The economy has slipped from the top of trucking’s worry list, but the issue taking its place offers little relief for fleet budgets: fuel prices.

Diesel costs jumped 17 spots to become the trucking industry’s No. 1 concern in the American Transportation Research Institute’s 2026 Top Industry Issues survey. The economy, which held the top spot for three years, dropped to sixth.

The shift suggests some cautious optimism about the freight market. But with fuel costs climbing on top of already record-high non-fuel operating expenses, fleets still face plenty of pressure.

The results of the annual survey were announced during the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The results mark a shift from last year’s survey, when the prolonged freight recession kept the economy in first place and four new concerns entered the top 10.

Two of those newcomers remain: artificial intelligence, which climbed from 10th to seventh, and diesel emissions regulations, which held eighth place.

English language proficiency dropped from seventh to 13th, while driver training standards also fell outside the top 10.

“Just as we started to see some positive signs in the freight economy, the cost of diesel topped $6.50 per gallon,” said TCW President Ben Banks. “With operating costs continuing to climb overall, this spike in fuel costs is particularly painful for small- to mid-size fleets.”

Nearly 3,100 trucking industry stakeholders participated in ATRI’s 22nd annual survey, including fleet executives and personnel, truck drivers, suppliers, driver trainers and law enforcement.

Trucking’s Top 10 Issues for 2026

The overall rankings were:

1. Fuel prices
2. Lawsuit abuse reform
3. Compliance, Safety, Accountability
4. Insurance cost and availability
5. Driver shortage
6. Economy
7. Artificial intelligence in trucking
8. Diesel emissions regulations
9. Driver compensation
10. Driver retention

Fuel Costs Hit an Already Tight Budget

Thirty percent of respondents selected fuel prices as one of their top three concerns. This is the fourth time fuel has topped ATRI’s list, following 2005, 2008, and 2022.

The report points out that fuel surcharges don’t fully shield fleets from diesel price spikes. Gaps in surcharge coverage, delays in spot-market adjustments, and empty miles all leave carriers exposed.

And budgets have little room to absorb those costs. ATRI’s latest Operational Costs of Trucking research found that non-fuel expenses reached a record $1.854 per mile in 2025, up 4.2% from the previous year. Truckload and refrigerated carriers’ operating margins were below 1%.

Among respondents who selected fuel prices as a top concern, 65.2% chose federal action to stabilize fuel supplies and limit price increases as their preferred response.

Litigation Leads Fleet Concerns

Fuel ranked first overall, but motor carrier respondents included lawsuit abuse reform at the top of their list. It remained second in the combined industry rankings.

Insurance cost and availability slipped from third to fourth overall, but the report makes clear that a lower ranking doesn’t mean lower costs.

It cites ATRI research showing that carrier liability insurance premiums rose 18.2% from 2021 through 2024, even as trucking’s crash involvement declined 2.6%. Fleets with fewer than 100 trucks faced premium increases ranging from 27% to 50% over that period.

Respondents’ preferred insurance strategy was to develop a framework for upfront premium reductions when fleets and drivers adopt proven safety technologies.

CSA climbed three spots to third overall, its highest ranking since 2015. The leading strategy among respondents concerned about CSA was to address differences in enforcement among states and local jurisdictions that can affect a carrier’s scores based on where it operates.

Driver Concerns Return as Freight Improves

The driver shortage returned to the top 10 at No. 5 after dropping off last year’s list. Driver retention also returned, ranking 10th.

ATRI ties renewed recruiting concerns to a slowly improving freight market after fleets cut their driver workforces and parked trucks during the downturn. Participants in its operating-cost research reduced their driver workforce by an average of 6.4% in 2025.

Still, the report cautions that the freight recovery has been driven more by shrinking capacity than by stronger demand. Better rates do not necessarily mean substantially more freight to haul.

Driver compensation, meanwhile, fell from fifth to ninth overall, although it remained a much higher priority for drivers themselves.

Parking Still Matters to Drivers

Truck parking fell from fourth to 11th overall, its first time outside the top 10 since 2012. But its ranking among drivers didn’t budge: It remained their second-biggest concern.

That gap is one of several differences between fleet and driver priorities.

For motor carriers, the top three concerns were lawsuit abuse reform, fuel prices and the driver shortage. For drivers, they were fuel prices, truck parking, and compensation.

Even those driver rankings need some context. Company drivers ranked compensation first, followed by parking and autonomous trucks. Owner-operators and independent contractors put fuel first, followed by parking and broker issues.

Autonomous trucks ranked fourth among drivers as a group, compared with 12th overall.

The mix of survey respondents also changed. Drivers represented 25.8% of this year’s participants, compared with about 30% last year. That’s worth keeping in mind when comparing the overall rankings, although the report doesn’t quantify how much that change affected the results.

AI Moves Higher on the List

Artificial intelligence rose to seventh in its second year among the top concerns.

ATRI describes both opportunities and risks, from predictive maintenance and driver coaching to more sophisticated cargo theft. The leading strategy selected by respondents concerned about AI was to research its applications and its positive and negative effects on the workforce.

Diesel emissions regulations held eighth place. Respondents’ preferred approach was to identify the financial impact of compliance.

The report also includes a separate ranking for law enforcement respondents, whose top concern was electronic logging device fraud, followed by CSA and driver distraction.

ATRI conducted the survey from Aug. 24 through Oct. 2. Respondents selected and ranked their top three issues from a list of 27, then ranked potential strategies for addressing them. Motor carrier executives and personnel represented 48.5% of respondents, truck drivers 25.8%, and other stakeholders 25.7%.