The cost of operating a commercial truck reached a record high in 2025 as fleets continued to face rising expenses across nearly every major operating category, according to the latest Operational Costs of Trucking report from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).
Released on July 15, the annual report found that the average cost to operate a truck increased to $2.336 per mile, up 3.4 percent from the previous year. While freight rates have shown signs of improving in 2026, many carriers responded to higher operating costs by reducing fleet size and leaving equipment idle to control expenses.
Repair, Maintenance, and Other Operating Costs Continued to Climb
ATRI found that operating costs increased across most expense categories during 2025, with several seeing significantly larger increases than the overall inflation rate.
The largest year-over-year increases included:
- Tolls increased 13.2 percent.
- Repair and maintenance costs increased 8.6 percent.
- Driver benefits increased 6.6 percent.
- Tire costs increased 6.4 percent.
Fuel costs remained relatively unchanged at approximately 48 cents per mile, while industry-wide driver pay increased 2.5 percent, making them the only major cost categories that grew more slowly than inflation.
Carriers Reduced Capacity to Offset Higher Expenses
As operating costs continued to rise, many fleets adjusted their operations to help manage expenses.
According to the report, carriers reduced average truck counts by 2.4 percent during 2025 and kept approximately 10 percent of their equipment idle rather than placing additional trucks into service. The findings suggest many fleets focused on controlling costs while waiting for freight demand and pricing to improve.
Although the increase in average operating costs amounted to about 8 cents per mile compared to 2024, the report notes that the overall cost reached the highest level recorded since ATRI began tracking the data.
Regional Operating Costs Varied Across the Country
The report also highlighted significant regional differences in trucking costs.
The Northeast remained the most expensive region to operate, recording the highest costs for driver wages and benefits, insurance, and tolls. The West ranked second, driven largely by higher fuel prices and truck and trailer expenses.
The Midwest was the only region to report declines in both fuel and wage costs from 2024 to 2025. Combined truck and trailer expenses also saw the smallest increase among all U.S. regions.
Freight Market Shows Signs of Improvement
Despite ongoing freight market challenges during much of 2025, ATRI found modest improvements in carrier profitability.
Less-than-truckload carriers reported operating margins of 11.6 percent, remaining essentially unchanged from the previous year. Truckload carriers improved from a 2.3 percent operating loss in 2024 to a 0.4 percent operating margin in 2025.
ATRI noted that freight rates have begun improving in 2026, but rising operating expenses continue to pressure fleet profitability.
Commenting on the report, PGT Trucking Chief Operating Officer Chad Marsilio said improving freight rates are encouraging, but fleets will still need to maintain disciplined cost management as operating expenses continue to increase.
The TDUSA editorial team creates practical, driver-focused content covering trucking news, industry updates, safety, regulations, and career information for professional truck drivers across the United States. Each article is built to reflect real-world experience, industry developments, and information drivers can use on and off the road.
Last Updated: July 28, 2026
Source: Trucking Dive
