In The News
Guaranteed pay making waves in driver compensation
In May, 200-plus-truck flatbed fleet Smokey Point Distributing announced a base salary compensation structure for its over-the-road company drivers. The fleet, part of the larger Daseke Inc. group, started the program June 1, paying solo OTR drivers with flatbed hauling experience an annual salary of $65,000 and each qualified and experienced member of a driving team $75,000.
The move was among the most recent in an accelerating turn toward minimum guarantees for drivers. North Charleston, South Carolina-based Bulldog Hiway Express, also part of the Daseke group, last November guaranteed flatbed haulers a minimum $1,000 a week in its Salary Plus program. Monroeville, Alabama-based Hornady Transportation followed suit with a similar plan. Around the same time, Sioux City, Iowa-based K&B Transportation committed to drivers 2,500 paid miles per week, or a $1,125 per week minimum.