Trucking Contract Rates Rise 13%

Trucking companies are getting higher rates.

On October 24, 2026, FreightWaves reported new data from its SONAR freight market system.

As of October 22, trucking companies that renegotiated long-term freight contracts were getting an average rate increase of 13.11%.

A year ago, that increase was only 3.53%.

This is the strongest increase in contract rates since early 2022.

But there's an important detail. The 13.11% increase applies only to contracts with updated rates, not every freight load in America.

!What This Means for CDL Drivers

Higher contract rates are good news for trucking companies and owner-operators.

Carriers may have more room to negotiate better pay for hauling freight.

But higher freight rates do not automatically mean higher driver wages.