CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Freight rates will continue to rise by several percentage points this year, carriers and shippers said, which should open the door for further pay increases for drivers.

A handful of truckload fleets have raised owner-operator pay as the driver market tightens.

Most fleets are continuing to steer away from raising driver pay this year, but about 80% of carriers expect they will have to take that step when the pace of the U.S. economic recovery accelerates, according to a new survey.

The number of fleets that raised driver pay in the second quarter increased sharply, and continuing difficulties in attracting new drivers could spark another round of increases in the third quarter, several industry experts have said.

A few fleets are starting to raise driver pay, as freight demand and the need for more drivers increase this spring, reversing the pattern of the past couple of years that kept wages steady or reduced them, the National Transportation Institute said.