WASHINGTON — The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is announcing its research priorities for 2026, including, “Advancing Beyond Compliance.”
At its recent meeting in Atlanta, the ATRI board of directors, led by chairman Derek Leathers of Werner Enterprises, reviewed and approved the 2026 Top Research Priorities. The research priorities were identified by ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee (RAC) at its annual meeting held March 10-11 in Washington.
“ATRI’s RAC selected a diverse set of research priorities designed to address some of the industry’s most critical issues focused on improving safety, enhancing driver health and wellness and understanding how major weather events impact trucking operations,” ATRI said.
The 2026 ATRI top research priorities chosen included a variety of important issues.
Outcomes of Coaching Practices and Front-Line Management on Safety
The trucking industry has increasingly adopted a proactive approach to safety that relies on coaching and front-line management. Through a series of data collection efforts and statistical analyses, this research will identify industry best practices for driver coaching that have the greatest impact on safety outcomes.
Advancing “Beyond Compliance”
Over 15 years ago, ATRI published the first research examining potential benefits of an “Alternative Compliance” program – a concept that would motivate and reward motor carriers for voluntary investments in safety technologies, strategies, and programs that have proven safety benefits. Now referred to as “Beyond Compliance,” that same concept continues to generate interest by industry and government. This research will examine potential incentives for participation in a Beyond Compliance program and develop a pilot test methodology and evaluation plan.
State Benchmarking: Identifying the Best Business Climate States for Trucking
There currently exists significant variances in the 50 states’ economic, operational and regulatory environments for motor carriers. This research will develop a benchmarking index based on state data relating to each state’s business climate measures including insurance costs and litigation exposure, taxes and fees assessed on truck fleets, labor costs including workers compensation, and operational costs such as fuel prices, tolls and parking availability.
Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Federal and State Regulations by Stakeholder Group
The trucking industry is subject to myriad regulations at the state and federal levels. Many of those regulations present increased costs, decreased productivity, and unclear benefits, while others may provide measurable benefits but are not enforced. This research will develop a template for trucking industry regulatory cost-benefit analyses that index regulations based on how beneficial they are, whether or not they are clearly understood and implemented by the industry, and the degree to which they are enforced.
Quantifying the Relationship Between Medical Card Status & Operational Impacts
The nation’s truck drivers face myriad health and wellness challenges exacerbated by the sedentary nature of truck driving, extended periods away from home, and inconsistent support for exercise and healthy eating. Beyond creating chronic health issues for drivers, these challenges increase the industry’s operational costs including healthcare, workers compensation, reduced driver productivity and increased driver turnover. This research will utilize drivers’ medical card status as a proxy for driver health and quantify the nexus between driver health and increased industry operational costs.
Major Weather Event Impacts on Trucking
Major weather events such as hurricanes, wildfires and snowstorms have a significant impact on roadway operations, particularly when the impacts close major freight routes for an extended period of time. The closures are extremely disruptive and costly for supply chains and in particular, the trucking industry. This research will utilize case studies to identify best practices for truck fleets, state Departments of Transportation and State Trucking Associations for preparing for and responding to major weather events.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
