The tightest U.S. labour market this century is putting pressure on margins for freight haulers and warehouse operators as they bid for hundreds of thousands of workers to move packages during the peak holiday period.

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Transportation and delivery companies from United Parcel Service Inc and FedEx to XPO Logistics , Werner Enterprises are raising pay beyond national averages, offering attendance bonuses, and adding attractive new trucks to their fleets.

Competition for seasonal workers has intensified this year as Amazon.com Inc http://tmsnrt.rs/2zC6YFf.

UPS is using messaging app Snapchat to find workers in competitive markets like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, UPS global recruitment strategies director Paul Tanguay said.

UPS is also seeking 2,700 rural drivers to deliver packages using their own cars, expanding a 2016 pilot program, Tanguay said.

He declined to provide specifics on how close UPS was to reaching its goal of 95,000 seasonal workers. The labour market "definitely makes things more challenging to find people," he said.

Higher pay lured Seattle college student Forrest Lampe-Martin to UPS as a seasonal worker last year. The now full-time employee delivers packages for $18.69-an-hour plus overtime, well above the city`s minimum wage.

"I bring people things that they are eagerly awaiting," said Lampe-Martin, 23, said during a ride-along last week. "I feel like Santa with a brown suit."

(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)