Drivers at Southern Refrigerated Transport will see pay increases and more paid vacation time annually in the near future, thanks to newly announced compensation package increases at the temperature-controlled freight carrier.
Mileage-based drivers will earn an additional 1 cent per mile on every load when a wage increase kicks in on October 1, 2017. That increase is equivalent to an approximately $1,000-a-year raise on average, and will affect company drivers and owner-operators.
Also going into effect October 1, student drivers at SRT will see an increase in weekly wages during training, while drivers with at least one year at SRT will now receive holiday pay on both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“It’s just a nice ‘thank you,’” said Terri Lafayette, director of recruiting at SRT. “These folks work with devotion day-in-and-day-out. We know how reliant we are on them.”
Lafayette said the pay raise is meant to show both current and future SRT drivers that the company is “a great place to be.”
Additionally, all drivers with three years at SRT will be eligible to receive two weeks of paid vacation, effective January 1, 2018. Drivers previously earned a maximum one week of paid vacation, on top of normal home time, and normal pay during holidays.
Billy Cartright, chief operating officer and executive vice-president at SRT, said these changes to driver compensation represent the company’s commitment to its people and goals.
“We want to be competitive in the marketplace with our driver pay, and we want to take care of our professional drivers,” he said. “They keep America moving forward and are critical to the success of SRT.” He said the increases will also help SRT fulfill its guarantee to customers.
“We deliver a service to our customers by picking up and delivering their freight on time, as promised,” he said. “As we take care of our professional drivers, they will take care of our customers—a win-win for all.”
To learn more, go to www.southernref.com.
