Official data, computed here
Trucking jobs, pay and prices side by side
Trucking payrolls stood at 1,473.1 thousand jobs in September 2026, +0.1% on a year earlier. Average hourly pay was $33.74 in August 2026 (+4.1%), while the long-distance truckload price index moved +13.9% in August 2026.
SnapshotBLS employment and earnings; BLS PPI via FREDData period: jobs through September 2026, pay and hours through August 2026, prices through August 2026Retrieved Oct 9, 2026, 17:30 UTCretrieved Oct 9, 2026
Open data, retrieved Oct 9, 2026
Jobs, pay and prices on one scale
Each line is set to 100 in January 2021. By the latest month, jobs were -1.1%, hourly pay +25.7% and truckload prices +42.1% against that month. Over the last 12 months prices moved 9.8 percentage points more than hourly pay.
- Jobs
- Hourly pay
- Truckload prices
The numbers in one table
Click a heading to sort. Units differ by row; the percentage changes compare.
| Series | Latest month | Latest value | Same month a year earlier | Change in 12 months | Jan 2021 value | Change since Jan 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All employees, truck transportation (BLS CES4348400001), thousands | Sep 2026 | 1,473.1 | 1,472.3 | +0.1% | 1,489.0 | -1.1% |
| Average hourly earnings, all employees, truck transportation (BLS CES4348400003), dollars | Aug 2026 | $33.74 | $32.41 | +4.1% | $26.84 | +25.7% |
| Average weekly hours, production and nonsupervisory employees, truck transportation (BLS CES4348400007) | Aug 2026 | 40.5 | 40.7 | -0.5% | 42.1 | -3.8% |
| PPI, long-distance truckload (BLS PCU484121484121 via FRED), index Dec 2003 = 100 | Aug 2026 | 207.6 | 182.3 | +13.9% | 146.1 | +42.1% |
| PPI, truck transportation (BLS PCU484484 via FRED), index Dec 2003 = 100 | Aug 2026 | 213.3 | 191.1 | +11.6% | 151.8 | +40.5% |
Average weekly hours are for production and nonsupervisory employees; latest 40.5 in August 2026. BLS values for the newest month are preliminary and can be revised.
What this number means
- Payroll jobs in trucking are -1.1% against January 2021, while the truckload price index is +42.1%. Prices and headcount have not moved together.
- Hourly pay is up +4.1% in a year. If truckload prices rose more than that, the market gave carriers more room than it gave payroll; if less, labor got relatively dearer.
- These are market-wide figures. Payroll employment leaves out owner-operators, and the price index is not your rate per mile.
What to do about it
- Put your driver cost per mile next to the pay trend. If you pay at the market pace and your rates did not follow prices, margin is shrinking.
- Use the 12-month price change as a sense check when you negotiate a renewal, then bring your own lane numbers.
- Watch jobs and hours together: fewer hours at the same pay means cost per mile can rise even when the hourly wage looks flat.
Questions
Can I use the price index as my rate?
No. It tracks how prices for the same trucking service changed over time. It is not a rate for a lane or a load.
Why does the page start at January 2021?
All lines need one common starting month. January 2021 is the choice made on this page; it is not an official base.
Are the latest values final?
No. BLS marks the newest months preliminary, and producer price indexes can be revised.
Where the numbers come from
See what your last 20 loads show.
One short form. We reply by email with the next step, and a one-page report follows. Free, no obligation.
Mon-Fri, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Raleigh, NC). Voicemail is answered the next business day.