Chad England said in a statement April 22. “This increase benefits every OTR driver that is paid mileage pay, which makes up the vast majority of our OTR fleet. It applies to drivers at every seniority level and to our current length-of-trip pay bands.”
England
C.R. England projects new drivers could expect to make over 35% more in compensation compared with what their counterparts made last year. The company also said in the announcement that the increase aligns wages to be consistent with pay rates in its dedicated and intermodal divisions.
“Our fleet is largely dedicated and so, from a pay perspective, our dedicated accounts are extremely competitive in the market,” Wayne Cederholm, vice president of driver recruiting and schools at C.R. England, told Transport Topics. “And so when we looked at dedicated and looked at OTR, we wanted to make sure that we were complementary across the board in our pay.”
Cederholm said several factors led to the decision to increase pay but ensuring it was fair across the board was a big part of it. He said that on average a mentor in the first year can now earn more than $1,600 per week.
“It starts from our new entrants into our experience level. We’ve given a pretty healthy pay raise. In fact, it’s a 7-cents-per-mile increase across the board for solos and mentors in OTR.”
C.R. England has also focused on its mileage bands for mentors and solo drivers. The company reduced its top-level mileage pay bands so those drivers at the higher levels can earn a better rate. Drivers in an extremely low mileage band can make close to $1.25 per mile at 100 miles or less.
“The whole goal is two things,” Cederholm said. “One is to make it incredibly competitive no matter your mileage band, and also to step you up aggressively as you progress in your career at C.R. England. Our mentors are some of the highest paid drivers in the entire industry. And when you think about a 7-cent increase for an already top-of-the-line group, that’s a significant change.”
Cederholm added the company isn’t just focused on pay. Instead, it is working to add jobs and careers that are much more accommodating to drivers to get them home more often and have a lot more flexibility in their lives. He added that is a massive initiative along with pay.
“Raising driver pay is another indicator C.R. England is committed to providing our employees with a long-term career path they can count on financially,” England said. “We truly value the people that make our company great and will continue to find more opportunities to give back to the driving professionals who make C.R. England what it is today.”
C.R. England ranks No. 26 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America.
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