J.B. Hunt Transport Inducts 2,383 Drivers Into ``$50K Club''

    LOWELL, Ark.--Feb. 21, 2001--J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. announced today that 2,383 van, dedicated contract services and intermodal drivers will be inducted into the "$50K Club" for 2000, an increase of approximately 10 percent from last year. The Club, designed to recognize drivers whose total compensation exceeds $50,000 dollars annually, inducted 2,172 drivers in 1999 and 1,930 drivers in 1998. The top pay for a J.B. Hunt driver reached just over $87,000.
    "We're proud to attract and retain some of the most experienced drivers in the industry," said J.B. Hunt President and CEO, Kirk Thompson. "Their commitments to customer service and safety are second to none, and their incomes reflect that excellence."
    Thanks to a bold driver management program that involved a 33% pay increase in 1997, J.B. Hunt has increased the supply of new applicants and decreased its turnover, according to Bennie Ray, vice president, corporate driver personnel. Each professional driver also has the opportunity to increase their income with the company's unique incentive programs, he added.
    J.B. Hunt has experienced significant cost-savings since the new program was put into place. Accident frequency has fallen 48 percent since the pay package was implemented four years ago, according to Jerry Walton, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Workers' compensation claims have also dropped by nearly 50 percent.
    Since its creation in 1995, the "$50K Club" has recognized nearly 6,300 drivers. The number of drivers reaching this plateau has increased more than 600% during this time.