What’s on trucking’s research to-do list for 2026? Safety, rising costs, driver health, and how severe weather keeps throwing a wrench into operations are on the priority list this year for the American Trucking Associations' research arm, as it begins a search for a new leader.

The American Transportation Research Institute recently announced its latest research priorities. This year’s list zeroes in on challenges such as rewarding fleets for going above and beyond safety requirements, whether driver coaching actually improves safety, how much regulations really cost, and what fleets can do to better prepare for major weather events.

Not long after the research priorities were identified, the organization announced longtime ATRI head Rebecca Brewster will retire in early 2027 after serving the organization for 34 years, 25 of which she has led ATRI as its president and chief operating officer.

A search committee of board members will start work in May to identify Brewster’s successor. Brenda Neville, Iowa Motor Truck Association President and CEO, will chair the search committee.

Here’s what Brewster will be heading up as she wraps up her final year:

Advancing 'Beyond Compliance'

The idea of rewarding fleets for going above and beyond minimum safety requirements has been around for years. Over 15 years ago, ATRI published the first research examining potential benefits of what it then called an "alternative compliance" concept that would motivate and reward motor carriers for voluntary investments in safety technologies, strategies, and programs that have proven safety benefits.

A decade ago, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration asked for input on a proposed “Beyond Compliance" program. As opposed to "alternative" compliance, the agency said this would recognize carriers for their safety efforts but would not allow relief from regulatory requirements.

In 2023, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance called for FMCSA to move forward with the program. CVSA noted that the 2015 FAST Act mandated that the agency develop "a process for identifying and reviewing advanced safety equipment, enhanced driver fitness measures, fleet safety management tools, technologies, and programs, and other standards for use by motor carriers to receive recognition, including credit for an improved SMS percentile.”

ATRI's research will examine potential incentives for participation in a Beyond Compliance program and develop a pilot test methodology and evaluation plan.

Outcomes of Coaching Practices and Front-Line Management on Safety

Fleets are leaning more into a proactive approach to safety that relies on driver coaching and front-line management to prevent crashes. ATRI plans to dig into the data to identify which coaching practices deliver real safety gains.

State Benchmarking

Which states are best — and worst — for trucking? ATRI aims to build a benchmarking index to compare how business-friendly each state is for trucking. It will look at insurance costs and litigation exposure, taxes and fees assessed on truck fleets, labor costs including workers' compensation, and operational costs such as fuel prices, tolls, and parking availability.

Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Federal and State Regulations

Many trucking regulations mean increased costs, decreased productivity, and unclear benefits. Others may provide measurable benefits, but they're not enforced.

This research will develop a template for trucking industry regulatory cost-benefit analyses that index regulations based on how beneficial they are, whether or not they are clearly understood and implemented by the industry, and the degree to which they are enforced.

Quantifying the Relationship Between Medical Card Status & Operational Impacts

Health challenges don’t just affect drivers. They also hit fleet costs through healthcare costs, increased turnover, and lost productivity.

Using drivers' medical card status as a proxy, ATRI will look at how driver health ties to operational performance.

Major Weather Event Impacts on Trucking

When severe weather events such as hurricanes, wildfires, and snowstorms close down major routes, the ripple effects are huge.

ATRI will use case studies to identify what fleets and states can do to better prepare and respond.