Crete Carrier announced a $.03 per mile pay increase for all Crete Carrier and Shaffer Trucking national 21-day over-the-road drivers. Drivers out for 12 days at a time will receive $.02 more per mile. The majority of regional and dedicated drivers will get a $.01 per mile raise. The pay increases will take effect May 30, 2026.
Starting pay for new Crete and Shaffer national OTR drivers will be $0.64-$0.69 per mile. Pay caps for experienced drivers on the affected fleets will also increase. Top pay for over-the-road drivers grows to $0.76 per mile.
Driver miles have also been on the rise for Crete Carrier and Shaffer Trucking. Miles have been up year-over-year for several consecutive months. Crete Carrier President and COO Tim Aschoff says that trend is expected to continue, especially in the over-the-road sector. “While many of our competitors now focus primarily on regional and dedicated freight, our customers continue to have strong demand for freight moving between regions of the country,” Aschoff said.
Customer satisfaction is also driving growth at Crete Carrier and Shaffer Trucking. “The whole reason we’re able to raise driver pay is because of the great, safe service provided to our customers by our Crete and Shaffer drivers,” said Shaffer Trucking President Erick Kutter. “We’re able to add lanes and improve revenue because of the value we bring to our customers.”
“We have great customers with great freight, and our customers want us to do more,” said Aschoff. “We want to say thank you to our drivers for the quality service they provide that makes this pay increase possible.” Aschoff says Crete Carrier and Shaffer Trucking plan to hire more drivers, especially national over-the-road drivers, to meet the needs of their customers.
“The whole reason we’re able to raise driver pay is because of the great, safe service provided to our customers by our Crete and Shaffer drivers.”
Erick Kutter, Shaffer Trucking President
