Werner Increasing Pay for 1,400 Drivers
Werner Enterprises Inc. is increasing pay for about 1,400 drivers by an average of $5,000, effective Jan. 1.
Annual pay will rise 5 cents per mile for solo van drivers in Werner’s One-Way Truckload Van Fleet, according to the Omaha, Nebraska-based company, which ranks No. 16 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers. The last pay raise for these drivers was in August 2014.
“We consistently review compensation packages to see where improvements can and should be made,” President and Chief Operating Officer Derek Leathers said in a statement. “Pay increases are one piece of our multifaceted approach to attract and retain the best in the industry and make Werner the employer of choice."
The company announced in early November a pay increase of 8 cents per mile for its solo van owner-operators who run nationwide routes. That provides an increase of about $10,000 in gross revenue annually.
The previously announced increase affects about one-third of the company’s owner-operator fleet. In total, Werner has more than 700 owner-operators, according to its third-quarter earnings report, accounting for about 10% of its driver corps.
“Professional drivers are vital to our business and our nation’s economy, so it’s important that we compensate them accordingly,” Leathers said previously in a statement.
