Melton Truck Lines announces driver pay increase

Company says it’s the largest such raise in Melton history

Melton Truck Lines will will start student drivers at 47 cents per mile and will give the most experienced drivers 63 cents per mile. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Melton Truck Lines is implementing the largest overall increase for driver pay in its history, according to Chairman and CEO Bob Peterson.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based fleet will start student drivers at 47 cents per mile and will give the most experienced drivers 63 cents per mile. 

In February, Melton also announced it was increasing tarp pay for its drivers, from $50 to $100. 

“Given the current freight environment and gradual recovery from the pandemic, we are excited for what the rest of this year has in store,” Peterson said in a statement. “With industry-wide driver hiring challenges, we find our new pay package far exceeds other carriers when accounting for our $100 tarp pay, bonus pay, and additional opportunities.”

Melton drivers will also have the chance to earn a $5,400 fuel bonus, an additional 16 cents per mile for over-dimensional loads, and an additional 6 cents per mile for Canada and hazmat loads, and will have several other opportunities, according to a release. 

Melton Truck Lines, founded in 1954, is an air-ride flatbed provider offering services in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company has 1,400 trucks and more than 2,000 trailers.

Melton Truck Lines has offices and terminals in Tulsa; Laredo and El Paso, Texas; Birmingham, Alabama; and Masury, Ohio; along with a business and sales office in Monterrey, Mexico.

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Noi Mahoney

Noi Mahoney is a Texas-based journalist who covers cross-border trade, logistics and supply chains for FreightWaves. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English in 1998. Mahoney has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working for newspapers in Maryland and Texas. Contact nmahoney@freightwaves.com