The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) plans to prioritize six research topics in 2026, focusing on severe weather response, industry reputation maintenance, and driver training.

Other topics include comparing operating costs across states, evaluating state and federal regulations, and quantifying the impact on driver health.

"The topics they proposed this year set the tone for the industry environment we are currently in," Andy Owens, chairman of ATRI's Research Advisory Committee (RAC), told Trucking Dive.

This is the first time since 2019 that the annual research list has exceeded five topics.

The six topics identified this year include:

  • Identifying best practices in driver coaching that have the greatest impact on safety;
  • Studying potential incentives for "beyond compliance" programs that voluntarily enhance fleet safety levels;
  • Developing a framework for cost-benefit analysis of regulations, while assessing stakeholder understanding and enforcement levels;
  • Advancing the establishment of business ease benchmarks across states and detailing cost differences between regions;
  • Measuring the impact of driver health status on operating costs by reviewing driver medical card status;
  • Studying how the industry and government can better respond to major weather events such as hurricanes, wildfires, and blizzards that disrupt freight movement.

Owens noted that ATRI's Research Advisory Committee typically consists of about 35 members, including carrier executives, lawyers, law enforcement representatives, and other stakeholders. ATRI staff help turn committee members' ideas into white papers, which produced 25 research proposals this year.

Committee members discuss these proposals for nearly a day, then vote on which topics to prioritize, followed by a second round of voting on the five recommendations the committee ultimately recommends. The final list requires approval from the ATRI Board of Directors.

The institute also releases an annual "Top Ten Industry Issues" list, highlighting the issues most concerning to industry stakeholders. Last year's industry ranking covered areas such as insurance costs, diesel emission regulations, and driver training standards.