The American Transportation Research Institute has announced its latest research priorities, which include addressing the growing concerns of rising costs, driver health, and severe weather events in the trucking industry. Safety, with a focus on rewarding fleets for going above and beyond minimum safety requirements, is at the top of the list.
This year's research priorities aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing the trucking industry, including the effectiveness of driver coaching in improving safety outcomes. ATRI plans to examine data from various sources to identify which coaching practices deliver real safety gains and inform best practices for fleet management.
The organization is also exploring ways to reduce regulatory costs and develop more effective weather event preparedness strategies. By tackling these complex issues, ATRI hopes to contribute to a safer and more efficient trucking industry.
Rebecca Brewster, the longtime head of ATRI, will retire in early 2027 after serving the organization for 34 years. Her successor will be identified through a search committee chaired by Brenda Neville, President and CEO of the Iowa Motor Truck Association.
Brewster's retirement marks the end of an era for ATRI, which has been a leading voice on trucking industry issues for decades. Her legacy will continue to shape the organization's research priorities in the years to come.
The Beyond Compliance program, proposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, aims to recognize carriers for their safety efforts while avoiding relief from regulatory requirements. ATRI plans to conduct research on this concept and develop a pilot test methodology and evaluation plan.
Fleets are increasingly adopting proactive safety strategies that rely on driver coaching and front-line management to prevent crashes. ATRI's research will help identify effective coaching practices and inform best practices for fleet management.
The organization is also working on building a benchmarking index to compare how business-friendly each state is for trucking. This index will take into account factors such as insurance costs, litigation exposure, taxes and fees assessed on truck fleets, and labor costs.
By addressing these key challenges, ATRI aims to contribute to a safer and more efficient trucking industry that can better navigate the complexities of rising costs, driver health, and severe weather events.
The American Trucking Associations' research arm is focusing on challenges such as rewarding fleets for going above and beyond safety requirements and developing a benchmarking index to compare how business-friendly each state is for trucking.
