Trucking operational costs rose 3.4% in 2025, outpacing consumer inflation by 1.5 percentage points, according to the American Transportation Research Institute's (ATRI) annual operating cost survey. The report, published by the research arm of the American Trucking Associations, found that average costs climbed to $2.336 per mile from $2.260 per mile in 2024. Excluding fuel—which carriers often pass through via surcharges—costs rose 4.2% to $1.854 per mile.
Cost breakdown by category
ATRI's 65-page report breaks down costs across multiple line items. The table below shows selected categories from 2024 to 2025:
| Cost Category | 2024 (cents/mile) | 2025 (cents/mile) | Change (cents) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truck/trailer lease/purchase | 39.0 | 40.4 | +1.4 |
| Repair & maintenance | 19.8 | 21.5 | +1.7 |
| Insurance | 10.2 | 10.6 | +0.4 |
| Tires | 4.7 | 5.0 | +0.3 |
All four categories rose, with repair and maintenance seeing the largest absolute increase. Insurance costs—often cited as a soaring expense—rose more modestly at 0.4 cents per mile, according to ATRI.
Driver wages and benefits
Driver compensation rose at a sub-inflationary rate of 2.5% industry-wide, ATRI reported. This was similar to 2024, when driver wages increased 2.4% against consumer inflation of 2.9%. The ratio between wage growth and inflation remained comparable year-over-year.
In contrast, driver benefits costs surged 6.6% in 2025, following a 4.8% increase the prior year. ATRI noted that benefits growth outpaced wages for the second consecutive year. The rate of benefits growth was uniform across most fleet sizes except smaller fleets, which often offer fewer benefits to begin with.
ATRI's data also revealed wage disparities by fleet size and type. Wages for 26-truck fleets were only 4.5 cents per mile less than for 1,000-truck fleets. Specialized carriers commanded higher average wages in every size category except those exceeding 1,000 trucks. The largest gap was in fleets of 101 to 250 trucks, where specialized carriers paid 95.3 cents per mile versus 72.5 cents per mile for truckload carriers.
Shipper and operator implications
Despite rising costs, ATRI reported that trucking rates and tonnage remained flat compared to 2024. This suggests carriers are absorbing higher expenses, potentially squeezing margins. For freight forwarders and 3PLs, this environment may lead to pressure for rate increases as carriers seek to recover costs. The survey's respondent mix skewed toward less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers, which made up 47.8% of respondents despite representing 28% of the industry. Truckload carriers comprised 33.3% of respondents versus 57.3% of the industry.
Watch list
ATRI's forecast for driver wages in early 2026 may be somewhat out of date, according to the report itself, as other indicators point to potential upward movement. If wage growth accelerates, overall cost pressures could intensify. Additionally, the continued rapid increase in benefits costs will bear close monitoring, as it could further widen the gap between total costs and the flat rate environment.
Sources:
