Premium on experience drives trucker recruitment costs

The cost to hire a professional truck driver is increasing amid market pressures that are putting a premium on experience and quality, according to experts. The Q3 2026 Driver Recruiting & Retention Data Download Report found that trucking companies are having to rethink recruitment and retention strategies amid rising recruiting costs, regulatory pressures and growing competition for experienced drivers. The report found that driver cost per hire increased 41% year over year in Q3. The Conversion Interactive Agency published the report alongside People. Data. Analytics. “Carriers can’t afford to hire the same way they did a year ago,” Conversion President Brian Johnston said. “The focus has to shift from simply generating leads to creating more efficiencies throughout the driver pipeline, with an emphasis on the retention strategy post-hire.” The report found competition for qualified drivers led 46% of carriers surveyed to increase driver pay within the past 90 days. It listed compensation as the leading driver concern at 26.6%. This was followed by equipment at 24.9% and operations at 19.4%. “More and more conversations with fleets have made it clear that drivers are aware of how in demand they are,” said Luke Wachtel, senior vice president of transportation and logistics at Platform Science. “You don’t just take into account, necessarily, profitability. There are a lot of them, now, that are taking into account how is this going to help or hurt my retention.” Wachtel noted that many fleets have focused on network optimization as a means to retain and attract drivers. Much of that has centered on technology such as…

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