The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) on Monday launched its 2022 Top Industry Issues Survey, an annual query to trucking industry stakeholders asking them to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with potential strategies for addressing each issue.
Last year – for the fifth year in a row – a driver shortage topped the report. A shortage of diesel technicians cracked the list (No. 10) for the first time. Driver-related issues dominated ATRI’s Top 10 list in 2021, with driver retention and driver compensation ranking No. 2 and No. 3. Truck parking, which was listed as a tie for No. 1 among commercial driver respondents, didn’t crack the Top 10 for carrier respondents but settled in at No. 5 overall. Detention/delay at customer facilities was No. 7 overall on the list, up two spots from 2020.
Now in its 18th year, ATRI’s annual analysis not only ranks the issues overall but also provides insights into how critical topics are ranked differently by motor carriers and professional drivers. The report also allows stakeholders to monitor issues over time to better understand which issues are rising, or falling, in criticality.
ATA Chair Harold Sumerford, Jr., also CEO of Birmingham, Alabama-based J & M Tank Lines, noted the annual Top Industry Issues Survey has long been a crucial part of understanding the issues facing our country’s supply chain, and "ATRI’s research provides a chance for thousands of trucking industry professionals, from drivers to executives, to weigh in on the most important topics that affect trucking and collectively decide on the best strategies for addressing each."
The results of the 2022 survey will be released in October as part of the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, California. Industry stakeholders are encouraged to complete the 2022 survey available by clicking here.
