ATRI asks trucking industry for top concerns

The American Transportation Research Institute has launched its most recent 2025 Top Industry Issues survey, calling trucking stakeholders to rank their top concerns by Oct. 10, 2025.

This is the 21^st time the organization has held its survey, during which it will also address ways fleets can address their challenges. The organization will release its results on Oct. 26, 2025 at the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, California.

“For over 20 years, the industry has relied on the annual Top Industry Issues Survey to highlight the critical issues facing our nation’s supply chain,” said ATA Chair Dennis Dellinger, Cargo Transporters President and CEO. “ATRI’s research provides an opportunity for thousands of trucking industry professionals, from drivers to executives, to weigh in on the most challenging topics that affect our day-to-day operations and collectively decide on the most promising strategies for addressing each.”

Past survey results

Over the past few years, many of the same issues have continued to worry fleets and carriers. Truck parking has been among the top five issues for the past four years, and the economy joined the top five from 2022 onwards, reining as the top concern for the past two years. Driver compensation has also been among the top five four the past few years.

Although not among the top five, the driver shortage, detention/delays, and driver retention have been frequent top issues over the past four years. There’s been a few newer additions to the list, too, such as zero-emission vehicles, which appeared 2023 and 2024’s top concerns list. Additionally, insurance cost/availability dropped off the top 10 issue list after 2021, but reappeared in 2024.  

With the U.S.’ current regulatory and policy landscape, which has focused on deregulation and made some progress on closing lawsuit abuse loopholes, plus USDOT’s additional grant funding to expand parking access, it’s quite possible that many of these issues may lose their standing as top concerns for trucking. However, with the U.S.’ economic uncertainty and shifting labor market, problems like the economy, driver shortage, and driver compensation may continue to loom over the trucking industry.