Truck driver pay is climbing again as carriers compete for a shrinking pool of qualified drivers. A new industry report found that 26% of carriers have raised driver pay so far in 2026, according to the Q2 2026 Driver Recruiting & Retention Data Download Report from Conversion Interactive Agency and People. Data. Analytics.

Notably, the trend isn’t driven mainly by freight demand — it’s tied more to tightening capacity from federal enforcement. According to a report by Connor Wolf for Transport Topics, the Department of Transportation has been cracking down on non-domiciled CDL rules and English-language proficiency standards, thinning the driver pool even as freight volumes only modestly improve.

“The competition for drivers is just going to continue to intensify as the year goes on,” Priscilla Peters, Conversion’s Vice President of Marketing, told Transport Topics.

Several major carriers have already moved on pay. Crete Carrier raised per-mile rates for OTR, regional and dedicated drivers by 1–3 cents in late May, while Melton Truck Lines bumped mileage pay 5–8 cents per mile around the same time. TMC Transportation and Maverick Transportation have made similar moves.

Analysts say the pattern reflects both normal market cycling and regulatory pressure. FTR Transportation Intelligence VP Avery Vise noted the capacity drop has been building steadily for more than two and a half years, with enforcement adding a “chilling effect” that’s pushed some immigrant drivers out of the market altogether.

With capacity tightening nationally, Alabama carriers may want to start evaluating their own pay and retention strategy now, ahead of the traditionally busier fourth quarter.