The 19th annual Top Industry Issues report has unveiled the dominant concerns in the trucking industry, with the economy taking the lead, closely trailed by inadequate truck parking. This survey by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) gathers insights from motor carriers, drivers, and other stakeholders within the trucking industry.
The top concerns for this year include economic stability, truck parking, fuel pricing fluctuations, the ongoing driver shortage, driver compensation concerns, and, notably, the emergence of zero-emission vehicles.
“ATRI’s list thoroughly and accurately reflects the challenges we’ve faced this year,” said Dan Van Alstine, ATA chairman, president, and COO of Ruan Transportation Management Systems. “Costs were up, and demand was down, all while we worked to navigate a number of workforce and regulatory issues. Thankfully, ATRI’s analysis doesn’t just tell us what the issues are; it spells out a number of data-driven strategies that the industry can pursue to address them.”
In a year fraught with difficulties, marked by escalating inflation rates, heightened operational expenses, and dwindling freight demand, the state of the national economy stood out as the top concern. The persistent issue of insufficient truck parking surged to its highest-ever ranking, securing the second position. In contrast, last year’s primary concern, fuel prices, has descended to the third spot this year. Completing the Top 5 for this year is the driver shortage and compensation.
The introduction of both mandates and timelines aimed at transitioning the nation’s vehicle fleet to low- or zero-emission alternatives has propelled this issue into the Top 10 list for the first time in ATRI survey history. Zero-emission vehicles claimed the tenth spot overall and ranked seventh among the motor carrier respondents.
The survey’s participants comprised over 4,000 stakeholders from the trucking industry, encompassing motor carriers, truck drivers, industry suppliers, driver trainers, law enforcement personnel, and other relevant groups. A noteworthy addition this year was the inclusion of law enforcement personnel, representing nearly 5% of respondents.
The complete findings of this annual survey were unveiled during the 2023 American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference and Exhibition on Oct. 14. Access the full report by clicking here.
Source: The Trucker
