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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA — Volatile diesel fuel prices is the top trucking industry issue in 2026, the American Transportation Research Institute said Sunday. 

The finding was released during the American Trucking Association's 2026 Management Conference and Exhibition, as part of an annual survey asking trucking stakeholders to rank the most critical issues in the industry. Lawsuit abuse reform, compliance safety accountability, insurance costs and the driver shortage rounded out the top five concerns.

Notably, concerns about the economy fell to the sixth-most important issue this year, after leading the ranking for the past three years. ATRI said in the survey that the drop “points to cautious optimism on the part of the industry that things are improving.” 

However, ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster cautioned that fleets still face significant economic headwinds.

“Profitability remained poor, operating margins, both in truckload and refrigerated sectors of the industry were below 1%,” Brewster said. “It’s possibly getting better, but we’re not out of the woods yet.” 

Fuel prices have topped the industry ranking before. Brewster said the latest survey marked the fourth time fuel prices was trucking’s top issue in its 22-year history. Fuel was the top concern in 2005 as prices at that time were affected by supply disruptions created by Hurricane Katrina, she said. Diesel costs also topped the ATRI survey in 2008 and 2022. 

“This was the first time we have seen fuel prices as the top concern among our driver respondents,” Brewster said, who acknowledged sharing this year’s annual survey results would be her final time as ATRI’s leader as she’s retiring in February. 

But as she has done the past two decades, Brewster kept the attention on the survey results noting that truck drivers represented 26% of the 3,100 survey respondents. Motor carrier executives and personnel represented 48% of survey respondents, while the remaining 26% represented other freight stakeholders. 

Survey respondents noted that federal action or policies to increase the fuel supply and remove price volatility were the top strategies to potentially address the problem, Brewster said. 

“We have in fact seen some federal actions recently, like the expanded use of red-dye diesel for on-road trucks,” she said. 

However, as carriers seek more relief, companies like Nashville, Tennessee-based TCW are proactively working to control fuel costs through other strategies. 

TCW President Ben Banks said buying fuel in bulk helps his company offset price volatility, adding “that helped insulate us a little bit.” Banks discussed the survey results with Brewster along with fellow panelists Jason Damron, a driver for Kansas City, Kansas-based Convoy Systems, and Gary Johnson, head of safety and compliance strategy with Motive Technologies of San Francisco. 

Banks said TCW for a time also explored other strategies. At some point, TCW used renewable diesel, but as prices for that have also risen, today it offers no savings. Now, he said, “it’s all about managing your fuel economy and minimizing empty or deadhead miles.”

Damron noted he actively drives a lane back and forth between Kansas City and California, and he said he does what he can to save money for Convoy Systems, an employee-owned company.  Some of Damron’s strategies have included driving at slower speeds to boost his gas mileage. 

“Bottom line is, the more I can save our company, the more I’ll have for retirement,” he said.