NASHVILLE, Tennessee—It’s the economy, trucking. Still.
Coming up on the midpoint in this transformational decade for transportation, the trucking industry is still grappling with a sluggish freight economy. For the second consecutive year, the economy was the top concern of thousands of trucking stakeholders the American Transportation Research Institute surveyed for its annual list of trucking’s most pressing issues heading into 2025.
For ATRI’s 20th annual Top Industry Issues report, truck parking remained No. 2 this year, marking the 10th consecutive year it ranked within the top 10. Rebecca Brewster, ATRI president and COO, unveiled the list on the opening day of American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition.
Fuel prices (ranked No. 3 in 2023) and driver retention (No. 8 in ‘23) fell off the 2024 top 10 list. They were replaced by the federal Compliance, Safety, and Accountability program, which didn’t make the 2023 list after being a perennial topic for years; and insurance cost/availability, which last appeared in 2021.
All stakeholders weigh in
More than 3,700 trucking industry stakeholders participated in this year’s survey, including motor carriers, truck drivers, industry suppliers, driver trainers, and law enforcement. The economy was again the top issue for the motor carrier subset this year. Truck parking was this year’s top issue for drivers, flipping spots with driver compensation, which topped the 2023 list.
“Without question, this has been another tough year for the trucking industry,” said Gregg Troian, president of PGT Trucking. “But each year, we can count on ATRI’s analysis to not only quantify the issues but, more importantly, what we can collectively do as an industry to address each.”
Top 10 trucking industry concerns of 2024
For 20 years, ATRI has reached out annually to trucking industry stakeholders to gauge what issues are most prominent for fleet executives, drivers, and others. Here is a look at this year’s respondents’ view of trucking going into 2025.
1. Economy (No. 1 in 2023)
For the second straight year, concern over the economy was the top-ranked trucking industry issue. ATRI researchers noted that the combined impacts of rising operational costs, the lingering freight recession, and declining freight rates make the economy a top concern for motor carriers and drivers alike.
ATRI’s annual Operational Costs of Trucking research earlier this year documented industry cost increases of more than 22% over the past two years, resulting in the highest recorded costs in the research’s 16-year history. Several economic uncertainties remain.
“It’s tough to run a trucking company,” Troian said during the ATRI presentation here. “I think what’s made it worse is the boom times that we had just a few years ago makes this look even worse.”
2. Truck parking (No. 2 in 2023)
For the second year in a row, the lack of available truck parking is the industry’s second biggest concern; among truck drivers, it ranked No. 1. Parking has been in ATRI’s top five concerns since 2015.
The U.S. DOT has warded over $292 million in grants to deploy a regional truck parking information system to expand parking capacity along Interstate 5 on the West Coast.
ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee identified parking expansion at public rest areas as a top research priority in 2023, and a study is ongoing.
3. Lawsuit abuse reform (No. 6 in 2023)
Lawsuit abuse reform reached its highest ranking in the 20-year history of ATRI’s Top Industry Issues Survey. No. 3 overall, motor carrier respondents ranked it No. 2 after the economy. The topic, previously referred to as tort reform, is one of three issues, along with the driver shortage and insurance cost/availability, that ranked among the Top 10 concerns in the inaugural ATRI top issues survey in 2005 and 2024.
Lawsuit abuse reform and insurance cost/availability are linked, as ATRI research has documented the impact of growing legal verdicts and settlements against the industry and the resulting impact on commercial auto insurance premiums.
4. Insurance cost/availability (Not ranked in 2023)
Insurance cost and availability ranked as a top 10 issue overall in the inaugural survey 20 years ago and most recently made the top 10 in 2021. Since then, ATRI research documented continuing increases in truck insurance premiums paid by motor carriers.
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As noted in the lawsuit abuse reform (No. 3), the premium increase is partly driven by losses resulting from excessive litigation. In this year’s survey, ATRI notes just 25 votes separated lawsuit abuse reform and insurance cost/availability, further demonstrating the intricate link between the two.
5. Driver compensation (No. 5 in 2023)
Driver Compensation ranked No. 5 for the second consecutive year, but among truck drivers, it was No. 2. While ATRI’s 2024 Operational Costs of Trucking research showed a 7.6% driver wage increase overall, that was just an average, as smaller fleets saw a slight dip in driver pay this year as freight rates fell.
6. Battery electric vehicles (No. 10 in 2023)
Challenges associated with the government mandates and timelines for electrifying heavy-duty trucking moved BEVs up ATRI’s top 10 issues list. Previously listed as “zero-emission vehicles,” the topic ranked No. 10 last year.
ATRI research documented several electrification challenges, ranging from vehicle costs to less cargo space. Because of the massive battery weight, it would take more EVs to deliver the same amount of freight that diesel equipment can handle.
The industry is firmly committed to reducing its environmental footprint, and the data illustrates how successful those efforts have been thus far, with emissions from new trucks reduced by more than 98% since the mid-1980s. Research has also shown that there are alternatives to vehicle electrification that achieve more significant carbon reductions while costing significantly less than purchasing all new BEVs, according to ATRI.
7. CSA: Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (Not ranked in 2023)
Compliance, Safety, and Accountability, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s safety measurement system, is back in ATRI’s top 10 after dropping off the 2023 list.
FMCSA first implemented CSA 14 years ago. Despite numerous updates and changes to the scoring methodologies, carriers still have concerns about how the agency evaluates and scores their safety performance, ATRI noted.
8. Detention/delay at customer facilities (No. 9 in 2023)
Detention/delay at customer facilities debuted in ATRI’s 2019 top 10 at No. 4. It hasn’t ranked that high yet but did move up one spot from No. 9 in 2023 to No. 8 this year.
ATRI’s latest detention research found that the industry lost 135.9 million hours of driver productivity in 2023, resulting in more than $11 billion in lost revenue. Detention also poses a safety risk, as ATRI found that detained drivers drove 14.6% faster than drivers who were not detained and waiting at shipper facilities.
9. Driver shortage (No. 4 in 2023)
In its 20-year history, the driver shortage has never ranked lower on ATRI’s top issues list than it does this year. ATRI researchers noted that economic and regulatory matters are overshadowing challenges in finding qualified drivers. And with the 2024 freight recession continuing, fleets are also doing less hiring this year.
However, ATRI notes that there are still an estimated 60,000 driver job openings and expects that number to grow as aging drivers continue to contemplate retirement.
10. Driver distraction (No. 7 in 2023)
After debuting in 2014, driver distraction dropped off the top 10 list until last year, when it ranked No. 7. Among law enforcement respondents to this year’s survey, distraction was the top concern. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 3,308 people were killed in traffic crashes in 2022 that were attributed to distraction.
The complete report can be downloaded at ATRI’s website, truckingresearch.org.