Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020:
Heartland Express announces driver pay increase
Iowa-based Heartland Express (No. 39 on the CCJ Top 250) is boosting its driver pay structure.
The specifics of the new pay package include:
- Rate increases to drivers as high as 12.2%, depending on the driver’s region and related home time
- An average increase of approximately 6% across the fleet
- New hire rates starting as high as 56 cents per mile (1 year of qualified experience, depending on region and home time) to 60 cents per mile (10 years of qualified experience, depending on region and home time)
- Current company driver rates as high as 65 cpm based on longevity with the company, region and home time
- Continued annual safety bonuses of up to 3 cpm on all miles driven, plus an additional 5 cpm for all miles driven in the Northeast U.S. and Canadian miles.
“As we reflected back on what has transpired over the course of 2020, and what our drivers have been through, this pay increase is a sign of appreciation for everything they have overcome,” said Heartland Express CEO Mike Gerdin. “Their dedication to keep America moving and maintaining Heartland Express as an industry leader has been outstanding. With this latest driver pay package, we also wanted to extend our gratitude to other professional drivers within our industry should they choose to join the Heartland Express team.”
Small fleet to pay $300k to settle EPA violation
A 23-truck carrier based in Washington state has reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice for federal Clean Water Act violations.
The government alleges that Bobby Wolford Trucking & Salvage and Karl Frederick Klock Pacific Bison discharged fill material into wetlands without obtaining the required permits.
Under the terms of the settlement, the trucking company will pay $300,000 in civil penalties and will perform “signification restoration work, including removing approximately 40,000 cubic yards of unauthorized fill from the oxbow of the Skykomish River and nearby wetlands, regarding the site, and paying for native plants for revegetation efforts,” EPA says. Klock is being required to execute an environmental covenant to place restrictions on approximately 188 acres of the property, and when the restoration is completed, Klock will transfer title of the 188 acres to the Tulalip Tribes to maintain conservation.
According to the settlement, over a three-year period beginning in 2008, Wolford Trucking delivered fill material to the Klock property, located approximately three miles east of Monroe, Washington. The government alleges that the trucking company used heavy equipment to dump – and charged others to dump – more than 54,000 cubic yards of fill material, including construction debris. The fill was then dumped into an oxbow of the Skykomish River, nearby wetlands, and a perennial stream flowing through the Klock property, EPA adds.
The agencies further alleged that neither company obtained the required Clean Water Act permits before undertaking the work.
