The 2021 trucking industry risks that came back bigger
Part 1 covered 2021's top five, all about drivers. The next six on the list were about safety records, premiums, and lost hours, and two of them now sit near the top.
Written by Rigo Diaz
The middle of the 2021 list
The trucking industry risks ranked sixth to 11th in ATRI's 2021 survey were CSA, detention at customer facilities, infrastructure, insurance cost, the diesel technician shortage, and driver distraction. By 2026, CSA had climbed to third and insurance to fourth. The other four left the overall top 10, though drivers and police still rank detention and distraction.
This is part 2 of our look back at the American Transportation Research Institute's (ATRI) 2021 Top Industry Issues survey. Part 1 covered the top five and how the survey works. This part covers the issues ranked sixth through 11th.
I spent more than six years in risk management before I founded Simplex, and I have led it for more than 25 years since. The middle of a list like this is where I look first, because these are the concerns that end up in a carrier's safety record and at its insurance renewal.
The full briefing, read aloud
7 chapters. Select one to jump to it.
Generated with AI text-to-speech from this article's key insights, in order, rather than reading it word for word. Chapter times come from a transcript of the audio. The article itself was written and reviewed by Rigo Diaz.
Key takeaways
CSA came back the hardest
It ranked sixth in 2021 and third in 2026, its highest rank since 2015. ATRI credits the Supreme Court's May 2026 broker liability ruling, which put CSA scores under new scrutiny as a carrier vetting tool.
One 2021 CSA fix happened
Respondents asked FMCSA to keep reviewing which crash types can be ruled not preventable. The list grew from 16 types to 21 on December 1, 2024.
Insurance rose from ninth to fourth
In 2021, fleets were holding down premium costs by taking on more risk themselves. By 2026, fleets with fewer than 100 trucks had seen premiums rise 27% to 50% over four years.
Distraction left the list, not the road
It fell out of the overall top 10, but law enforcement ranks it third in 2026. Federal rules ban texting and hand-held phone use, and a carrier may not allow or require either.
Three concerns faded from the top 10
Detention, infrastructure, and the diesel technician shortage are out of the 2026 top 10. Drivers still rank detention seventh.
In this articleContents
Which trucking industry risks ranked sixth to 11th in 2021?
CSA ranked sixth in ATRI's 2021 survey, followed by detention at customer facilities, infrastructure, insurance cost, and the diesel technician shortage. Driver distraction just missed the top 10, at 11th. More than 2,500 people each picked and ranked three issues out of 30.
| 2021 rank (ICI) | Issue | 2026 standing |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (21.9) | CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) | 3rd |
| 7 (19.8) | Detention and delay at customer facilities | Outside the top 13; drivers rank it 7th |
| 8 (19.0) | Infrastructure, congestion, and funding | Outside the top 13 |
| 9 (18.5) | Insurance cost and availability | 4th |
| 10 (18.5) | Diesel technician shortage | Outside the top 13 |
| 11 (17.9) | Driver distraction | Outside the top 13; carriers rank it 10th, police 3rd |
The scores were close: four ICI points separate sixth from 11th, and fuel prices sat right behind at 12th. Fuel took first place a year later; our recap of the trucking industry concerns of 2022 covers why.
Carriers and drivers saw this group differently. Motor carriers ranked CSA fourth, insurance sixth, and the technician shortage seventh. Drivers ranked detention second and distraction seventh.
Why did CSA climb from sixth in 2021 to third in 2026?
Because CSA scores became part of how brokers choose carriers. ATRI says CSA's rise to third in 2026 was driven largely by the Supreme Court's May 14, 2026 ruling in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, which left brokers open to state negligent-hiring claims. Our post on the Supreme Court's broker liability ruling explains the case.
What the industry asked for in 2021
CSA had swung from first place in 2012 to eighth in 2019. The top 2021 fix, chosen by 42.8% of respondents, was a more accurate and transparent way for FMCSA to prioritize carriers. Next came regular reviews of the crash types FMCSA will rule not preventable (32.6%) and faster decisions on those requests (19.2%).
What happened to those fixes
The crash list grew. FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program reviewed 16 crash types in 2021. Since December 1, 2024, it reviews 21, including crashes caused by a distracted, drowsy, or impaired motorist and any crash where video shows the sequence of events. Crashes found not preventable come out of the Crash Indicator BASIC calculation but stay listed.
