Schneider National Inc., the nation's largest truckload carrier, this week announced a major pay increase for its company driver fleet. Under the new pay package, effective Sept. 30, drivers will earn up to $4,500 more per year.

In addition, the company has improved its driver dispatch program to get more drivers home on a weekly basis.
"These pay improvements represent our commitment to providing one of the best total compensation packages in the industry," said Mark Rourke, Schneider National president, truckload.
One of the largest driver pay increases in Schneider history, Rourke noted that the company's investment in its drivers goes beyond pay to address work-life balance. Recent changes in Schneider National's driver dispatch system have sweetened driver time at home. Nearly two-thirds of Schneider drivers now get home daily or weekly.
The company's new compensation program is for Schneider mileage-based over-the-road, dedicated and bulk drivers. Specific details on the pay increase are as follows:
• Inexperienced drivers receive company-provided training and will earn $.30-$.34 per mile ($36,000-$46,000 per year)
• Experienced drivers with one-year behind the wheel will earn $.39-$.42 per mile
• Experienced drivers with three-years of experience will earn $.40-$.43 per mile
• Experienced drivers with five-years-plus experience will earn $.41-$.455 per mile
Compensation varies by region of the country where the driver operates.
Gordon Klemp, president of the National Transportation Institute, which tracks driver pay trends through its National Survey of Driver Wages, said this pay increase announcement is particularly significant given the softening of the freight industry in 2007. "This increase puts Schneider among the top tier for both pay and benefits, something all drivers are looking for when deciding where they'd like to work," said Klemp. "Schneider is one of the first truckload carriers in 2007 to announce a pay increase, and drivers will certainly take note."
For more information, visit www.schneiderjobs.com or call (800) 447-7433.