For three years, "pay raise" was a phrase most company drivers only heard at the truck stop, usually followed by a laugh. That changed this month. Several well-known fleets announced double-digit and second-in-a-year raises in September 2026, and the reasons behind them say a lot about where your paycheck is headed this fall.
Who Raised Pay in September 2026
The announcements came fast, and they aren't all the same kind of raise:
Those follow earlier 2026 raises at other fleets. Averitt lifted its regional rate to 66 cents per mile in August, and back in June FreightWaves reported per-mile increases at GP Transco and Hirschbach. One raise is a headline. A string of them over several months is a trend.
Why Carriers Are Paying More Now
Carriers don't raise pay out of kindness. They do it when the freight market forces them to, and right now the numbers are pushing hard.
The Cass Freight Index shipments measure rose 5.6% from July to August and 2.1% year over year, its first annual gain since January 2023. That ended a 42-month freight slump. The Cass Truckload Linehaul Index, which tracks what shippers pay per load, jumped 11.3% year over year in August, the biggest gain since June 2022.
The other half of the story is capacity. Since last fall, enforcement of English-language proficiency rules, tighter non-domiciled CDL rules and cabotage checks has pushed noncompliant drivers out of the market, as FreightWaves has reported. When fewer trucks are chasing more freight, rates climb, and fleets have to compete harder for qualified drivers who can pass a roadside inspection without trouble.
The Catch: Diesel Is Eating the Gains
Before you celebrate, look at the pump. The U.S. Energy Information Administration put the national average for on-highway diesel at $6.529 a gallon on September 22, up 24.4 cents in a single week and about $2.78 higher than a year ago. The West Coast averaged $7.456, and California alone was over $8.24.
For company drivers, the carrier pays for fuel, so higher diesel doesn't come out of your check directly. But it squeezes carrier margins, and that can mean tighter fuel-efficiency rules, lower idle limits and pressure on routing. For owner-operators and lease operators, it hits your settlement directly unless your fuel surcharge keeps up. Keep an eye on today's diesel prices and truck stop map before you plan fuel stops.
Cents Per Mile Isn't the Whole Paycheck
Nussbaum's announcement pointed at something every experienced driver already knows: a high advertised CPM can hide a job that pays nothing for sitting at a dock for four hours. Company leadership said the goal was to pay for work that a per-mile rate leaves out.
That's why two offers with the same CPM can produce very different weekly checks. When you compare jobs this fall, look at the full package:
Real Weekly Numbers to Measure Against
Some carriers shared actual earnings along with their raises, which gives you a useful benchmark. Roehl said its drivers with one year of experience were averaging about $1,435 a week before the October increase, and its top half about $1,625 a week, according to Trucking Dive. ATS told Heavy Duty Trucking that its top 50% of flatbed drivers average about $1,600 a week and its top 20% about $2,100. Averitt said its regional increase brings average weekly pay to about $1,550.
Use those as a reality check. If a recruiter quotes you a number far above what large fleets are actually paying their top drivers, ask how they get there and what's included.
What This Means for You
Rates are finally moving in the driver's direction. Make sure the next job you take pays you for all the work you actually do.
Photo: Thomas Schilling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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