The new scoring method is approved but not live. FMCSA's approved changes rename the BASICs "compliance categories," group more than 2,000 violation codes into about 100 violation groups, and simplify severity weights. As of October 2026, FMCSA tells carriers to keep using the current SMS until the update takes effect, and lets them log in to preview their results under the new method. Our CSA program page explains how the current system scores you.
How did insurance cost go from ninth to fourth?
Premiums kept rising, hardest for small fleets, even as crashes fell. In 2021, insurance fell four spots to ninth, at a time when fleets were holding their premium costs down by keeping more of the risk themselves.
ATRI's cost research found commercial auto premium costs per mile fell 19% in 2020 even as premium rates rose. ATRI attributed much of the gap to higher deductibles, self-insurance, captives, and less excess liability coverage. The top 2021 fix (52.8%) was to measure what rising insurance costs do to operations, safety spending, and driver training; 27.8% wanted an insurance surcharge passed on to shippers, like a fuel surcharge.
A third group (15.4%) wanted a cost-benefit study of a bill, reintroduced in 2021, to raise the federal liability minimum from $750,000 to nearly $5 million. As of October 2026, the minimum for for-hire interstate carriers of general freight in vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more is still $750,000 under 49 CFR 387.9.
By 2026, insurance ranked fourth, after third in 2025. ATRI's 2026 report says liability premiums outpaced inflation from 2021 to 2024 while the industry's crash involvement fell 2.6%, and fleets with fewer than 100 trucks saw increases of 27% to 50%, and the top fix now is an upfront premium reduction for carriers that adopt proven safety technology. Our post on emerging issues in the trucking industry follows that climb year by year.
Why does driver distraction still matter after leaving the list?
Because the crashes didn't leave. Driver distraction ranked 11th in 2021 for the third year in a row, rose to seventh in 2023 and 10th in 2024, then dropped out. In 2026, motor carriers still rank it 10th, and law enforcement respondents rank it third.
ATRI's 2021 report cited 3,142 deaths in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2019 and said fleets were seeing more crashes involving distracted car drivers. NHTSA's latest count is 3,208 deaths and 315,167 injuries in 2024.
What the federal phone rules say
49 CFR 392.80 bans texting while driving, and 392.82 bans hand-held phone use: holding a phone to talk, dialing by pressing more than one button, or reaching for it in a way that takes you out of a seated, belted position. Both rules also bar the motor carrier from allowing or requiring it, and both allow contacting police or emergency services.
Driving includes sitting at a light or in traffic. It ends only when the truck is pulled to the side of or off the highway and stopped where it can safely stay. Texting and hand-held use are serious traffic violations: two convictions for any of them within three years disqualify a CDL holder for 60 days, and three for 120 days. Our guide to unsafe driving violations and CSA scores shows how they weigh on your score.
Habits that keep the phone out of the way
- Set the route before you roll. Entering or reading GPS isn't texting under the federal definition, but it still takes your eyes off the road.
- Mount it or stow it. Use single-button or voice calling with the phone mounted, or keep it put away.
- Stop to call, text, or eat. Pull fully off the road and stop first.
- Put the policy in writing. The rules bind the carrier too, so a written phone policy is part of compliance.
If a distracted motorist hits your truck, the crash may qualify for a not-preventable finding. File a Request for Data Review through DataQs with the police report and any photos or video. FMCSA can't review crashes older than five years.
What happened to detention, infrastructure, and the technician shortage?
All three have dropped out of the overall top 10: infrastructure and the technician shortage right after 2021, detention after 2024.
Detention and delay (No. 7)
Detention made the top 10 for a third straight year, up two spots, and drivers ranked it second. ATRI described wasted hours-of-service time, drivers denied restrooms while they waited, and drivers made to leave the property when they ran out of hours. The top fix (40.5%) was to find and promote practices that cut detention. Another 28.4% wanted to measure how detention changed under the ELD mandate, since only 17% of drivers in ATRI's earlier detention study shared ELD data with customers to document it.
Detention stayed in the top 10 through 2024 and has been out since, yet drivers still rank it seventh. Billing detention and passing it on to drivers is part of our driver retention strategies guide.
