Trucking industry concerns of 2023: the year the economy took over
In 2023, costs kept climbing while freight rates fell, and the industry put the economy at the top of its list of worries for the first time in 12 years. It stayed there for three years.
Written by Gabriel Gonzalez
The 2023 list in numbers
The top trucking industry concerns of 2023, ranked by more than 4,000 people in ATRI's annual survey, were the economy, truck parking, fuel prices, the driver shortage, and driver compensation. The economy took first place for the first time since 2011 and held it through 2025, as long as the freight recession lasted.
Every fall, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) asks the trucking industry what worries it most. The 2023 answer was a margin story: operating costs at record highs, freight rates sliding, and a softer market that took pressure off hiring.
I have spent more than 22 years at Simplex, nearly 16 of them as COO, and I read this list for what it says about the next few years of costs. This recap covers the 2023 top 10, why the top five ranked where they did, how drivers and carriers split, and which issues near the bottom of the 2023 list turned into the costs carriers carry today.
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 Gabriel Gonzalez.
Key takeaways
The economy took first place
It rose four spots from fifth in 2022 to lead the 2023 list, its first time at No. 1 since 2011, as costs rose and freight rates fell in every sector.
Truck parking hit its highest rank ever
Parking ranked second overall, its best showing since it first made the top 10 in 2012. Fuel prices, No. 1 in 2022, fell to third.
Drivers and carriers worried about different things
Drivers ranked compensation first. Motor carriers ranked the economy, the driver shortage, and lawsuit abuse reform as their top three.
The economy led for three straight years
It stayed at No. 1 in 2024 and 2025, through what ATRI called a historic freight recession, and dropped to sixth in 2026.
The lower half of the list was the warning
Lawsuit abuse reform (6th) and insurance cost (12th) climbed into the top four by 2024. Zero-emission vehicles, new at 10th, became an equipment-cost issue that is still on the list.
In this articleContents
What were the top 10 trucking industry concerns of 2023?
The top 10 trucking industry concerns of 2023 come from ATRI's 19th annual Top Industry Issues report, released October 14, 2023, at the American Trucking Associations' management conference in Austin, Texas. The survey ran from August 28 to September 29, 2023.
More than 4,000 people answered: 47.8% motor carrier executives and staff, 29% professional truck drivers, and 23.2% other stakeholders such as suppliers, driver trainers, and law enforcement. Each picked and ranked three issues from a list of 26.
| Rank | Issue | ICI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Economy | 100 |
| 2 | Truck parking | 94.0 |
| 3 | Fuel prices | 87.7 |
| 4 | Driver shortage | 81.8 |
| 5 | Driver compensation | 76.1 |
| 6 | Lawsuit abuse reform | 67.5 |
| 7 | Driver distraction | 59.4 |
| 8 | Driver retention | 58.9 |
| 9 | Detention and delay at customer facilities | 53.5 |
| 10 | Zero-emission vehicles | 53.0 |
Zero-emission vehicles made the top 10 for the first time, and driver distraction returned for the first time since 2018. Just outside the list sat driver training standards (11th), insurance cost and availability (12th), and the diesel technician shortage (13th). For the year before, when diesel put fuel at No. 1, see our recap of the trucking industry concerns of 2022.
Why did the economy become the top concern in 2023?
Because costs were rising while freight demand and rates were falling. The economy jumped four spots from fifth in 2022 and took first place for the first time since 2011, the last year of a three-year run at No. 1 that began in 2009.
ATRI's report laid out the squeeze. Inflation raised costs, higher interest rates raised the cost of borrowing, and pricing in every trucking sector fell steadily through the year. Trucking employment began to fall over the summer for the first time since the start of the pandemic, and the number of registered carriers stayed nearly flat after years of growth.
It was also a year of shocks. Yellow's bankruptcy displaced 30,000 employees and released 9% of the less-than-truckload market. On costs, ATRI's own research had found operating costs up 21.3% in 2022 to a record, and it expected the cost to run a truck to stay above $2.00 a mile.
