Summary: The most recent American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) list of top 10 industry issues, as voted by carriers and drivers, reflects concerns about the economy, lawsuit abuse reform, insurance costs, truck parking, and more.

Top 10 Issues in Trucking for 2025

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently released its annual ranking of top industry issues based on survey responses from both carriers and drivers. This was the non-profit research organization’s 21st year of conducting the industry issues survey, with a near-record 4,200 respondents participating (47% were motor carriers, 30% were professional truck drivers, and 23% were other industry stakeholders, such as law enforcement or driver trainers). Respondents chose their top three issues from 27 issues, and write-in issues and strategies were allowed.

Overall Results: Top Industry Issues for 2025

1. Economy (was also #1 in 2024)
2. Lawsuit Abuse Reform (up from #3 in 2024)
3. Insurance Cost/Availability (up from #4 in 2024)
4. Truck Parking (down from #2 in 2024)
5. Driver Compensation (was also #5 in 2024)
6. CSA (up from #7 in 2024)
7. English Language Proficiency for Drivers
8. Diesel Emissions Regulations
9. Driver Training Standards
10. Artificial Intelligence in Trucking

Different Concerns for Drivers vs. Carriers

When the responses were sorted by respondent type, differences did emerge in the ranking of topics. ATRI researchers note that this difference in alignment creates an opportunity for fleets to better understand drivers' needs and concerns, thereby improving retention and recruitment rates. For example:

For drivers, the top issues were:
1. Driver Compensation
2. Truck Parking
3. English Language Proficiency for Drivers
4. Broker Issues
5. Detention/Delay at Customer Facilities
6. AI in Trucking
7. Driver Training Standards
8. Autonomous Trucks
9. Electronic Logging Device Mandate
10. Diesel Emissions Regulations

For Motor Carriers, top issues were:
1. Economy
2. Lawsuit Abuse Reform
3. Insurance Cost/Availability
4. CSA
5. Driver Shortage
6. Driver Retention
7. Driver Distraction
8. Diesel Emissions Regulations
9. Truck Parking
10. Broker issues

Deeper Dive into the Overall Top 10 Issues

1. Economy

For the third year in a row, economic concerns were the top issue overall for survey respondents. Operational costs continue to rise while freight pricing has bottomed out, further squeezing operating margins. Identifying this shared concern can help carriers and industry leaders support fleets and drivers during this challenging time.

2. Lawsuit Abuse Reform

Rising one spot from the previous year, lawsuit abuse is an ever-present concern for the trucking industry, as so-called nuclear verdicts can easily put a carrier out of business. Predatory legal tactics also drive up insurance and, ultimately, consumer costs. Industry groups, such as the American Trucking Associations (ATA), are actively working to advance federal and state tort reforms.

3. Insurance Cost/Availability

According to ATRI, the industry-average commercial auto liability insurance premium cost rose by 37.8% over the decade, reaching a record 10.2 cents per mile. The rate hikes stem not from the frequency of crash claims, but from the severity and expense, largely driven by multi-million-dollar nuclear verdicts. Insurance costs rose one spot in the industry survey, illustrating that it continues to be a major concern for the industry.

4. Truck Parking

Truck parking dropped two spots from the previous year’s survey, but continues to be a top concern for drivers and carriers. Recent ATRI research has examined near-real-time truck GPS datasets from thousands of freight trucks, revealing consistent, super-dense concentrations of trucks on the frontage roads and sides of highways near rest stops.

Additionally, ATRI research showed that 88% of drivers felt unsafe while parked at some point over the last year. State Departments of Transportation and industry organizations are partnering with fleets in many places to increase parking opportunities that improve driver safety and job satisfaction.

5. Driver Compensation

Driver compensation ranks at the same level as the previous year, and is understandably the number one item on the drivers’ list. According to The National Transportation Institute, while nominal driver pay (cents-per-mile or hourly rates) has steadily risen, purchasing power for long-haul drivers has lagged due to economic inflation. Driver compensation is always a top concern for drivers, but also for fleets wanting to improve their recruitment and retention efforts.

6. CSA

Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) ratings concerns are up one place in this year’s survey, showing that these FMCSA comparisons across the industry remain a priority, as they can trigger potential Department of Transportation interventions, affect insurance rates, and impact company reputation. Drivers and fleets must constantly perform to maintain and improve CSA ratings.

7. English Language Proficiency for Drivers

English language proficiency among drivers is a new item on the ATRI survey and could be explained by current events and news occurring near the time of the survey. In early 2025, President Trump signed an executive order reiterating the focus on the federal laws requiring commercial drivers to be proficient in the English language. There were subsequent conversations about how this may impact the available driver pool, which may help explain this item’s presence on the top industry concern list.

8. Diesel Emissions Regulations

The Trump administration recently rolled back a number of emission regulations and lightened the push for battery electrification. However, industry leaders know that starting with model year ’27 vehicles, there may be some very challenging requirements for reducing NOx emissions. If these remain in place — which it appears they will, based on signals from the EPA — they may drive up the price of new trucks. Notably, battery electric vehicles, which were #6 on last year's list, have dropped down to #23, suggesting that concern over diesel emission regulations has replaced battery electric vehicle issues.

9. Driver Training Standards

Concerns from veteran drivers about the quality of training new drivers receive have been a consistently written-in issue for years, but this is the first year it has appeared on the Top 10 list. Some drivers point to bare-minimum training focused solely on a licensing or CDL test, rather than on emphasizing hazard perception, situational awareness, and defensive driving. Others feel there is a lack of structured onboarding or mentoring within fleets. Drivers and carriers now both seem to recognize a need for improved training efforts for new drivers.

10. Artificial Intelligence in Trucking

The potential for AI to improve the industry's efficiency and productivity is undeniable. However, these survey results suggest that many in the industry have wondered whether AI will replace their jobs or drastically change how they operate, possibly not for the better. While the potential of autonomous trucks gets most of the attention, AI is more likely to be well-leveraged to improve logistics, scheduling, tracking, and safety.

Next Steps with ATRI Research

ATRI prides itself on taking its initial research a step further by offering several additional guides that provide deeper dives into many of these top industry concerns on its website. The full Industry “Critical issues in the Trucking Industry” report can also be downloaded there.

How Platform Science Helps with Critical Industry Concerns

As a leader in fleet management tools, telematics, and automated carrier processes, Platform Science works with fleets to improve safety and compliance, support driver safety and job satisfaction, and more effectively integrate emerging technologies to optimize operations. We also offer a curated Virtual Vehicle Marketplace featuring third-party add-on apps that allow carriers to further customize their systems to meet specific goals or challenges.

Visit our site to learn about our solutions for these top industry concerns, or schedule a demo.

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