Driver Pay Continues to Rise as Trucking Emerges From a Tough Four Years

Majority of surveyed carriers planned additional pay increases in 2026

Washington-Professional truck driver pay continued to climb in 2025, even as motor carriers navigated the final stages of a prolonged period of soft freight, falling rates, and rising costs, according to new data from the American Trucking Associations.

ATA's 2026 Driver Compensation Study found sustained pay growth across major segments of the trucking industry. A majority of surveyed carriers also reported plans to raise driver pay in 2026, signaling continued competition for qualified professional drivers as the freight market begins to recover.

The study draws on data from more than 130 fleets representing over 140,000 employee drivers and 9,000 independent contractors.

Key findings include:

• Irregular-route truckload driver pay rose 8.3%. For-hire truckload carriers paid dry van irregular-route employee drivers median annual compensation of $73,639 in 2025, up 8.3% from the 2023 median for the same category.*
• Dedicated-route driver pay increased 4.2%. Median compensation for dry van dedicated-route employee drivers at for-hire truckload carriers rose 4.2% from 2023.* Dedicated-route drivers continued to earn more on average than irregular-route drivers.
• LTL drivers maintained strong earnings. Linehaul less-than-truckload drivers earned median annual compensation of $85,000, while local LTL drivers earned $72,942.
• Private-fleet compensation exceeded $75,000. Dry van dedicated-route employee drivers at private carriers earned median annual compensation of more than $75,000, with tank truck and refrigerated drivers earning even more.
• Independent contractor gross compensation remained above $170,000. Leased-on independent contractors at truckload carriers received median gross annual compensation of more than $170,000. Their counterparts at private fleets received more than $200,000.
• Most truckload fleets compensated drivers for detention time. Seventy-four percent of surveyed for-hire truckload carriers paid drivers for excessive waiting. Meanwhile, a less competitive driver market contributed to a $500 decline in the median signing bonus, bringing it to $2,000.
• Northeastern drivers led regional compensation. Dry van drivers in the Northeast earned median annual compensation of just over $78,000, excluding benefits, the highest among the seven regions examined.

"Driver pay continued to move higher even as carriers faced one of the longest and most difficult freight downturns in recent memory," said Bob Costello, ATA Chief Economist. "That speaks to the value fleets place on retaining safe, qualified professional drivers. As market conditions improve and enforcement removes noncompliant capacity from the market, compensation data will become even more important for fleets competing for talent."

The study provides more than 40 pages of compensation and benefits data covering employee drivers at for-hire truckload, LTL, private, and regional fleets. It includes information on independent contractors, bonuses, benefits, and specialized operations such as flatbed, refrigerated, tank truck, local, over-the-road, irregular-route, and dedicated-route service. Regional compensation data is also available for dry van drivers at for-hire truckload carriers.

The full 2026 ATA Driver Compensation Study is available for purchase at ATABusinessSolutions.com.

*The sample of carriers surveyed varied between studies.