What's driving driver pay increases in 2026
After several years of flat compensation, NTI is tracking targeted pay activity across hard-to-recruit lanes — a signal that fleets are competing on more than just freight rates.
The National Transportation Institute's latest National Survey of Driver Wages shows targeted pay activity returning across hard-to-recruit lanes — particularly Northeast, intermodal, and tanker positions where qualified candidates are scarce.
NTI's data suggests the increases are not blanket adjustments but precise responses to lane-level recruiting pressure. Fleets are using detailed pay analytics to identify exactly where the next dollar of compensation produces the most retention.
The report also notes that benefits, home time, and equipment age are increasingly weighted alongside pay when drivers evaluate offers — meaning carriers with newer trucks and predictable routing have a structural advantage even before raising mileage rates.
Source
National Transportation Institute
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