Fuel prices climb 17 positions to the top
The American Transportation Research Institute released its 22nd annual Top Industry Issues report on October 18 at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition. Fuel prices rose 17 positions from the 2025 survey to become the industry’s number-one concern. ATRI linked the sharp change to diesel costs that had moved above $6.50 per gallon and the broader pressure of rising operating expenses.
The economy falls as cost and legal pressures lead
Behind fuel prices, the overall ranking places lawsuit abuse reform second, the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program third and insurance cost and availability fourth. The driver shortage returned to the top 10 at number five, while the economy—first for the previous three years—fell to sixth. Artificial intelligence in trucking, diesel emissions regulations, driver compensation and driver retention complete the top 10.
Drivers and carriers do not rank every issue the same
Driver respondents, including owner-operators and company drivers, named fuel prices, truck parking and driver compensation as their three leading concerns. Motor-carrier respondents ranked lawsuit abuse reform first, fuel prices second and the driver shortage third. The split matters because a combined national ranking can hide the immediate problems experienced by different parts of the industry.
Nearly 3,100 stakeholders participated
ATRI says nearly 3,100 respondents participated in the 2026 survey. More than 48 percent were motor-carrier executives or personnel, 26 percent were truck drivers and the remaining 26 percent were suppliers, trainers, law-enforcement personnel and other freight stakeholders. In a separate analysis of law-enforcement responses, electronic logging device fraud ranked first.
The survey measures concern—not a new rule or forecast
The ranking reflects respondent priorities at the time of the survey. It does not change federal regulations, guarantee that a policy proposal will be adopted or predict a particular fuel price. The economy’s move to sixth may signal cautious optimism among carriers, but it should not be treated as proof that freight demand, rates or margins have fully recovered. Fleets should combine the survey with current lane, rate, fuel and maintenance data.
Driver and fleet takeaway
Owner-operators should calculate fuel cost on total miles, including deadhead, before accepting a load and confirm whether the quoted rate includes a transparent fuel surcharge. Fleets should review surcharge formulas, fuel-card discounts, idle time, route-specific miles per gallon and out-of-route purchases at least weekly while prices remain volatile. Drivers should use verified truck-stop pricing and plan legal fuel and parking stops together; dispatchers should avoid routing decisions that save a few cents per gallon but add excessive miles, tolls or hours. Keep safety, hours-of-service and maintenance requirements unchanged while adjusting the operating plan.
American Transportation Research Institute — 2026 Top Industry Issues Report
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