CCJ Daily Dispatch, May 26: Driver pay increased in 2019, ATA says

Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, May 26, 2020: 

Average driver pay increased by $6,000 in 2019, ATA says
Average company driver pay rose nearly $6,000 from 2017 to 2019, according to the American Trucking Associations’ latest Driver Compensation Study.

According to the study, which was based on data from 2019, average pay for truckload national, irregular route solo van drivers was approximately $58,000 last year.

“These results show that fleets did exactly what we would expect them to in the face of a tightening market for drivers: they raised pay and increased benefits in order to attract talent,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “We saw large carriers hire more entry-level drivers in 2019, including drivers directly from driver training school, which lowered the average pay for these carriers, but they did not reduce pay rates. It was just a different driver experience pool.”

Fleets responding to the survey also reported offering significant benefit packages in order to attract drivers including paid leave, insurance, meals and other incidentals and retirement plans, according to ATA. For example, more than 90% of truckload carriers, less-than-truckload carriers and private fleets surveyed offered drivers paid leave and health insurance, the survey found.

Vernon Erb

Erb International founder passes
Vernon David Erb, the founder of New Hamburg, Ontario-based Erb International, died at home May 20 after a short bout with Leukemia, the company announced. He was 84 years old.

He began driving trucks at the age of 18, and secured his own authority in 1971 and grew the refrigerated carrier to have some 1,500 employees today.

Over the years, Erb served on the boards of the Ontario Trucking Association, Transport for Christ and the Greater European Missions. He received many awards including: OTA-Trailmobile Service to Industry award, Governor General 125 Commemorative medal, Colonel Robert Hardie Lifetime achievement award from the OTA, Waterloo County Hall of Fame, Waterloo Region Junior Achievement Entrepreneur of the year award, Kitchener Westmount Rotary club Paul Harris Fellow award, Wilmot Township Citizen of the year award and most recently the Canada 150 award for Kitchener-Conestoga.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date and will be announced when the available time is scheduled.