Top Issues survey: Economy is top concern overall; drivers say it’s pay

While the economy remains the number one critical issue for the U.S. trucking industry overall, a new study shows truckers — especially company drivers –believe their top concern is pay.

The American Transportation Research Institute’s 21st annual survey of top industry issues also found four new ones that have not appeared in previous years. 

The new study was released Sunday at the opening day of the American Trucking Association’s annual Management Conference and Exhibition going on in San Diego.

For truck drivers, who made up 30% of the survey’s 4,600 total respondents, the economy did not even make their top 10 list. Instead, driver concerns were:

1. Driver compensation
2. Truck parking
3. English language proficiency for drivers
4. Broker issues
5. Detention and delays at customer facilities
6. Artificial intelligence in trucking
7. Driver training standards
8. Autonomous trucks
9. Electronic logging devices mandate
10. Diesel emissions regulations

However, overall respondents — 46% of which were motor carrier executives and 23% other freight stakeholders — had mostly different concerns. The overall survey’s ranking showed:

1. The economy
2. Law suit abuse reform
3. Insurance cost/availability
4. Truck parking
5. Driver compensation
6. Compliance safety accountability
7. English language proficiency for drivers
8. Diesel emissions regulations
9. Driver training standards
10. Artificial intelligence in trucking

The survey said, “Coming on the heels of two years of reduced freight demand and declining freight rates, the addition of increased – and often changing – tariffs this year has introduced additional strain and uncertainty for the freight industry. From decreases in container volumes to potentially significant increases in the cost of equipment, the industry’s economic challenges do not appear to be abating any time soon.”

The issue of the economy has been all over the survey’s list in the last 10 years. Its rise to the top of industry concerns occurred in the last three year. While making the list in the past, it was fifth in 2022, not even on the list in 2021, eighth in 2020, and 10th in both 2019 and 2018. After dropping off the survey entirely in 2017, the economy was ranked fifth in 2016.

Changes in the survey’s overall ranking this year include:

• Law suit abuse reform bumped truck parking out of the second spot
• Insurance cost/availability moved up from fourth to third
• Truck parking dropped from second to fourth
• Compliance safety accountability was up one spot from sixth to fifth

Also, while driver compensation was truckers’ top concern, it remained fifth on the overall ranking.

All new to ATRI’s list this year are issues that have been attracting plenty of industry attention in recent months. They include

• English language proficiency for drivers (seventh)
• diesel emissions regulations (eighth)
• driver training standards (ninth)
• artificial intelligence in trucking (10th)

Gone from last year’s survey: 

• battery electric vehicles (which was sixth in 2024)
• detention/delay (which was eighth)
• driver shortage (which was ninth)
• driver distraction (which was 10th)

The absence of the drivers shortage from this year’s list is a significant departure from previous surveys. That issue, which has been a major point of contention within the industry especially lately, has had a checkered past in this ranking. It has been:

• 2024, ninth
• 2023,  fourth
• 2022, second
• 2021 through 2017, first
• 2016, seventh

Another point of interest made clear by the survey is the difference between the top issues of company drivers vs. those of owner-operator independent drivers. The top five issues were:

1. Driver compensation for company drivers vs. Broker issues for owner-operator independent drivers
2. Truck parking for both
3. English language proficiency for company drivers vs. driver compensation for owner-operator independent drivers
4. Artificial intelligence in trucking for company drivers vs. English language proficiency for drivers for owner-operator independent drivers
5. Driver training standards for company drivers vs. Diesel emissions regulations for owner-operator independent drivers

“We’re in the third year of this extended freight recession and the pain is real,” said Andy Owens, A&M Transport President. “Operating costs climbed to their highest ever at the same time that freight pricing has bottomed out. ATRI’s annual analysis is so critical for our industry to not only quantify the issues, but more importantly, to understand what we can collectively do as an industry to address each.”