The American Trucking Research Institute (ATRI) recently released its 2026 Top Industry Issues Survey. This annual survey provides key data on the most important issues affecting trucking and how the industry views them. The survey results will be compiled into a report that ATRI will release on October 16 at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition (MCE 2026) in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

2026 Top Industry Issues Survey: What to know

• Trucking industry stakeholders are asked to take the survey. This includes almost all roles in the industry, including truck drivers.
• The final report will include an overall ranking and then break down the top 10 issues for motor carriers and the top 10 issues for truck drivers. Historically, truck drivers rank issues like driver pay and truck parking higher than the rest of the industry, which focuses more on economic and operational issues.
• The survey is open as of August 24. The survey will remain open until October 2. 
• This is the 22nd year ATRI has run this survey. Examining how the rankings have changed over the years can provide additional context into how the industry has handled certain issues and when others became more prominent. 
• You can participate in the survey online at ATRI’s site. 

How top trucking issues might rank in 2026

The following is how the industry ranked its top 10 issues in Q3 of 2025:

1. Economy
2. Lawsuit abuse reform
3. Insurance cost/availability
4. Truck parking 
5. Driver compensation
6. Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
7. English language proficiency (ELP) for drivers
8. Diesel emissions regulations 
9. Driver training standards
10. Artificial intelligence (AI)

Several of these issues (ELP, AI, etc.) were newly ranked in 2025. Others, like the economy and truck parking, were frequent flyers. 

For 2026, a lot of these issues are likely to make the list again. The economy, especially for trucking, has had its ups and downs in 2026. Last year marked the third year in a row that the economy ranked at No. 1, so it isn’t likely to vanish from this list anytime soon.

Truck parking is another continuous problem for the industry. It ranked at No. 2 in 2024 and 2023, and typically ranks very highly with truck drivers. While truck parking did see some new funding this year, and paid truck parking continues to rise, this isn’t a problem that can be solved quickly. 

ELP and AI were both new to the rankings in 2025, and both have remained hot topics this year, possibly even hotter than the previous year. California fought against ELP enforcement in 2025 but began complying at the beginning of 2026. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) continued to adopt new ELP rules this year, including those for CDL schools. More recently, the administration is moving toward adding ELP to the list of formal out-of-service (OOS) violations. This continued attention across the industry and the government could have ELP ranking higher or lower.

AI has seen innovations in 2026 across fleet management technology, safety technology, and more. But it has also garnered criticism and renewed focus on the need for human oversight. Whether we like it or not, AI isn’t going anywhere soon—not from this industry and likely not from these rankings.

Diesel emissions regulations will be an interesting one for 2026. In July of this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed modifying its NOx rule by removing the warranty extension, and last year EPA weakened DEF derates. In February, EPA also repealed all GHG regulations. This deregulation was expected under the Trump administration and could lower diesel emissions regulations’ place in the top issues rankings.

Why survey participation is important

Last year, over 4,200 trucking industry stakeholders participated in the top issues survey, a 14% increase compared to 2024. According to ATRI, more than 46% of respondents were motor carrier executives and personnel; truck drivers represented 30%, and the remaining 23% were other freight stakeholders.

The results of the 2026 survey, like with past surveys, will be revealed and discussed at MCE 2026 in October. This is one of the industry’s biggest annual events, providing professionals the chance to share tactics and potential solutions for these top issues.

For truck drivers especially, this survey offers an opportunity to help the industry enact change by better understanding driver problems and obstacles.