Crete Carrier: Creating Opportunities for Drivers
Crete's Leading Pay Plus program includes extras that boost drivers’ take-home pay now—and provide more for retirement later.
JimFebruary 19, 20262 Mins read85
CRETE CARRIER – STRONGER TOGETHER
It’s part of the American fabric. Good people getting a job done. Customers facing deadlines. Drivers delivering safely and on time. And the team behind the scenes is connecting the dots. Crete Carrier does it every day. Together.
Crete Carrier Corporation was founded in 1966 in Crete, Nebraska, beginning with just six leased trailers and a single customer hauling pet food, and quickly established a reputation for reliability and service. In 1971, Duane and Phyllis Acklie purchased the company and guided its long-term growth, moving the headquarters to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1973, where it remains today. Over the following decades, Crete expanded strategically through key acquisitions, including Shaffer Trucking in 1974 and Sunflower Carriers in 1979 to strengthen its refrigerated division, Hilt Truck Lines in 1987 to grow its dry-van operations, and Hunt Transportation in 1999 to enter the flatbed market, allowing the company to diversify while maintaining strong family leadership and Midwestern values. After celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, Crete entered a new era focused on modernization, investing heavily in late-model equipment, safety technologies, fuel efficiency, and driver-focused pay and benefits programs, while expanding terminal networks and digital operations. Between 2016 and 2026, the company strengthened its reputation as a premier driver employer, navigated industry challenges such as regulatory changes, economic cycles, and the COVID-19 pandemic, and continued to grow responsibly without sacrificing service quality. By 2026, Crete had firmly established itself as one of the nation’s leading privately held trucking companies, combining decades of tradition with forward-looking innovation across its dry van, refrigerated, and flatbed divisions.
Leading Pay Plus program
At Crete Carrier, we know being an industry leader in driver pay is just the start. Our Leading Pay Plus program includes extras that boost drivers’ take-home pay now—and provide more for retirement later.
It’s about creating opportunities for drivers who want choices in driving jobs. And it’s a way of supporting drivers to help them succeed. See what Leading Pay Plus could mean for you.
Leading Pay Plus includes the industry-leading pay that Crete Carrier Corporation is known for, plus the extras that add more to a driver’s bottom line, improve a driver’s quality of life, and help a driver succeed in their profession. Take a few minutes to see how our Leading Pay Plus program stacks up against your current situation. We believe you’ll choose Crete Carrier.
Home Time
In recent years, more frequent home time has become more important to more drivers. We responded. Our great relationships with long-term customers have helped us work together to create more local, dedicated, and regional fleets with a variety of options. And if you like to stay out several weeks, we’ll keep you busy until you’re ready to get off the road —and we’ll get you where you need to go no questions asked.
Dedicated Support Team
You’re never on an island at Crete Carrier, Shaffer Trucking, and Hunt Transportation. Each driver is assigned an asset manager to help keep the wheels turning. Fleet managers and staff are there to answer questions and assist drivers when challenges arise. The Road Call Center is always on call to provide assistance during breakdowns.
