Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020:
Electric Class 8 Volvo available for order in December
Volvo Trucks North America will begin selling the Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric on Dec. 3, the company announced Thursday.
Volvo will begin producing the model at its New River Valley manufacturing plant in Dublin, Virginia, in early 2021.
“As part of the very successful Volvo LIGHTS project, which we started in 2019 in Southern California in collaboration with fourteen other pioneering organizations, we validated the viability and reliability of the Volvo VNR Electric in real-world operations and proved what it takes to create a holistic, end-to-end electromobility solution to drive true sustainability in the trucking industry,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of VTNA. “We are fully confident in bringing this new technology to the commercial market.”
Heartland Express drivers to receive pay boost
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.
Chemical hauler announces driver pay increase
A&R Logistics is rolling out its largest driver pay increase in the company’s history for its dry bulk, liquid dry bulk and dedicated businesses, effective Jan. 1, 2021.
The company says the increases will depend on region and seniority and will include increases in OTR per-mile rates, guaranteed minimum rates, holiday pay, safety bonuses and other compensation. A&R adds that it plans to raise driver wages by up to 10%.
The company also announced it is looking to hire 130 drivers in the first half of next year.