HEARTLAND EXPRESS DOES IT AGAIN, RAISING PAY TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!
CORALVILLE, IA. –December 6th, 2005– Heartland
Express, Inc. of Iowa (www.heartlandexpress,com) the perennial
leader for driver pay in the truckload industry announced today
that they are doing it again! Heartland has announced that they are
raising pay an additional 4 cents. This raise will take their
over-the-road company drivers to an unprecedented $.50 per mile in
all the areas they run and owner operators to $.95 per mile BEFORE
any additional pay for fuel stabilization! Heartland’s GREEN
MILE$ program (an additional bonus for drivers who run in the NE
area of the country known as the GREEN ZONE) will continue to pay a
4 cents premium per mile for a top pay of $.54 per mile!
Russell Gerdin, President and CEO of Heartland stated, “it is my goal, above all else, to raise the driver pay rate to a level equal to the effort the job requires. Drivers simply need to earn more. If I do nothing else for the industry, I will do whatever it takes to move driver pay higher. I think offering fifty cents per mile is a step in this direction.”
Included in this pay raise Heartland stated that they will be offering compensation for those drivers who hold a hazardous materials endorsement (HAZMAT) on their commercial driver’s licenses. Virtually all of the current drivers in the Heartland fleet hold this endorsement and for this will receive a penny per mile increase in pay. Drivers who join Heartland Express without holding the HAZMAT endorsement will receive this penny per mile increase, once they acquire the endorsement if they choose to do so.
John Cosaert, Executive Vice President and CFO commented, “with the new laws governing HAZMAT endorsements, Heartland is taking a leadership position in compensating those drivers who hold it. While HAZMAT loads are a very very small portion of the freight we haul, we do believe the drivers who can manage these loads deserve to be recognized with additional pay.”
According to a recent industry survey the average driver pay for
three years experience (according to those companies who completed
the survey) is just under $.35 per mile. With this pay raise,
drivers with the same experience at Heartland will earn 35% more
per mile than that average.
Heartland Express is an irregular route truckload carrier based in
Coralville, Iowa serving customers with primary shipping lane east
of the Rocky Mountains and the southwest United States. They offer
long-haul, regional, and dedicated opportunities. Any professional
driver interested in getting more information about Heartland
Express can call them at 1-800-441-4953 or access the company
website at www.heartlandexpress.com.
