The American Transportation Research Institute is asking motor carriers to participate in research on rising insurance costs and strategies for managing risk. 

Trucking auto liability premiums rose by 36% per mile in the past eight years amid persistent unprofitability for insurers, even as truck crashes declined over the past four years, according to ATRI.

In 2025, insurance cost/availability and lawsuit abuse, a primary contributor to rising insurance costs, were voted as the third- and second-greatest issues facing the trucking industry, respectively.

In response to this financial pressure, fleets are reevaluating their total cost of risk by pursuing a variety of new technologies, training protocols, and insurance schemes, such as self-insurance or captives.

Prior ATRI research detailed how fleets reduced coverage and raised deductibles from 2018 to 2020 in search of savings, self-incentivizing safety improvements but still experiencing higher premiums. Expanding on this research is a top priority for the research arm of the American Trucking Associations.

What Information is ATRI Looking for About Trucking Insurance/

Motor carriers are requested to submit data on their coverage stacks for the years 2021 through 2024, in addition to information on their use of safety technology and alternative insurance arrangements. 

All data is kept completely confidential for analysis in aggregate form only, and ATRI will sign non-disclosure agreements as desired. 

“The total cost of risk is growing annually for every fleet, regardless of size,” said Josh Hankins, J.B. Hunt senior VP of Safety & Security, in a news release.

“While many carriers are cutting back on insurance coverage to control expenses, premiums keep climbing — and reducing coverage only heightens exposure to catastrophic litigation. Today, trucking faces a perfect insurance storm.”

All participating carriers will receive a customized report that compares their fleet’s cost of risk to an anonymized peer group. Motor carriers can complete the survey at https://www.research.net/r/MC-Insurance-Survey

The deadline is Friday, December 19.