ATRI invites motor carriers to participate in 2026 operational costs data collection to benchmark fleet performance
Key takeaways
- Fleets can compare their 2025 driver pay, equipment, and insurance costs to peers for smarter budgeting decisions.
- Key performance data such as nonrevenue miles, driver utilization, and revenue per truck help identify operational inefficiencies.
- Multiyear participants get year-over-year cost and performance trends to track improvements and guide fleet strategy.
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently invited for-hire motor carriers to participate in its annual Operational Costs of Trucking report for 2026. The institute, which produces the public benchmarking tool for fleets of all sizes, tracks metrics including driver pay, equipment expenditures, insurance premiums, and key performance indicators such as non-revenue mileage, driver utilization, mileage between breakdowns, and revenue per truck per week.
Participating carriers receive a customized report comparing their costs and operations to an anonymized peer group of similar size and sector. New in 2026, multiyear participants will also receive year-over-year comparisons to evaluate trends over time. Data for 2025 can be submitted online or by PDF by April 24. All confidential information will be published only in anonymized averages.
“There are signs of growing opportunities for trucking in 2026 but only if fleets can maintain disciplined, nimble operations,” Andrew Hadland, CFO of Hirschbach Motor Lines, stated. “ATRI’s Operational Costs of Trucking and the customized report we receive as participants are important inputs for ensuring healthy performance in our costs and operations despite economic headwinds.”
