The American Transportation Research Institute has opened participation for its 2026 Operational Costs of Trucking annual report, an industry resource that tracks how expenses and performance metrics are shifting year over year. The report is designed to help operators better understand cost pressures, efficiency trends, and broader market conditions.

The data collected will reflect full-year 2025 operations and will be used to establish anonymized cost averages and performance benchmarks across different fleet sizes and operating models.

Why Cost Data Matters Heading Into 2026

As market conditions evolve, understanding cost structure has become increasingly critical for organizations balancing labor, equipment, insurance, and utilization pressures. One carrier executive participating in the study highlighted how the report supports operational planning during uncertain economic cycles.

“There are signs of growing opportunities for trucking in 2026, but only if fleets can maintain disciplined, nimble operations,” said Andrew Hadland, CFO, Hirschbach Motor Lines. “ATRI’s Operational Costs of Trucking and the customized report we receive as participants are important inputs for ensuring healthy performance in our costs and operations despite economic headwinds.”

The annual study has become a planning reference point for organizations evaluating where expenses are rising, where efficiencies can be gained, and how internal performance compares to peers.

What the Operational Costs of Trucking Report Measures

According to ATRI, the report is used each year by thousands of industry decision-makers as a high-level indicator of freight market conditions and cost trends.

“ATRI’s Operational Costs of Trucking is trusted by thousands of industry decisionmakers every year as a key barometer of freight market conditions and is the leading public benchmarking tool for motor carriers of all sectors, from owner-operators to 10,000+ truck fleets,” ATRI said.

The report analyzes a wide range of financial and operational data points, including:

• Driver compensation
• Equipment and maintenance expenses
• Insurance premiums
• Non-revenue mileage
• Driver utilization
• Mileage between breakdowns
• Revenue per truck per week

These metrics allow participants to assess both cost control and operational effectiveness within a broader industry context.

What Participants Receive in Return

Organizations that submit data receive a customized benchmarking report comparing their costs and performance against an anonymized peer group of similar size and sector.

New for 2026, ATRI will also provide multi-year participants with year-over-year comparisons in their customized reports. This added feature allows organizations to more directly evaluate trends over time rather than relying solely on single-year snapshots.

All submitted data remains confidential and is published only in aggregated, anonymized averages.

How and When to Participate

For-hire motor carriers are invited to participate by April 24. Data for the 2025 calendar year can be submitted online or by PDF. Sample customized reports and additional participation details are available here.

All submitted data is kept confidential and is published only in anonymized averages.

To read the previous Operational Costs of Trucking report, click here.

Source: The Trucker

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While the increase points to some stabilization, overall freight levels remain subdued compared to recent years.

Freight Volumes Improve but Remain Soft

ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted For Hire Truck Tonnage Index reached 112.9 in December, up from 112.4 in November. The index uses 2015 as its base year at 100 and reflects changes in tonnage hauled by for-hire carriers.

December’s reading represented a 0.9 percent increase compared with the same month in 2024, after year-over-year declines in September and October. Despite that improvement, freight activity for the quarter showed continued weakness.

“For the fourth quarter, the index average fell 1.8% from the third quarter, the largest sequential quarterly decline since the second quarter of 2023, and was down 0.3% from the final three months in 2024,” ATA said.

The seasonally adjusted gain for November remained unchanged from what ATA first reported in its December 23 press release.

Economic Headwinds Continue to Weigh on Freight

ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said broader economic conditions are still limiting freight growth, even with back-to-back monthly gains.

“Despite two consecutive gains, tonnage remains at low levels as the freight metric contracted a total of 2.7% in September and October,” Costello said. “Soft manufacturing and construction activity are continuing to suppress freight levels, as they did for much of last year. For 2025 in total, tonnage rose just 0.1% over the 2024 average, although it was the first annual gain since 2022.”

Those sectors play a major role in freight demand, and continued softness there has kept trucking volumes from rebounding more strongly.

Raw Tonnage Shows Sharper Month-to-Month Jump

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, which reflects raw changes in freight hauled, the index showed a larger month to month increase. The not seasonally adjusted index rose to 111.9 in December, compared with 107.3 in November, a 4.3 percent increase.

Seasonal shipping patterns often drive larger swings in the raw data at the end of the year, particularly around holiday-related freight.

What the Data Signals Going Into 2026

For truck drivers and industry stakeholders, December’s numbers suggest freight conditions may be stabilizing after a volatile fall, but not yet strengthening in a meaningful way. The modest gains point to slow forward momentum rather than a sharp recovery.

