Sweetening the deal

Carriers increase incentives for owner-operators

Max Kvidera

As driver pools tighten, carriers are offering sign-on bonuses as high as $10,000 and other incentives to attract owner-operators.

Over the past year, several carriers have increased per-mile and fuel rates, posted bonuses and reduced truck-lease payments to compete for operators or persuade company drivers to convert to ownership.

FFE Transportation has restructured its Drive-to-Own truck lease program by reducing weekly payments and balloon amounts and extending manufacturer warranty programs. In January the carrier launched a driver academy to train applicants looking for a CDL and to educate them on potential career paths. “We want to grow our operators,” says Rob Newell, a vice president at Dallas-based FFE Transportation. “Let’s face it, we’ve lost so many of them in the last three to four years.”

All-owner-operator Roadrunner Transportation Services is offering up to a $10,000 bonus spread over five quarters to experienced operators who sign on to the company’s linehaul division, says Mark Pluff, director of linehaul development. He says the bonus varies depending on lanes where the company wants to add power. He declines to divulge how many operators have signed on, but adds the program has exceeded expectations and will be continued. “We’ve gotten good response from a much higher caliber contractor,” Pluff says.