NTI: fleets change truck driver pay at the fastest pace in four years as solo starting rates reach 70 cents per mile

Leah Shaver, NTI's president and CEO, reported the third-quarter numbers in a FleetOwner column on Nov. 10. By NTI's count, the pay changes trucking companies made in the quarter outnumbered what many private fleets do in a full year. NTI sells pay benchmarking data to carriers and private fleets.

Over-the-road jobs account for most of the changes, Shaver wrote, as fleets try to hire experienced drivers who are not looking to leave. Besides mileage rates, fleets are raising stop pay, drop pay and detention pay. Team drivers, specialized jobs and some geographic markets also saw raises, and fleets are paying attention to sign-on and referral bonuses again.

The pressure comes from supply. According to NTI, the number of drivers at for-hire carriers fell by more than 5% in 2025, with drivers leaving the market during a period of stricter regulatory enforcement. Freight conditions, though, have not recovered to the point where most for-hire carriers can afford raises for everyone, so increases vary by job, market and fleet.

Shaver warned that a large raise after years without one may only match what nearby competitors already pay. She said drivers compare weekly and annual earnings, guaranteed pay and home time, and that a high per-mile rate means little without steady miles. If freight rates firm up while driver supply keeps shrinking, the pressure now limited to parts of the market could become widespread in 2027, she wrote.