Asked for solutions, 48.6% of respondents chose cutting regulations that add cost without benefit, and 34.8% chose measuring how rising trucking costs ripple through the supply chain.
Why did parking, fuel, drivers, and pay round out the top five?
Each reflected the same squeeze from a different seat: drivers short of safe places to stop, carriers paying more per mile for fuel and labor, and a soft market that eased the pressure to hire.
Truck parking (No. 2)
Parking reached its highest rank ever. It first made the top 10 in 2012 and had been in the top five since 2015. ATRI noted that the U.S. Senate directed a federal study of truck parking as far back as 1992, and that the U.S. DOT had just announced $80 million in High Priority grants, including a 65% increase in truck parking funding. Nearly half of respondents wanted a dedicated federal funding program.
Fuel prices (No. 3)
Fuel fell from first to third, but it still cost more per mile. ATRI's 2023 cost research found fuel cost per mile up 53.7% year over year, with fuel at 28% of total operating costs, the highest share since 2014. The U.S. average diesel price fell to $3.802 a gallon in June 2023, then climbed to $4.563 in September after OPEC production cuts, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Owner-operators ranked fuel their top concern for the third year in a row.
Driver shortage (No. 4)
The driver shortage dropped two spots, its second straight decline. The shortage estimate ATRI cited had fallen to about 64,000 drivers, as soft freight slowed hiring and led some fleets to lay drivers off. ATRI compared the drop to the Great Recession, when the shortage fell as low as sixth in 2009.
Driver compensation (No. 5)
ATRI's cost research showed driver wages up 15.5%, and wages plus benefits at a record $0.907 a mile. Those figures covered 2022, though, and ATRI suspected softer 2023 freight was already pressing on pay, which is why compensation topped drivers' own list. The top strategy, chosen by 46%, was to measure the cost of paying drivers for all hours worked, including detention. Our guide to truck driver retention strategies covers what a small fleet can do about pay and turnover.
How did drivers, carriers, and enforcement rank the 2023 issues?
Very differently. No issue made every group's top three. The economy, first overall, ranked only seventh among drivers, and carriers put truck parking eighth.
| Group | Top three concerns |
|---|---|
| Truck drivers | Driver compensation, truck parking, fuel prices |
| Motor carriers | Economy, driver shortage, lawsuit abuse reform |
| Company drivers | Driver compensation, truck parking, speed limiters |
| Owner-operators | Fuel prices, speed limiters, truck parking |
| Law enforcement | Driver distraction, hours of service, driver training standards |
Two details stand out in hindsight. Lawsuit abuse reform was already third among carriers, with insurance cost sixth. And broker issues, added to the ballot that year after years of driver write-ins, ranked eighth among drivers. Both grew in the surveys that followed.
Where did the 2023 concerns rank in the years that followed?
The economy stayed on top through 2025, the length of what ATRI called a historic freight recession, while the rest of the 2023 top five scattered.
| 2023 concern | 2023 rank | 2024 / 2025 / 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | 1 | 1 / 1 / 6 |
| Truck parking | 2 | 2 / 4 / 11 |
| Fuel prices | 3 | 11 / 18 / 1 |
| Driver shortage | 4 | 9 / 12 / 5 |
| Driver compensation | 5 | 5 / 5 / 9 |
ATRI's 2024 report dated the freight recession to 2022 and found that employment in truck transportation fell 2.7% from January 2023 to September 2024. In 2025, its third year, ATRI noted that past freight recessions had lasted 1.5 to 2 years, that non-fuel operating costs had hit a record $1.779 a mile, and that truckload carriers averaged a profit margin of -2.3%.
Fuel shows how fast the list reacts to the moment. With diesel near $3.54 a gallon in late September 2024, fuel fell to 11th, then 18th in 2025, before the 2026 spike put it back at No. 1. The driver shortage hit its lowest rank ever in 2024 and fell out of the top 10 in 2025 for the first time in the survey's history. Our trucking capacity shortage guide covers why trucks left the market and what that means for rates now.
