Independent contractors see pay bump at Bay & Bay

Contractors will see per-mile rates as high as $1.70

Industry continues to advance driver pay (Photo: Bay & Bay Transportation)

Bay & Bay Transportation announced Friday it is raising pay for independent contractors by 20 cents per mile.

The Eagan, Minnesota-based carrier said effective immediately, base pay for contractors will be in a range of $1.25 to $1.70 for loaded miles and will be $1.10 for empty miles. Contractors will continue to receive fuel surcharge rates as well as fuel discounts with the company’s preferred providers.

“Bay and Bay is committed to providing its drivers with exceptional career opportunities,” said CEO Sam Anderson. “We have top pay, modern equipment, and great customer freight. We currently have a variety of OTR, regional and dedicated routes available.” 

Independent contractors also have access to Bay & Bay Transportation’s no-money-down, sign-and-drive program.

“We are currently leasing 2020, 2021 and 2022 Freightliner Cascadia’s and Kenworth T680s. Our 2022 tractors have been coming in and we look forward to expanding what we have to offer contractors joining our Bay & Bay program,” said Todd Outcelt, the carrier’s safety director and lease purchase manager.

Like many carriers, Bay & Bay implemented a wage increase at the end of 2020. The 80-year-old company increased company driver pay by 4 cents per mile and announced that new drivers with experience could earn up to 58 cents per mile.

The biggest obstacle to growth for carriers is seating tractors with qualified drivers. In 2020, COVID protocols led to a 40% reduction in the number of new graduates, and the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse recorded 56,000 violations.

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden.

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Todd Maiden

Based in Richmond, VA, Todd is the finance editor at FreightWaves. Prior to joining FreightWaves, he covered the TLs, LTLs, railroads and brokers for RBC Capital Markets and BB&T Capital Markets. Todd began his career in banking and finance before moving over to transportation equity research where he provided stock recommendations for publicly traded transportation companies.