ATRI Survey Asks Trucking Industry to Rank Top Concerns

Truck drivers and other trucking industry stakeholders are being asked to identify the biggest issues facing the industry in 2026. The American Transportation Research Institute has launched its annual ATRI Survey of top industry issues. Participants are asked to select and rank their three biggest concerns and identify possible strategies for addressing them.

The survey gives professional truck drivers an opportunity to rank issues that directly affect their work. These include truck parking, driver compensation, detention, fuel prices, Hours-of-Service rules and driver training.

The survey is open through Oct. 2. ATRI plans to release the final results on Oct. 18.

ATRI Survey Asks Participants to Pick Three Issues

The Top Industry Issues Survey is now in its 22nd year.

ATRI uses the survey to identify the most important concerns across the trucking industry. The organization also tracks how those priorities change from year to year.

Participants are asked to select their top three issues. They then rank those selections as their first, second and third concerns.

The survey also asks participants to rank potential strategies for addressing each issue they select.

ATRI collects information about the respondent’s role in trucking. This allows the organization to compare the priorities of professional drivers with those of motor carriers and other industry stakeholders.

That distinction can reveal significant differences between what drivers experience on the road and what carriers identify as their biggest business concerns.

What Issues Are Included in the 2026 ATRI Survey?

The 2026 survey gives participants a wide range of topics to consider.

Many are issues that can directly affect commercial drivers and their daily work. Choices include:

• Truck parking
• Driver compensation
• Detention and delays at customer facilities
• Fuel prices
• Hours-of-Service
• Driver training standards
• Driver health and wellness
• Driver distraction
• Drug and alcohol testing
• English language proficiency for drivers
• ELD fraud
• Predatory towing
• Autonomous trucks
• Artificial intelligence in trucking
• Diesel emissions regulations
• Cargo theft
• Independent contractor status
• Transportation infrastructure, congestion and funding

Other choices address broader industry concerns, including the economy, insurance costs, lawsuit reform, broker issues and federal safety programs.

Participants can also identify another concern if their top issue is not among the choices provided.

Drivers and Motor Carriers May Rank Issues Differently

One important part of the ATRI Survey is that the final report does more than create one overall ranking.

ATRI also examines how professional drivers and motor carriers rank the issues differently.

That comparison has shown clear differences in previous years.

An issue that creates a major financial or operational concern for a motor carrier may not rank as highly among drivers. At the same time, problems that drivers regularly experience on the road can rank much higher among driver respondents.

ATRI says this breakdown provides additional insight into the state of the trucking industry and helps track whether concerns are becoming more or less important over time.

What Were the Top Trucking Issues in 2025?

Last year’s ATRI report provides a useful comparison for the new survey.

The economy ranked as the trucking industry’s No. 1 overall concern in 2025, holding the top position for the third consecutive year.

The five highest-ranked issues overall were:

• Economy
• Lawsuit Abuse Reform
• Insurance Cost and Availability
• Truck Parking
• Driver Compensation

The rankings looked different when ATRI examined responses specifically from truck drivers.

Among professional driver respondents, Driver Compensation ranked No. 1, followed by Truck Parking at No. 2 and English Language Proficiency for Drivers at No. 3.

Motor carriers had a different top three. They ranked the Economy first, Lawsuit Abuse Reform second, and Insurance Cost and Availability third.

More than 4,200 trucking industry stakeholders participated in the 2025 survey. Truck drivers represented 30% of respondents.

The differences between those rankings are one reason driver participation can affect the picture presented in ATRI’s final report.

New and Changing Issues Could Affect 2026 Rankings

The new survey comes during another year of changes across the trucking industry.

Some issues appearing on the survey have received increased attention during 2026, including English language proficiency, diesel emissions regulations, ELD fraud, autonomous trucks and artificial intelligence.

Other long-running concerns remain on the list.

Truck parking continues to affect drivers across the country, while compensation, detention, fuel costs and Hours-of-Service remain closely connected with daily trucking operations.

The economy also remains an important factor for carriers and drivers as freight demand, rates and operating expenses affect the industry.

The 2026 results will show whether last year’s leading concerns remain near the top or whether newer issues have moved higher in the rankings.

Truck Drivers Can Participate in the 2026 ATRI Survey

Professional truck drivers can participate in the ATRI Survey and rank the three issues they believe are most important to the trucking industry.

ATRI is encouraging drivers to take part so the final results reflect concerns from behind the wheel, including issues such as truck parking, compensation, detention, training and other challenges.

The 2026 Top Industry Issues Survey is available online and will remain open through Oct. 2.

ATRI Survey Results Coming Oct. 18

The ATRI Survey will remain open through Oct. 2, 2026.

ATRI plans to release the results on Oct. 18 during the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The report will rank the industry’s overall concerns while also showing how priorities differ between truck drivers and motor carriers.

Those results will provide a new comparison with 2025 and show which trucking issues have risen or fallen in importance over the past year.