Driver Costs Expected to Outrun Other Labor Expenses

Driver wage and benefit costs are rising at faster rate than all other labor costs at US trucking fleets and are expected grow even faster over the next year, according to our research.

When indexed back to 2014, average driver costs have risen almost 72%. Over the same period, all other labor costs have only risen around 36%. The TruckAnswers National Trucking Cost Index, a composite of all fleet operating costs, has risen 37.5% over the same period.

Moving forward, we expect driver costs to increase around 7% in 2025 while all other labor costs should rise just over 4%. The actual increases will be dependent on the timing and extent of a freight recovery this year. We will be updating the projections as the year progresses.

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