The cost of diesel has supplanted the economy from the top of the American Transportation Research Institute's (ATRI) annual Top Industry Issues report, according to the most recent results unveiled Sunday at the American Trucking Associations' 2025 Management Conference & Exhibition in Charlotte.
The economy had been the top concern of motor carriers since 2023.
ATRI's 22nd annual survey gathered input from more than 3,000 respondents across the country, including motor carrier executives (48.5%), professional drivers (25.8%), and other industry stakeholders such as suppliers and law enforcement (25.7%), who were asked to rank the top three most impactful issues in the industry and select potential strategies to address them.
The list contains mostly familiar headaches, but a shuffling of painpoint positions throughout the Top 10.
10. Driver retention
This worked its way back into the top 10 for the first time since 2023.
Dwell time directly correlates with turnover, with ATRI research showing that each additional 30 minutes of average detention per stop is tied to a 5.4 percentage point increase in driver turnover, while each additional $5,000 in average annual pay improves the turnover rate by 2.9 percentage points.
Jason Damron, America's Road Team driver from Convoy Systems, emphasized open communication and culture. "If I have a problem, I can go right up to the president's office, discuss that problem, and know that they're listening to me as a person and not just a driver or a number," he said.
TCW President Ben Banks noted the costs of unresolved friction.
"Nothing's more frustrating than finding out a driver left over something really minuscule that we could have changed, but we didn't have a good enough relationship with that driver to hear about it and fix it on the front side."
The leading strategy to combat this—favored by 34.5% of respondents—is researching the primary factors behind why drivers leave the industry.
9. Driver compensation
Pay dropped four spots this year overall.
Despite slight increases in wages over the past two years—with median pay for dedicated-route employee drivers rising 4.2% from 2023 levels—inflationary pressures continue to strain paychecks.
"We're out here to make money to keep this country moving," Damron said, "but it's all about making sure we make enough money to help raise our family, pay our bills."
Banks pointed to the competitive pressure on fleets to attract safe operators.
"We're all kind of fighting for this smaller and smaller pool of drivers that are safe and qualified," he said. "So, compensation's just got to continue to increase to be competitive in that arena."
More than a third of respondents (36.2%) selected analyzing compensation models and their relationship to driver satisfaction and productivity as their preferred strategy.
8. Diesel emissions regulations
This issue held on to its No. 8 ranking after debuting on the list last year.
Anticipated 2027 low-NOx rules are projected to drive up purchase costs, leading carriers to weigh extending existing equipment cycles against mounting repair bills.
However, proposed EPA amendments lowering extended warranty requirements could save up to $6,000 per new truck.
"One of the options you have to look at is running trucks out for longer miles," Banks said, "but you have to look at the increased maintenance costs, the downtime... do we have to keep more spare trucks?"
Damron described the small-fleet's reality. "As a small company, I think that it's a good investment to do that and see where this NOx emissions regulations are going before we decide to purchase new trucks."
Currently, identifying the precise financial impacts of compliance is the top strategy favored by 40.5% of stakeholders.
7. Artificial intelligence in trucking
This moved up from No. 10 last year and has only been on the survey for two years.
Emerging AI tools are being applied across dash cams and driver-assist technologies, offering objective operational data for predictive maintenance and safety.
"You look at what professional athletes do: they look at their game film, they look at their performance and how they can improve their craft," said Gary Johnson, head of safety and compliance strategy for Motive. "They have a craft that they always need to perform and get better, and how do they do that? It's through that data."
Damron echoed the safety benefits of in-cab coaching. "If a driver is speeding, you're going to get that feedback, or if you're following too close, you're going to get that feedback. I think this part of AI will make us safer on the road," he said.
Banks, however, cautioned that implementation is still in its infancy.
"I think that's probably why it ranked so high on the concerns," he said, "because we're all trying to figure it out."
Given that AI also introduces vulnerabilities like sophisticated cargo theft—and ranks as the No. 6 concern specifically among drivers fearing workforce displacement—the top strategy (39.5%) is researching AI's broader operational and labor impacts.
6. The economy
Operational expenses reached a record $1.85 per mile excluding fuel—a 4.2% increase over 2025 non-fuel costs—while operating margins in truckload and refrigerated sectors dipped below 1%.
ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster noted that just because concern about the economy had slipped to No. 6, it wasn't a signal that fleets had an overall flowery outlook.
The modest freight recovery has been largely supply-driven through fleet cutbacks, with effective capacity reduced by 5.5% in 2025.
