The American Transportation Research Institute is asking carriers to share how telematics technology makes a difference for their businesses, whereby ATRI can generate takeaways for the trucking industry.
The data is helping to examine industry best practices and assess “emerging capabilities and different uses of telematics data by trucking fleets,” according to an April 1 news release. That could showcase how carriers could improve safety and save money.
The 15-question survey is open through Friday, April 17. The survey’s definition of telematics, an on-board vehicle device that captures data and transmits it wirelessly, includes on-board cameras and ELDs.
The tech can help reduce crashes, save on insurance costs and detect driver patterns worth addressing, among other benefits, according to a 2025 report from the public-private coalition Together for Safer Roads.
The online survey asks questions such as what performance metrics matter, such as speeding, hard braking and sudden lane departures, as well as how a carrier values different maintenance capabilities of the tech.
ATRI identified telematics in 2025 as a top research priority, noting how “not all carriers are equipped to fully leverage evolving telematics data to improve operations.” A 2024 Penske report found that a little more than half of carriers overall use the tech, but for small fleets, that was only 32%.
The research organization, tied to the American Trucking Associations, also noted that while telematics technologies have been available for the industry for decades, “today’s telematics deliver expanded functionalities, including vehicle performance and maintenance, and safety and compliance monitoring.”
