Old Dominion plans to add 800 drivers by summer

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Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, March 9, 2021: 

Old Dominion plans to hire 800 drivers in next three months
Old Dominion Freight Line (CCJ Top 250, No. 10) last week said it expects to hire 800 truck drivers over the next three months to accommodate business growth. The new job openings are in response to a strong economic recovery with robust freight demand, tighter capacity, and "Old Dominion’s continual investment in its workforce," according to a statement from the company.

The Thomasville, North Carolina-based LTL carrier has more than 1,200 jobs open, including drivers, dock workers and clerical positions. 

Old Dominion’s hiring plans include adding 275 line haul drivers, 260 pickup and delivery drivers, 100 team drivers and more than 430 dock workers. With current trends, Old Dominion anticipates that it will hire a total of 800 drivers in the next three months with a combination of new employees and by training current employees in the company’s truck driver training program.

All new truck driver hires will be full-time employees with average annual pay ranging from $73,000 for pick-up and delivery drivers and $99,000 for line haul drivers, according to the company's statement. Additional benefits such as health insurance including an option at no cost to the employee, company-sponsored 401(k) and paid time off. In some locations, Old Dominion is offering a $5,000 sign-on bonus for qualified candidates.

“Our OD People are the heart of our operations and we’re looking to add to our workforce in response to a growing demand for our premium service,” said Marty Freeman, executive vice president, and chief operations officer at Old Dominion Freight Line. “There’s never been a better time to consider a career in transportation. These career opportunities offer a great work-life balance, a competitive compensation package, on-the-job training, and career advancement opportunity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply.”

Large fleet raises driver pay for Northeastern drivers
A major Midwest open-deck company is raising pay for drivers in 10 northeastern states where freight demand is high.

Des Moines, Iowa-based TMC Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 52) has increased pay for drivers living in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. TMC said all new and existing TMC drivers who live in those states are now eligible to receive a minimum of 30% of each load.     

Drivers in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan received the incentive in December 2020.

The company said that by offering a pay incentive to attract drivers in what it calls "critical-need" states, it will be able to maintain the capacity to continue serving its customers’ shipping needs. With the new incentive, drivers who live in those states will start at 30% and not drop below that threshold, according to the company. 

TMC said its Performance-Based Percentage Pay Program was created by drivers who wanted their paychecks to reflect the quality and quantity of work performed. It said 98% of its drivers opt into the Performance-Based Percentage Pay Program, which it said typically starts at 26% of each load for inexperienced drivers beginning their driving career and 27% for experienced drivers when they join the fleet.