Indian River Transport Pay Scale

Indian River Transport (IRT) is one of the premier, food-grade tanker trucking companies in the United States.

The company boasts a fleet of 700 tractors and 1,000 trailers. Indian River offers CDL-A tanker drivers the opportunity to haul freight across the country while providing benefits and job openings to drivers of all genders.

The company is a member of Women in Trucking, and there are ample opportunities for female drivers.

Indian River Transport Benefits & Qualification Requirements

IRT is a family-owned and operated entity that prides itself on the small company feel. The company states that they treat their employees right (more on that soon) and offer miles to all qualified drivers. When applying for the company, you will need to meet the following requirements to be considered for the job:

• CDL-A licensed
• 22 years of age
• 2 years OTR tractor trailer experience
• Willingness to attain a tank endorsement
• Speak, read and write in English
• No DUI or DWI in the past 5 years
• No more than 3 moving violations in the previous 3 years

If you meet the qualifications, you have a good shot at working for IRT. The company boasts the following employee benefits:

• 401(K) plan with employer match
• Paid vacation
• Weekly payroll deposit
• Tractors are 3 years old or newer
• Life insurance
• Medical and dental insurance
• 24-hour dispatch assistance
• Free spouse rider program
• 95% no-touch freight

Drivers will be able to focus on what they do best when working with IRT: driving. The company boasts a 95% no-touch freight rate, which allows for faster pickup and deliveries. New drivers will need to go through a hassle-free, online orientation that helps get them in the driver’s seat faster.

The company offers transportation services in:

• US
• Canada
• Mexico

Drivers will be responsible for hauling food-grade materials.

Indian River Transport Reviews

Drivers working with Indian River Transport have a lot to say about the small company. When working for the company, drivers will receive nice trucks that have the latest equipment and are in good operating condition.
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When driving for the company, many drivers state that miles are never an issue. You’ll have plenty of miles to drive and the opportunity to earn money, but there are some drawbacks when working for IRT.

Drawbacks of IRT

• Dispatcher staff is often lacking, with dispatchers being overwhelmed.
• There is very little communication, causing drivers to call dispatch often.
• Hometime is not valued.
• Drivers spend hundreds of hours waiting.

Drivers will pick up and deliver to dairies, and the major complaint is the amount of time drivers spend waiting during sampling.

When the tanker arrives, the company will take a sample from the tank, causing you to park for 8 – 14 hours before starting to unload. Unloading can take another 4 hours followed by washing out the tank for another 2 hours.

Unload times can be 4 – 8 hours on average, leaving the driver waiting around.

Loads are often overweight, but the company will pay the fines. However, drivers are not paid for the time they wait at the dairies, so drivers wait around for hundreds of hours per month without getting paid.

No detention time is a big drawback for drivers.

A lot of the company’s schedule is seasonal, meaning drivers have highly irregular paychecks during slow or busy months.

Pay is a concern when drivers are kept sitting at drop off locations for over 24 hours in some cases without detention pay.    Down time is obviously one of the major concerns for drives and while our research shows this goes for every company out there, for IRT it seems to be a bigger problem due to the type of cargo they specialize in.  We would love to see them change their detention pay policy as that would alleviate the only real drawback that impacts drivers.

Indian River Transport Driver Salary

The pay that a driver receives will be drastically different depending on location.

The West coast has drivers with very slow routes, so their salaries reflect this.

Indeed.com has the average salary when working for IRT at $49,920.

The company states:

• A percentage of the load is paid for short loads
• Mileage is paid for all miles on longer loads

Indian River Transport doesn’t disclose their pay on their website. Orientation pay is $100 for the one day spent at the terminal.

When reading through driver reviews, you’ll find that the pay rate differs drastically:

• A 2015 review states a driver was paid $0.35 per mile (1,700 – 1,800 miles per week).
• A driver in 2015 states he started at $0.36 per mile, with $0.09 per diem.
• A driver in 2014 started at $0.26 per mile, with $0.03 per diem.

Drivers can only go home if it’s in the vicinity of their route. Drivers often get one day home for every week they’re on the road. Vacation time and time off is often forgotten, so drivers need to hound their manager to make sure they get time off.

Health insurance premiums are very high, with some drivers stating they pay $175 per week for medical insurance.

IRT is a good starting company for young drivers who don’t need home time often. Seasoned drivers can find other companies offering better pay and better home time for their experience.