Trucking Pros Asked to Identify Top Concerns in ATRI Survey
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People working in a wide variety of roles within the U.S. trucking industry are being encouraged by American Trucking Associations Chairman Dennis Dellinger to help rank today’s top challenges.
“There’s no underestimating the challenges our industry has faced this year with a freight recession that lingers while our operating costs continue to escalate. The economic uncertainties have been punctuated by tariffs, workforce challenges, cargo theft and a continued assault on our industry by the plaintiffs’ bar,” noted Dellinger, also president and CEO of Cargo Transporters Inc. in Claremont, N.C. “Your opinion is vital to stakeholders who are working to ensure the long-term vitality of our industry.”
He stressed the importance of participating in the 21st annual Top Industry Issues Survey by the . The survey forms a foundation for developing current and future strategies to address key trucking industry issues. .
“In challenging environments like this one, it is ever more important to understand the issues facing fleets and our workforce so that ATA and its federation partners can identify and press for solutions,” Dellinger noted. “ATA remains seated at the table with the key decision-makers in Washington. Our influence — both economically and politically — is derived from the undeniable fact that our country cannot function, let alone thrive, without a strong trucking industry.”
Respondents to the ATRI survey can include drivers, motor carriers, law enforcement officers, government personnel, industry suppliers and industry association employees.
Dellinger emphasized that ATRI’s survey provides a critical opportunity for thousands of industry professionals ranging from drivers to executives to voice their opinions about trucking’s most important topics.
Industry Input
ATRI's survey takes only a few minutes to complete. Respondents are asked to select their top three issues among 27 topics. These include:
- Diesel emissions regulations
- Truck parking
- Predatory towing
- Marijuana legalization
- Cargo theft
- Artificial intelligence in trucking
- Lawsuit abuse reform
- Insurance cost/availability
“ATRI’s annual survey gives truck drivers an opportunity to make our collective concerns known,” said Lloyd Howell, an ATA America’s Road Team captain and professional truck driver for TCW Inc. of Nashville, Tenn. “Whether your top challenge is truck parking, driver compensation, detention at customer facilities, traffic congestion or something else, this is your chance to bring those issues to light.”
Survey results will be released Oct. 26 as part of in San Diego.
ATRI is the trucking industry’s nonprofit research organization. Its 2024 survey identified the economy as the No. 1 concern followed by truck parking, lawsuit abuse reform, insurance cost and availability, and driver compensation.
Last October, Gregg Troian, president of Pennsylvania-based PGT Trucking, reflected on the 2024 results: “Our costs continued to climb while freight demand struggled. 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.”
More than 3,700 trucking industry stakeholders took part in the 2024 survey. Over 45% of the respondents were motor carrier executives and personnel, while truck drivers accounted for 31%.
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