Werner hikes annual pay by $5,000 for solo company dry-van drivers

Truckload and logistics provider Werner Enterprises Inc. said today it will hike the annual pay for its 1,400 solo company dry-van drivers by $5,000 per driver, effective Jan. 1.

The increase applies to all company drivers with 48-state operating authority, Omaha-based Werner said.

"We consistently review compensation packages to see where improvements can and should be made," said Derek Leathers, Werner's president and chief operating officer, 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."

On Nov. 9, Werner announced the largest per-mile compensation increase for owner-operators in the company's 59-year history. The increase equated to a $10,000 annual pay raise for all solo van owner-operators with 48-state operating authority. Those drivers account for about one-third of its owner-operators. At the end of the third quarter, Werner had 705 owner-operator tractors in its truckload fleet of 7,415 tractors.

Werner's moves come as the trucking industry in general, and truckload carriers in particular, struggle with what the company said earlier this month was the worst driver shortage in "recent history." A number of carriers have instituted significant pay increases to retain drivers and reduce the high incidence of driver turnover.