In 2026 the economy dropped to sixth, its first year off the top since the freight recession began. ATRI read that as cautious optimism, with contract and spot rates improving even though freight volumes were back at 2025 levels.
Which 2023 signals mattered most for small carriers?
The ones near the bottom of the list. Three issues ranked sixth or lower in 2023 became costs that most carriers now carry:
- Lawsuit abuse reform (6th in 2023). Concern over nuclear verdicts pushed it to third in 2024 and second in 2025 and 2026. ATRI tied it directly to insurance: bigger verdicts raise premiums for every carrier, regardless of safety record.
- Insurance cost and availability (12th in 2023). It jumped eight spots to fourth in 2024, after insurance costs rose 12.5% in 2023, and has stayed in the top four since. Your safety record is the part you control; see how CSA scores affect truck insurance premiums.
- Zero-emission vehicles (10th in 2023). Battery-electric vehicles rose to sixth in 2024, and diesel emissions regulations ranked eighth in 2025 and 2026, keeping equipment cost and timing on the list.
The practical lesson from 2023: the top of the list describes this year's market, and the lower half often previews next year's costs. Keep your cost per mile current, start insurance renewals early with your loss history in order, and hold enough cash to ride out slow-paying freight. Trucking factoring can close the gap between delivering a load and getting paid for it.
How Simplex helps carriers manage the costs on this list
Cash flow, insurance, and safety records connect most of the issues that have topped ATRI's list since 2023. We help with all three.
Cash flow in a soft market
Our trucking factoring service turns delivered loads into working capital, so slow-paying freight doesn't stall payroll or fuel.
Coverage quoted by a broker
Insurance cost has ranked in ATRI's top four since 2024. As a broker, we quote and place commercial truck insurance, from liability to cargo and physical damage.
A safety record underwriters like
Our compliance programs help keep driver files, testing, and safety records in order, the record your premiums and CSA scores are built on.
Frequently asked questions
What were the top 5 trucking industry concerns of 2023?+
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Where this information comes from
The rankings, survey details, and figures below come from ATRI's annual Top Industry Issues reports and the U.S. Energy Information Administration, checked on October 20, 2026.
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1
ATRI — The Economy Tops the List of Trucking Industry Issues (2023)
The 2023 top five, the October 14, 2023 release, respondent mix, and the driver and carrier top three.
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2
ATRI — Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry 2023
The full 2023 report: methodology, top 10 and ICI scores, cost figures, strategies, issues 11 to 13, and group rankings.
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3
ATRI — Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry 2024
The 2024 ranks, the freight recession dated to 2022, the 2.7% employment drop, insurance costs up 12.5% in 2023, and fuel at 11th.
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4
ATRI — For the Third Year in a Row, the Economy Is the Trucking Industry's Top Concern (2025)
The 2025 ranks: economy first for a third year, lawsuit abuse reform second, insurance third, parking fourth.
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5
ATRI — Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry 2025
Freight recession length, record non-fuel costs of $1.779 a mile, truckload margins, and the driver shortage leaving the top 10.
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6
ATRI — Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry 2026
The 2017 to 2026 ranking history, the economy's drop to sixth, and fuel's rise from 18th to first.
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7
ATRI — Stubborn Economy, Hours-of-Service Changes Top List of Concerns (2011)
The economy at No. 1 for a third consecutive year in 2011, the last time before 2023.
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8
U.S. EIA — Monthly U.S. No. 2 Diesel Retail Prices
The June 2023 average of $3.802 and the September 2023 average of $4.563 a gallon.
Written by
Gabriel Gonzalez
Chief Revenue Officer, Simplex Group
Chief Revenue Officer at Simplex Group, with more than 22 years at the company, including nearly 16 years as Chief Operating Officer. His background combines revenue strategy with deep operational experience, giving him a strong perspective on how compliance, risk, permits, cash flow, and operational readiness affect a carrier's ability to grow profitably.
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