ATRI Sets 2025 Research Priorities on Insurance, Safety, and Compliance in Trucking

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) Board of Directors approved the 2025 Top Research Priorities aimed at addressing critical challenges within the U.S. trucking industry. These priorities were identified by ATRI's Research Advisory Committee and focus on key areas including rising insurance costs, driver training effectiveness, advancements in safety technology, telematics utilization, and cabotage violations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Rising commercial auto insurance costs have previously resulted in carriers adjusting coverage and safety investments. The new research will expand on these findings by analyzing current insurance trends, including the role of captives and self-insurance.

The mandate by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requiring Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) aims to enhance safety by standardizing training before the commercial driver’s license test. ATRI will investigate the real-world effectiveness of ELDT programs using safety data and statistical models to better understand their impact on driver preparedness and safety outcomes. In-cab monitoring technology, particularly driver-facing cameras, continues to expand in use among fleets to improve safety.

The upcoming research plans to analyze confidential data from these systems to link monitoring practices with safety improvements and explore how carriers and drivers manage this data to foster safer driving environments.

elematics technology, which has evolved beyond asset tracking to include vehicle performance and compliance monitoring, remains underutilized by some carriers. ATRI's research will develop a comprehensive guide of telematics data tools and applications tailored to diverse carrier sizes, helping the industry leverage technological advancements for operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

Cabotage violations, where non-U.S. domiciled carriers engage in unauthorized multiple deliveries within the U.S., pose challenges by creating competitive imbalances and impacting U.S.-based trucking jobs. The planned research will quantify these violations' frequency and operational impacts to inform enforcement and policy measures. These priorities signal ATRI's focused approach on delivering actionable insights around insurance, regulatory compliance, safety technology, and cross-border regulatory issues critical to the industry’s operational and economic health.