"Not because things suddenly got so rosy, but there are signs of optimism out there, but there's still a lot of economic headwinds out there for fleets," she said.
Banks recalled confronting shippers with hard metrics. During the worst of the freight recession, he said he took a screenshot of ATRI's cost-per-mile report when a customer was arguing about the rate.
"I was like, 'Look, it literally costs more than you're offering here,'" he said.
Damron underscored the downstream impact on drivers. "Less demand means less loads... they're struggling to find loads to keep everybody moving," he added.
To address these systemic pressures, 57.6% of respondents favor researching how higher operational costs and new tariffs impact the broader supply chain.
5. Driver shortage
This issue fell out of the Top 10 in 2025 but has been in the Top 5 in 17 of ATRI's 22 annual surveys.
The average fleet reduced its driver workforce by 6.4% in 2025 due to the recession, Brewster noted, adding, "The need for qualified drivers is on its way up again."
Finding qualified, road-ready professionals remains a structural challenge despite freight-market downturns.
"If there's a shortage, then compensation for drivers goes up," Banks said.
Damron pointed to outreach efforts with youth via driving simulators as a key to spurring interest in the career field. "Getting these kids in there, involved, and getting them active in those simulators, hearing these stories, and hearing the essentiality of the trucking industry," he said, "I think it's taking hold."
Supporting industry-funded outreach programs like the ATA's "Nothing Without Trucking" campaign is the leading strategy, backed by 40.4% of respondents.
4. Insurance cost and availability
This issue moved down one spot from last year.
Commercial liability premiums surged 18.2% from 2021 to 2024, despite a 2.6% drop in the industry's crash involvement, disproportionately affecting small to mid-sized carriers. Those fleets experienced premium increases of 27% to 50% over the four-year period for fleets with fewer than 100 trucks, Brewster noted.
Meanwhile, excess coverage in the $10-$15 million layer surged 45%.
Damron detailed his daily posture against outside hazards. "The best way I guard against distracted drivers from a driver's standpoint is I start my day 100% rested and then I'm 110% focused on defensive driving."
Banks added that there's a long road ahead for fleets.
"Insurance is still a challenge," he said. "I think it's going to be a challenge for the foreseeable future. It's tied directly with tort reform."
To ease this burden, 41.1% of stakeholders advocate for a framework offering upfront premium reductions when carriers adopt proven safety technologies.
3. CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)
This has been a Top 10 concern for 16 of 17 years since it first landed on the list in 2010.
Brewster noted that the recent Montgomery v. Caribe Transport Supreme Court case, which upheld that freight brokerages can be liable for negligent hiring, making CSA scores a critical fleet vetting tool again, helped lift its ranking this year.
Enforcement inconsistencies across state lines remain a significant issue for fleets managing CSA scores.
"If you can normalize state enforcement across all 50 states, the impact on the carrier safety scores would range from a 17.7-point decrease to a 12.2% increase from the actual scores," Brewster said.
Banks stressed focusing on true risk.
"If we're doing something unsafe, ding us," he said, "but let's try to work and focus on the safety sense of things that can actually cause damage or hurt people's lives."
Consequently, the top strategy (37.3%) is pushing FMCSA to address and mitigate these geographic enforcement disparities.
2. Lawsuit abuse reform
This issue landed at No. 2 for the second year in a row and was the top concern among motor carriers.
The payout of the most expensive half of trucking tort cases rose by 5.7% annually, outpacing inflation. Median nuclear verdicts against motor carriers skyrocketed from $13.2 million to $213.2 million, prompting legislative pushes for statutory caps on non-economic damages.
"In nuclear verdicts, non-economic and punitive damages comprise 80% of total awards on average," Brewster said. "The numbers are staggering; they're painful to listen to."
Banks recounted the legislative push in Georgia that he called "a battle all the way down to the last minute. We didn't get our caps, but we had monumental tort reform turned in Georgia. We had all these industries show up, and legislators were saying, 'Man, we've never seen this many people at the capitol.'"
Promoting state-level reform to cap damages remains the dominant strategy for 60.7% of respondents, alongside pushes to ban third-party litigation funding.
1. Fuel prices
Driven by disruptions like attacks on oil shipments in the Strait of Hormuz, diesel price swings propelled fuel back to the top spot for the fourth time in the survey’s history, and to the No. 1 spot on the driver's list for the first time ever.
Banks reflected on managing what is usually an uncontrollable market cost.
"You're just along for the ride," he said.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration cautions prices likely won't return to 2025 levels until 2028, leading 65.2% of stakeholders to advocate for federal policies to stabilize supply and minimize volatility.
