Commercial auto insurance has been climbing for years, and truck drivers are feeling the impact as fleets adjust budgets and coverage. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is launching new research to break down why insurance costs keep going up and which risk management strategies are proving useful for carriers trying to stay competitive.
ATRI is asking motor carriers across the country to participate and share information that will help paint a clear picture of how insurance trends are affecting day-to-day operations.
Josh Hankins, J B Hunt’s senior vice president of safety and security, explained the growing strain many fleets are dealing with.
“The total cost of risk is growing annually for every fleet, regardless of size. While many carriers are cutting back on insurance coverage to control expenses, premiums keep climbing—and reducing coverage only heightens exposure to catastrophic litigation,” he said.
“Today, trucking faces a perfect insurance storm. Fortunately, ATRI’s insurance research will offer critical insights into strategies fleets can adopt to manage these costs and measure their impact.”
Premiums Continue to Rise
According to ATRI, “Trucking auto liability premiums rose by 36 percent per mile in the past 8 years amid persistent unprofitability for insurers, even as truck crashes declined over the past 4 years. In 2025, insurance cost availability and lawsuit abuse, a primary contributor to rising insurance costs, were voted as the third and second greatest issues facing the trucking industry, respectively.”
As fleets face increasing financial pressure, many are reshaping their total cost of risk by testing new technology, adjusting training programs, or shifting to different insurance structures such as self-insurance or captives. ATRI’s previous research showed that between 2018 and 2020, many fleets reduced coverage and raised deductibles in hopes of lowering expenses. Even then, premiums continued to rise. Because of this, ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee made expanding this research a top priority to understand how these strategies are being adopted across the industry and how effective they truly are.
What ATRI Needs from Carriers
ATRI is looking for motor carriers to provide data on their coverage stacks from 2021 through 2024, along with information about their safety technology and any alternative insurance arrangements they use. All data is confidential and only reviewed in aggregate form. ATRI will sign nondisclosure agreements if requested.
Carriers that participate will receive a customized report showing how their cost of risk compares to a peer group without identifying any individual company. The survey can be completed online or by PDF, and the deadline to submit is Friday, Dec. 19.
Source: The Trucker
