The trucking companies Crete Carrier and Shaffer Trucking announced a pay increase will soon take effect for their company national over the road drivers.

Effective Jan. 1, Crete drivers will receive a 2 cents per practical mile increase, resulting in what the company said will be an 11% increase in the overall pay package. When combined with a more than 2% increase in miles, drivers will be earning more than 13% over the previous year, according to the company.

Shaffer Trucking is increasing pay by 4 cents per practical mile. Over the previous year, Shaffer said it has increased its overall pay package by more than 17% and increased paid miles by more than 4%. Truck drivers for Shaffer Trucking will be earning more than 21% over the previous year, according to the company.

“In addition to increasing driver pay rates, we are experiencing much stronger demand for our services which has also resulted in nearly a 5% increase in miles for our drivers,” said Jack Peetz, president of Shaffer Trucking.

Crete Carrier and Shaffer Trucking have replaced half of the trucks in their fleet in the past 15 months, making the average age of equipment less than two years old, plus they say their adding more than 1,500 new Freightliner Cascadia models this year.