Key issues facing the road transport industry in 2025

Celeste Polidori
December 27, 2024

Road transport and fleet challenges of 2025, revealed in a Fleetworthy survey.

2024 is coming to an end, and with the new year come new challenges for the road transportation industry. While not everything can be left in the past, some issues will continue to accompany truck drivers on the road, who will face the new year with various concerns.

Recently, Fleetworthy published a survey of 300 truck drivers, titled “The Road Ahead: Road Transport and Fleet Report for 2025.“ The survey results revealed that, in 2024, most fleets were struggling with paperwork and toll management. The numerous documents, devices, and disparate services involved lead to inefficient operations, which can result in heavy fines. As no definitive solutions have been presented to these issues, 2025 will begin with these problems unresolved.

Administrative challenges facing transporters

Within the survey, the company identified some of the most pressing administrative challenges faced by transporters, such as compliance paperwork and toll management. The survey revealed that 65% of fleet operators believe their fleet would not pass a DOT audit, and 55% stated that the biggest obstacle to getting drivers on the road is managing compliance documentation and paperwork.

Additionally, 90% of fleets expressed concern about potential severe penalties, while 73% of respondents use a partly manual process to manage tolls. On the other hand, 35% of independent truckers have considered ceasing operations due to the cost or difficulty of maintaining regulatory compliance.

Although maintaining a CDL license and medical certificate is the responsibility of the driver, transporters must ensure their drivers meet the requirements to avoid penalties and suspensions. This challenge is especially critical for smaller fleets and owner-operators, who must manage multiple compliance tasks, making the paperwork even more complex.

According to information shared by Fleetworthy, approximately two-thirds of fleet operations managers believe that real-time alerts on compliance risks and compliance software with automation capabilities would have the greatest impact on reducing paperwork. Additionally, 53% of respondents would appreciate the help of a consultant to streamline compliance processes. These resources are key to identifying and addressing safety and compliance risks.

Toll challenges in the road transportation industry

As fleets grow, toll management becomes a complicated issue due to violations, malfunctioning transponders, and lack of control over data. According to Fleetworthy, 93% of respondents face difficulties in this area. The main problems include:

Inability to predict monthly expenses – 44%
Complexity in managing multiple transponders and accounts – 39%
Frequent violations – 37%

These problems can lead to penalties and increased costs, making it even more difficult to manage toll expenses. Compliance and toll management solutions, such as those offered by Fleetworthy, can help optimize these processes and reduce administrative costs

Although Fleetworthy highlights the benefits of implementing new technologies in the road transportation industry, several ongoing issues in the sector require further support from authorities. Scams, the lack of truck parking spaces, zero-emission vehicle regulations, violations, and trucker health problems are just a few of the challenges that still need to be addressed in 2025.