Top 10 key issues in the trucking industry for 2025

The American Transportation Research Institute released its annual report on the key issues facing the trucking industry.

On October 26, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released its annual report on the key issues facing the trucking industry. In its 21st edition, ATRI identifies the most important challenges for the transportation sector through surveys of truck drivers, carriers, and other industry members, resulting in a list of the main concerns shared by these stakeholders.

With more than 4,200 participants from across North America sharing their views on the issues affecting both the trucking sector and the broader supply chain, the report provides a snapshot of the industry’s current reality.

Key issues in the trucking industry for 2025

For the third consecutive year, ATRI found that the top concern for the trucking industry is the economy.

“We are now in the third year of this prolonged freight recession, and the pain is real,” said Andy Owens, President of A&M Transport, in ATRI’s press release. “Operating costs have reached their highest level even as freight rates have hit rock bottom.”

ATRI stated that this year’s survey asked respondents to select their top three concerns from a list of 27 critical issues for the industry. These responses were ranked to produce a Top 10 list. According to the data collected by the institute, the results were as follows:

Top 10 industry issues in trucking for 2025

Economy
Lawsuit abuse reform
Insurance cost/availability
Truck parking
Driver compensation
CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)
English language proficiency
Diesel emissions regulations
Driver training standards
Artificial intelligence in trucking

The economy was once again identified as the leading concern for the industry, marking the third year in a row. Issues such as lawsuit abuse reform, insurance costs, and availability rose one position compared to the 2024 survey. Conversely, truck parking availability dropped two spots but remains on the list.

In addition to long-standing concerns, four new issues entered the Top 10 this year: English language proficiency, diesel emissions regulations, driver training standards, and artificial intelligence in trucking. This highlights the emergence of new challenges in the industry that add to those that have persisted for years.

Although the issues mentioned above generally represent the industry’s overall Top 10 concerns, ATRI also developed a specific list focusing on truck drivers’ main issues, which are presented below:

Top 10 truck driver issues in 2025

Driver compensation
Truck parking
Drivers’ English language proficiency
Broker-related issues
Detention/delay at customer facilities
Artificial intelligence in trucking
Driver training standards
Autonomous trucks
Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate
Diesel emissions regulations

ATRI’s analysis is essential for the trucking industry, as it allows stakeholders to quantify the sector’s key problems while also understanding how the industry perceives itself, and how it is perceived by the many actors that shape it. Based on these insights, the industry can work toward developing targeted solutions to address its most pressing challenges.