Economy Tops Trucking Industry Issues Ranking as New Concerns Emerge
English proficiency for drivers and artificial intelligence in trucking were among four trucking industry concerns that made their first appearance on the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual Top Industry Issues report. Unsurprisingly, the state of the economy remained in the top spot.
The American Transportation Research Institute surveys motor carriers, drivers, and other stakeholders each year to determine the most significant issues.
“We’re in the third year of this extended freight recession, and the pain is real,” said Andy Owens, A&M Transport president, in an ATRI News release. The report was issued during the American Trucking Associations’ annual Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego October 26.
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As ATRI explained in the report, as we’re now three years into a historic freight recession, freight rates and tonnage have remained stagnant across the trucking industry. At the same time, per-mile costs increased considerably faster than inflation.
ATRI called it “a perfect storm that is squeezing fleet operating margins and necessitating extensive cost-cutting measures.”
Lawsuit Abuse and Insurance Costs
While the economy retained its #1 spot, Lawsuit Abuse Reform and Insurance Cost and Availability each rose one spot, to be the #2 and #3 top concerns, respectively.
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Lawsuit Abuse Reform has now reached its highest ranking in the 21-year history of the Top Industry Issues Survey.
ATRI noted that the good news on that front is that litigation reformers notched victories in nine states thus far this year, including damages caps, eliminating phantom damages, and third-party litigation funding disclosures. But they face counterreform headwinds from the plaintiff bar.
Litigation costs are one of the things driving insurance costs higher.
The inaugural Top Industry Issues Survey in 2005 had Insurance Costs ranked as the number three overall industry concern, and 21 years later, Insurance Cost/Availability is once again the number three overall industry concern, up one spot from last year.
ATRI reported that insurance premiums rose by an additional 3% per mile in 2024, ATRI said, on top of the previous year’s 12.5% increase, and additional data suggests that renewals in the first half of 2025 rose by nearly 10%, according to ATRI.
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Other Top Issues: Truck Parking, Driver Compensation
The lack of available Truck Parking dropped two spots this year to the #4 concern, and Driver Compensation held on to its #5 position.
With four new entries on the list this year, others fell out of the top 10.
Battery-electric vehicles or ZEVs, last year number 6, fell off of the top 10 concerns this year.
Others were detention/delay, the driver shortage, and driver distraction. But two of the new concerns, English language proficiency and driver training standards, clearly play into those driver shortage concerns.
Motor carriers and drivers have slightly different priorities when it comes to their top industry issues.
Source: ATRI
Issues Survey Shows Motor Carrier and Driver Concerns Differ
Driver Training Standards had been on the list of truck driver concerns since 2019, but this year garnered enough votes across all respondents to become the #9 overall top concern. Among truck driver respondents, it was ranked 7th.
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Over 46% of the survey respondents were motor carrier executives and personnel. Truck drivers represented 30%, with the remaining 23% made up of other freight stakeholders.
Among truck driver respondents, Driver Compensation, Truck Parking and English Language Proficiency were the top three concerns, while motor carriers ranked the Economy, Lawsuit Abuse Reform, and Insurance Cost and Availability as their top three concerns.
Over 4,200 trucking industry stakeholders participated in this year’s survey, a 14% increase over the 2024 survey. Respondents included motor carriers, truck drivers, industry suppliers, driver trainers, and law enforcement, among other groups.
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