Averitt made changes to its regional and LTL driver compensation packages, the carrier announced in a July 29 news release.
The regional driver pay changes simplifies its compensation structure and boosts it to 66 cents from 64 cents per mile. The carrier didn’t elaborate on the LTL changes other than say increases were tied to location, experience and driver classification.
“The updated compensation package increases the average weekly pay for Averitt regional drivers to approximately $1,550, while continuing to offer comprehensive benefits and additional accessorial pay for detention, layovers, stop-offs and other services,” the company said in the release.
At the same time, drivers without hazardous materials endorsements will no longer receive a separate pay rate, but those with the designation will get a new $25 accessorial payment for each hazmat load hauled, the company said.
In July 2025, the company also announced a series of pay changes, including the largest single increase for regional drivers with a hazmat endorsement in the company’s nearly 70-year history. The company currently has over 2,500 drivers, an Averitt spokesperson told Trucking Dive in an email.
“We believe investing in our people is essential to delivering the service our customers expect,” Barry Blakely, Averitt's president and COO, said in the release.
The increased pay comes at a time when drivers and capacity continue to tighten. Shipper costs are increasing amid lower volumes and federal policies that are restricting the driver pool, as noted in the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index.
Bob Costello, SVP and chief economist at the American Trucking Associations, noted in the index's news release that “trucking capacity continues to tighten after several years of excess supply.”
