The American Transportation Research Institute’s list of top industry concerns shows that drivers and carriers share a top concern this year – fuel prices.
The 22nd annual Top Industry Issue report was released on Sunday, October 18th. 48% of survey respondents were motor carriers, 26% were truck drivers, and 26% were other stakeholders in the transportation industry. Fuel prices tops the list at number one for truck drivers, and number two for motor carriers.
“Just as we started to see some positive signs in the freight economy, the cost of diesel topped $6.50 per gallon,” said Ben Banks, TCW President. “With operating costs continuing to climb overall, this spike in fuel costs is particularly painful for small- to mid-size fleets. ATRI’s annual analysis is so essential for trucking to not only quantify the issues, but more importantly, to understand what we can collectively do as an industry to address each.”
The top three concerns for truck drivers were ranked as fuel prices at number one, truck parking at number two, and driver compensation at number three. Motor carriers ranked their very top concern as lawsuit abuse reform, with fuel prices ranking second and driver shortage coming in third.
Drivers ranked autonomous trucks and English Language Proficiency requirements as numbers four and five top concerns, while Artificial Intelligence made its way onto the list for the second year in a row at number six. This year, law enforcement personnel were also interviewed. Amongst officers, ELD fraud was listed as the top concern.
The full ATRI report can be seen here.