Infrastructure, congestion, and funding (No. 8)
ATRI pointed to the I-40 Hernando de Soto Bridge between Arkansas and Tennessee, closed in May 2021 after a crack was found. Its truck GPS analysis put average transit times up from eight to 84 minutes, at a cost of $2.4 million a day. The top fixes were to block truck-only taxes such as a proposed federal truck mileage tax (37.2%) and to raise the federal fuel tax for long-term highway funding (35.9%).
Weeks after the survey, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act became law on November 15, 2021. The federal diesel tax did not go up: it is still 24.4 cents a gallon. Infrastructure has not made ATRI's top 10 since 2021.
Diesel technician shortage (No. 10)
2021 was the technician shortage's first year in the top 10, five years after ATRI first flagged it as emerging, and so far its only one. A majority (55.6%) wanted carriers to work with community colleges and tech schools on training and placement.
In 2021, ATRI cited Bureau of Labor Statistics projections of more than 28,000 openings a year and a 2020 median wage just over $50,000. BLS now projects about 24,400 openings a year from 2025 to 2035, with a May 2025 median of $61,770. Scarce technicians are one more reason to schedule maintenance ahead and keep the vehicle maintenance records that prove it.
What should a small carrier take from 2021's middle six?
That the quieter issues on the list are the ones that land on your safety record and your premium. Four habits cover most of it:
- Check your CSA data every month. Brokers and underwriters look at it too. Preview how FMCSA's new method will score you before it takes effect.
- Challenge crashes you didn't cause. If a crash fits one of the 21 eligible types, file a Request for Data Review with the police report and any video.
- Write down your phone policy. The texting and hand-held bans apply to the carrier as well as the driver.
- Bring evidence to your renewal. Clean inspections, safety technology, and documented maintenance are things an underwriter can see.
How Simplex helps with the risks on this list
CSA data, insurance, and the records behind both sit in the middle of the 2021 list. We help with all three.
CSA data you watch
Our CSA program team monitors your CSA data and helps fix the programs behind it.
Coverage quoted by a broker
As a broker, we quote and place commercial truck insurance, from auto liability to cargo, with your record in front of the underwriter.
Compliance you can show
Our compliance programs include CSA monitoring, driver qualification files, and mock audits.
Frequently asked questions
Is CSA still a top trucking industry concern?+
Can truck drivers use a phone while driving?+
Can a crash caused by a distracted driver come off my CSA score?+
What is the minimum insurance for an interstate trucking company?+
How many diesel technician jobs open each year?+
Where this information comes from
The rankings, survey details, and rules below come from ATRI's annual reports, FMCSA, the eCFR, NHTSA, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, checked on October 20, 2026.
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1
ATRI: Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry 2021
The 2021 ranks and ICI scores for issues 6 to 13, the preferred fixes, and rankings by respondent group.
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2
ATRI: Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry 2026
CSA at third and insurance at fourth, the 2017 to 2026 rank history, and the driver, carrier, and police rankings.
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3
FMCSA: Crash Preventability Determination Program
The 21 eligible crash types since December 1, 2024, the DataQs request, and the five-year limit.
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4
FMCSA: CSA Prioritization Preview
The approved SMS changes, the preview login, and the instruction to keep using the current SMS.
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5
eCFR: 49 CFR 392.82, Using a hand-held mobile telephone
The hand-held phone ban for drivers and carriers; 392.80 (texting), 390.5T (definitions), and 383.51 (disqualifications) are linked in the text.
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6
NHTSA: Distracted Driving
Deaths and injuries in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2024.
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7
BLS: Diesel Service Technicians and Mechanics
The May 2025 median wage and projected yearly openings from 2025 to 2035.
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8
IRS: Instructions for Form 720
The federal diesel tax rate of $.244 per gallon.
Written by
Rigo Diaz
Founder & CEO, Simplex Group
Founder and CEO of Simplex Group, with more than 25 years leading the company and helping trucking entrepreneurs navigate compliance, insurance, and the day-to-day demands of running a carrier. Before founding Simplex, he spent more than six years in risk management, experience that continues to shape how he approaches insurance, compliance, and carrier risk today.
Published · Updated
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The quiet concerns are the ones underwriters read
The middle of the 2021 list looked like housekeeping next to the driver shortage. Five years later, CSA and insurance sit near the top, and a clean, documented record is the part of both you control.
If you want help with your CSA data, your coverage, or the compliance records behind both, talk to our team.