Wages for truck drivers rose at a double-digit pace last year as companies laid out hefty salaries, bonuses and benefits packages to recruit workers in a market marked by tight labor conditions and high freight demand.
The American Trucking Associations said in its annual salary survey that average wages for drivers of big rigs, from those working in for-hire commercial long-haul markets to employees at in-house fleets managed by companies like Walmart Inc., Sysco Corp. and PepsiCo Inc., reached about $69,700 last year, up 11% from the previous year.
The sharp increase in compensation came as demand to move goods surged across the U.S. economy, with retailers racing to restock inventories that were depleted early in the pandemic and manufacturers rushing to bring in parts and raw materials to restore production that had been idled or cut back.
