Service Transport Company just announced the largest compensation increase in the company’s history for its company drivers and owner-operators. These changes took effect June 30.
This means the busiest company drivers for the Houston TX-based tank truck carrier will be making upwards of $80,000 a year. The compensation increase comes in a line-haul pay raise and a boost in safety bonuses. The carrier also boosted paid vacation time to up to five weeks for the longest-tenured drivers.
“This is something we felt we needed to do to improve driver retention and boost recruiting,” says Kevin Roycraft, Service Transport president. “We need more drivers to keep up with customer demand in a very strong chemical market. We could add a hundred drivers right now, and we have the loads to keep them busy. We could add as many owner-operators as come through the door.
“We are looking at every practical way to attract more drivers. The biggest question right now is ‘how do you get millenials to drive trucks?’”
Service Transport currently employs 210 company drivers and 40 owner-operators.
To help with the recruiting effort, Service Transport launched a tuition reimbursement program in May for truck driving school graduates and has reached out to schools across the Gulf Coast region.
Mike Leggio, Service Transport vice-president, adds that the carrier has operations that should appeal to the younger truck drivers. “We have a lot of out-and-back work,” he says. “Our drivers get home every week. We don’t have system drivers who are out weeks at a time.”
In addition, the carrier is making significant upgrades in its tractor fleet. The newest 2019-model-year tractors even come with a new paint scheme. Gone is the light blue base color. The new tractors are white with red and dark blue stripes.
In its latest batch, the fleet acquired International LT-series and Freightliner Cascadias. The LTs have the Cummins X15 engine rated at 430-horsepower and Eaton Endurant automated transmission. The Cascadias come with a 450-hp Detroit DD13 and Eaton Endurant transmission.
All of the new tractors were specified with a Bendix Wingman Fusion package, including adaptive cruise control, active brake assist, collision avoidance, and forward-facing on-board video cameras.