ATA’s data reinforces that freight demand entering 2026 remains closely tied to broader economic performance, particularly in manufacturing and construction sectors that will continue to shape trucking volumes in the months ahead.

Source: The Trucker

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The nationwide survey gathers detailed information on wages, benefits, bonuses, and incentive structures from trucking companies operating in different regions and business segments. The goal is to provide carriers with reliable benchmarks they can use to evaluate their own driver pay programs and remain competitive in a challenging market.

“In this difficult and prolonged freight recession, the companies with the greatest edge are the ones that have the best data,” said Bob Costello, ATA chief economist. “As a one-of-a-kind benchmarking tool, the Driver Compensation Study provides the crucial, actionable intelligence motor carriers need to recruit and retain their most valuable resource: professional truck drivers. To get as accurate a picture of industry trends as possible, we rely on input from a large cross-section of motor carriers to provide detailed information about their total compensation packages and supply a clear view of how – and how much – trucking companies pay their drivers.”

First Update Since 2024

The compensation study was last conducted in 2024 and remains one of the most comprehensive sources of driver pay data in the industry. Previous surveys included hundreds of fleets, representing for-hire truckload carriers, less-than-truckload carriers, private fleets, and other commercial trucking operations.

“The 2026 Driver Compensation Study will include detailed pay estimates broken down by carrier types, trailer types, and routes,” ATA said. “It will also explore the wide variety of driver pay structures (hourly, per-mile, annual salary, percent of revenue) as well as various incentives. All proprietary information from individual carriers is kept confidential; only aggregate data is included in the final report.”

Why Participation Matters

Survey participants are eligible to purchase the 2026 ATA Driver Compensation Study for $100, representing more than 90 percent off the full price. Additional benefits include a free executive summary ahead of the full report’s release and an invitation to a no-cost webinar with ATA’s chief economist to review the findings and answer questions.

To participate in the 2026 ATA Driver Compensation Study survey, click here. The survey deadline is March 30.

To review participation benefits and see sample pages from previous reports, click here or email lbur@trucking.org.

Source: The Trucker

The post ATA Opens Industry Survey That Shapes the 2026 Driver Compensation Study appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

Why Some Neighboring States Pay More

Average truck driver pay in each state reflects freight demand, cost of living, local industries, and how many drivers compete for the same work. States with heavy freight flows, busy ports, or strong manufacturing often show higher mean wages than nearby states that rely more on low-margin or seasonal freight.​

At the same time, some lower-pay neighboring states can offset smaller paychecks with lower housing costs, shorter commutes, or more predictable home time. Drivers comparing states need to look at both sides of the equation: gross pay and what that pay can buy locally.​

Examples Of Big Pay Gaps Between Neighbor States

Public pay tables for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers show several border pairs where average annual wages differ by thousands of dollars. Exact rankings shift over time, but the overall pattern of stronger and weaker pay regions along state borders remains consistent.​

Below are examples of neighboring states where the higher-pay state has a clear edge over its neighbor, based on recent compiled averages from national labor statistics and trucking pay analyses. These figures are rounded and should always be checked against current data before making a move.​

These examples show gaps that can reach five to ten thousand dollars or more in average annual pay between border states. Actual numbers vary by carrier, experience, endorsements, and specific job type, so drivers should treat these as directional indicators instead of fixed guarantees.​

How To Use Pay Gaps To Your Advantage

Truck drivers can turn these state-to-state pay differences into practical career moves by taking a structured approach. The goal is not just to chase the highest possible wage, but to find the best combination of pay, cost of living, and job stability.​

• Compare current average pay in your home state with pay in bordering states using updated labor statistics and reputable trucking pay tools.​
• Match those numbers with local housing and cost-of-living data to see where your take-home pay would stretch farther.​
• Look at freight mix in each state: ports, intermodal hubs, agriculture, energy, or manufacturing can all change how steady work is.​
• Check how many trucking jobs each state supports; a large driver workforce can signal strong, consistent demand.​
• Focus on concrete offers from carriers that publish pay ranges, bonus structures, and benefits so you can verify how their numbers compare to state averages.​

When drivers understand where pay beats neighboring states by the widest margin, they can decide whether a short move across a border, a switch from local to regional work, or a change in freight type makes sense. Search truck driver jobs near you on TruckDriversUSA to compare opportunities in these high-pay regions today.

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