CHATTANOOGA, TN— U.S. Xpress is raising its base mileage pay for over-the-road, solo, non-dedicated truck drivers by an average of 13 percent, effective Aug. 25, 2014.

“With more goods and services being shipped by trucks, we need to expand the workforce so our industry has better trained, more qualified drivers that can take better care of our customers,” said Max Fuller, CEO for U.S. Xpress. “This is why U.S. Xpress wants to lead the way on this issue as well as show our commitment to recruiting and retaining experienced, customer focused and safety-conscious drivers.”

The company will also eliminate the sliding pay scale for all OTR solo drivers based on feedback from its current driver population. For many, the sliding pay scale made it difficult for drivers to calculate their base pay from week to week, so U.S. Xpress will use a simpler pay structure where all OTR solo drivers will earn the same base mileage pay regardless of the length of haul that they are running for the company. 

Meanwhile, Con-way Truckload is also raising per-mile pay, effective Sept. 7, for both company drivers and independent contractors.

When combined with company’s existing compensation and incentive programs, the increases bring per-mile pay for new-hire experienced drivers to a total of 42.5 cents per mile, according to the company.

“After listening to their feedback and evaluating current market trends, this is the right time to increase our mileage rate and add new compensation programs which reward driver loyalty, productivity and safe driving performance,” said Joseph Dagnese, president of Con-way Truckload.

Con-way drivers can also gain additional earning through an annual bonus of between 1.5 cents and three cents per mile, on miles driven over the previous 12 months from their anniversary date. And the company is also increasing layover pay from $60 to $75 per day.