Drivers asked to list the top issues facing the trucking industry

Professional truck drivers have until the end of next week to weigh in on the top concerns facing the industry.

For the 18th consecutive year, the Arlington, Va.-based American Transportation Research Institute is turning to truckers to help identify to biggest issues in the industry today.

The organization’s annual Top Industry Issues Survey asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with potential strategies for addressing each issue.

Drivers and carriers can complete this year’s survey here. The deadline to respond is Friday, Oct. 7.

In addition to ranking the issues overall, the survey also provides insights into how certain topics are ranked differently by motor carriers and professional drivers. ATRI says industry stakeholders use the report to monitor issues over time – giving them a better understanding of which issues are rising, or falling, in criticality.

“The annual Top Industry Issues Survey has long been a crucial part of understanding the issues facing our country’s supply chain,” Harold Sumerford Jr., CEO of J&M Tank Lines, said in a statement. “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.”

Driver and carrier opinions

Last year’s survey showed a disconnect between drivers and carriers. Carriers listed a driver shortage as the top industry concern.

Truck drivers, on the other hand, viewed driver compensation, truck parking and detention time as the industry’s main issues.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has argued for decades that there is not a driver shortage. Instead, the Association says that the large fleets deal with a turnover problem caused by low wages and poor working conditions.

“I encourage my fellow drivers to take a few minutes and complete the Top Industry Issues Survey,” Yellow driver Steve Fields said in a statement. “Whether your top issue is truck parking, driver compensation, detention, traffic congestion or something else, it only takes a few minutes to make your voice heard and for us collectively to let the industry know what drivers are most concerned about.”

Results of the 2022 survey are scheduled to be released Oct. 22. LL

Staff Writer Ryan Witkowski contributed to this report.