With the big run-up in diesel fuel prices this year, it’s no surprise that fuel prices are the trucking industry’s top concern in 2026, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual “Top Industry Issues” report released Oct. 18.
The annual report’s based on survey responses from more than 3,000 industry stakeholders around the country, including motor carriers, owner-operators, company drivers, and others.
Across all respondents, fuel prices were selected as the top industry concern, up 17 spots from the 2025 survey. Lawsuit abuse reform retained its No. 2 ranking from 2025, while CSA rose three spots to be the industry’s third top concern.
Insurance cost/availability dropped one spot this year to No. 4 overall, while “driver shortage” returned to the overall top 10 for the first time since 2024, coming in at No. 5.
After being trucking’s top issue for the last three years in a row, concerns over the economy dropped five spots to No. 6. A new issue on last year’s top 10 list, artificial intelligence in trucking, rose three spots to No. 7. Diesel emissions regulations held onto its No. 8 ranking, followed by driver compensation and driver retention rounding out the top 10.
Notably missing from the overall top 10 but ranked high by both company drivers and owner-operators: truck parking. The issue missed the cut by not ranking in the top 10 among motor carriers, but parking ranked No. 2 overall among truck operators.
[Related: DOT awards $200M in new truck parking grants]
How operator, carrier priorities differ
Truck drivers, including owner-ops, and motor carriers differ on what most needs to be addressed.
While fuel prices were the overall No. 1 issue, multi-unit fleets ranked it No. 2 overall behind lawsuit abuse reform. The “Truck Drivers” column here represents input from both owner-operators/independent contractors and company drivers.
As noted above, truck parking is among the most important issues for truck drivers, but motor carriers didn’t rank it at all.
[Related: ‘Driver shortage’ narrative returns as ‘driverless’ rollout accelerates]
Drivers ranked driver compensation as No. 3 overall, but “driver shortage” climbed to the No. 3 overall issue for carriers, up from No. 5 last year (as noted unranked by drivers).
Drivers also highlighted concerns over autonomous trucks and English language proficiency (ELP) as Nos. 4 and 5 top issues, while carriers did not rank either one. Instead, insurance cost/availability and CSA rounded out the top 5 issues for carriers.
[Related: Trucking insurance: How to make underwriters fight for your business]
ATRI’s report also separated out the top issues from company drivers and owner-operators. For company drivers, compensation led the issues, while fuel prices were No. 1 for owner-ops and independent contractors. Fuel didn’t crack the top 5 for company drivers.
Truck parking ranked No. 2 overall for both sets of truckers.
Owner-operators viewed broker issues and diesel emission regulations as top issues, where company drivers didn’t, and company drivers named autonomous trucks and AI in trucking as major issues.
ELP ranked No. 5 overall for both owner-operators and company drivers.
ATRI also heard from the law enforcement community in its reporting, who ranked electronic logging device (ELD) fraud as its top concern given widespread ELD manipulation in some cases easily evading detection at roadside, followed by CSA and driver distraction.
ELP and hours-of-service rounded out the top 5 for enforcement officers.
[Related: 1K ELP violations, 561 immigration arrests: Alabama trumpets aggressive trucking posture]
Addressing trucking’s top issues
ATRI’s industry survey asked respondents to rank three strategies — either write-ins or pre-identified by a prior collaboration with stakeholders — that best address each of the respondent’s top three issues.
The final report includes the top three proposed strategies for the overall top 10 issues. Find the full rundown in ATRI’s report here. Below, find the top proposed strategy for the owner-operator/driver-prioritized issues in the top 10.
Fuel prices: Advocate for federal policies and actions that help stabilize the supply of fuel and minimize price increases. A majority of respondents (65.2%) said the best strategy for addressing high fuel prices is action at the federal level. However, federal actions like the recently announced expansion of dyed diesel use for on-road trucks are generating mixed reviews for the ability to deliver meaningful relief without creating additional compliance burdens for truckers, ATRI said.
[Related: Could dyed diesel damage your engine or void your warranty?]
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA): Encourage FMCSA to review and address enforcement disparities/geographic variations in enforcement between states and local jurisdictions that impact CSA scores, which may unfairly penalize carriers and drivers based solely on where they operate.
Insurance cost/availability: Develop a framework for potential upfront insurance premium reductions when drivers and carriers adopt proven safety technologies. ATRI noted that it’s currently in the process of researching potential incentives for participation in a “Beyond Compliance” program, which would include ways to motivate and reward motor carriers for voluntary investments in proven safety technologies.
[Related: ELD-data engagement: Increasingly, your insurance premiums could depend on it]
AI in trucking: Research the role and applications of AI in trucking operations, including positive and negative impacts on the labor force. ATRI said 39.5% of respondents believe the industry needs to better understand the role and applications of AI in trucking, including what benefits it offers and what the potential downsides may be.
Diesel emissions regulations: Identify the financial impacts associated with compliance with mandated diesel emission regulations.
[Related: Truck owners lambast EPA over diesel emissions warranty rollback]
Driver compensation: Analyze truck driver compensation models and their relationship to driver satisfaction, retention and productivity. Understanding how the industry’s various compensation models — mileage, hourly, per-load, percentage of revenue — relate to driver satisfaction is the top strategy recommended by 36.2% of respondents.
Driver retention: Research the primary factors behind drivers leaving trucking careers. More than a third of respondents felt the industry will achieve the best success in retaining drivers if research is conducted to understand the primary reasons drivers leave trucking careers.
This chart represents how the industry’s top concerns have changed over the last 10 years.
Download ATRI’s full 2026 Top Industry Issues report here.
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