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The Newsletter of the Non-Profit Research Organization for the Trucking Industry

ATRI Research Focuses on Truck Parking at Public Rest Areas

ATRI has released research that highlights insights and strategies for expanding truck parking at public rest areas. The research was a collaborative effort between ATRI and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), representing the 50 state Departments of Transportation, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. 

The lack of available truck parking is a perennial industry issue and one that is receiving increased attention at the state and federal levels. It is estimated that there is just one truck parking space nationally for every 11 truck drivers. 

The research included a joint ATRI / AASHTO survey of the 50 state DOTs to understand the costs and components of state provision of public truck parking spaces. In addition to creating an inventory of truck parking spaces, the research collected data on issues and costs associated with land acquisition, parking space construction, maintenance budgets and amenities offered to truck drivers. Nationally, the average rest area has 19 truck parking spaces, with states in the South having an average of 25 truck parking spaces per rest area while states in the Northeast have an average of 15 per rest area.

The research also features select case studies on truck parking topics of interest, and which states are going above and beyond in their provision of truck parking, with accompanying feedback on those efforts from a truck driver survey of over 500 drivers. Case study topics include truck parking information systems, repurposing state-owned facilities for truck parking, and truck parking provision in the event of severe weather conditions. 

ATRI used findings from the state DOT survey to generate a public truck parking dashboard that features each state’s public truck parking capacity and breadth of amenities and safety features at rest areas. The metrics evaluated in the dashboard consider differences in state size, road mileage and proximity to major freight routes. Parking data from the 47 participating state DOTS are available through an online dashboard on ATRI’s website.

A copy of the full report and state truck parking assessment dashboard is available on ATRI’s website here.

New ATRI Research Quantifies the Environmental and Safety Benefits of Repealing the Federal Excise Tax on New Trucks

ATRI has released research that highlights real-world environmental and safety benefits that could accrue from a repeal of the 12 percent federal excise tax (FET) on new trucks and trucking equipment. 

A World War 1 era tax, the Truck FET has long been an issue for buyers of new trucks.  The tax currently adds an additional $20,000 to more than $50,000 to the cost of each new truck purchased, thus acting as a strong deterrent to new truck and trailer sales. 

This new research first estimates the age and annual mileage of the entire Class 8 truck population in the U.S., offering unique insight into the influence of older trucks on industry-wide environmental and safety metrics. The research then illustrates how removing the 12 percent Truck FET can accelerate the replacement of older trucks.

Decrease in CO₂ from Truck FET Repeal Across Ten Years

From an environmental perspective ATRI found that, as a Truck FET repeal increases demand for new vehicles, industry CO₂ emissions will decrease at an accelerated rate. Each year as the industry adds newer, cleaner diesel vehicles to the fleet, emissions will be reduced annually by 1.2 million metric tons of CO₂ over current truck purchases with the Truck FET in place. This equated to cumulative savings of nearly 66 million metric tons of CO₂ over a 10-year period. (Read More)

ATRI’s RAC selected a diverse set of research priorities designed to address some of the industry’s most critical issues including rising insurance costs, driver training, improving safety performance and addressing cabotage violations. The 2025 ATRI Top Research Priorities are:

• Rising Insurance Costs and Self Insurance Motivations
• Efficacy of Entry-Level Driver Training on Safety Outcomes
• Safety Impacts of In-Cab Monitoring
• Capitalizing on Telematics Data
• Understanding the Prevalence and Impact of Cabotage Violations

Click here to read the full press release with a description of each research priority.

Thank You!

For nearly 25 years, ATRI has provided award-winning research to improve the trucking industry’s safety and productivity. Our mission is clear and our dedicated team of research professionals deliver on that mission each and every day. In recognition of all that ATRI does, the following organizations and individuals supported ATRI with a charitable contribution in the first quarter of 2025.

Alabama Trucking Association

ArcBest Corporation

Arkansas Trucking Association

Atlas World Group

Auto Haulers Association of America

Ben Banks

Best Way Express, Inc.

Blake Grolmus

Bob Leslie

C.H. Robinson Worldwide

Chad Marsilio

Co-Pilot Vision Systems

CRST

Dan Van Alstine

Darsana Capital Partners

David and Betsy Manning

Fast Sled Propulsion

Fedex Corporation

Florida Trucking Association

Georgia Motor Trucking Association

Great West Casualty Company

Gregg Troian

Heniff Transportation Systems

Hirschbach

Hoekstra Transportation, LLC 

Idaho Trucking Association

Iowa Motor Truck Association

ITF Group 

John Drake

John Pacocha

Joy Miller

Kansas Motor Carriers Association

Kentucky Trucking Association

Keystone Risk Partners

Lyons and Gail Heyman

Maine Motor Transport Association

Maryland Motor Truck Association

Maverick USA

Mike Onder

Minnesota Trucking Association

Missouri Trucking Association

Motor Transportation Association of Connecticut

Nancy Bendickson

Nathan Meisgeier

National Tank Truck Carriers

New Mexico Trucking Association

North Carolina Trucking Association

Ohio Trucking Association

Old Dominion Freight Line

Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association

Perfect Transportation LLC

PGT Trucking, Inc.

Pitt Ohio

Prime Inc.

Rebecca Brewster

Rhode Island Trucking Association

Roberts Perryman, PC

Ruan Transportation Management Systems

Ryder System Inc.

Shorty and Ro Whittington

Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association

Texas Trucking Association

Toledo Trucking Association

Tom Kearney

Total Transportation of Mississippi LLC

Truck Renting and Leasing Association

Trucking Association of New York

UPS

Usher Transport

Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association

In Honor of

Ed Crowell

In Memory of

Angela Kane

Whether you make a personal contribution or contribute on behalf of your organization, your financial support will ensure that we can continue to produce award-winning research to support your business and your industry. Please consider adding your name to this list of industry leaders by giving to ATRI today.

Ed Crowell, recently retired president and CEO of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, received the Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) State Trucking Award during the TRALA Annual Meeting earlier this month. Crowell was recognized for his decades-long leadership and his impact on the trucking industry.

The TRALA State Trucking Award, established in 2016, honors individuals who have significantly advanced TRALA’s work at the state-level. It comes with a charitable contribution to a nonprofit 501(c)(3) trucking education or research organization chosen by the honoree.

Ed generously designated ATRI as the recipient of the charitable contribution from TRALA that accompanied his award. Ed served on the ATRI Board of Directors from 2002 to 2013. We congratulate Ed for this well-deserved recognition and thank him for honoring ATRI in this very special way.

ATRI Vice President Jeff Short presents alongside ATRI board member Andrew Boyle at the 2025 HDA - Healthcare Distribution Alliance PCSC Educational Seminar in April.

ATRI Research Analyst Abbigail Huffman (pictured here with Priscilla Peters, CMO, Conversion Interactive Agency) presents on a Women in Motion panel at the 2025 ATA SSHR Meeting in March.

ATRI Research Assistant Carla Rose sits in the passenger seat with Herschel Evans, America's Road Team Captain and driver for Awbry Silvey Enterprises, as he drives in the Safety Drive for a Cure competition in March.

ATRI Research Associate Alex Leslie presents to the Safety Policy Committee at ATA's 2025 MYMS.

ATRI President Rebecca Brewster and ATRI Research Analyst Andrew Fain survey drivers at the 2025 Mid-America Trucking Show in March.

Members of the ATRI team during the final reception at ATA's 2025 MYMS. Left to right, Carla Rose, Jack Spalding, Jeff Short, Dan Murray, Rebecca Brewster, Andrew Fain and Mike Tunnell.

ATRI President Rebecca Brewster and Senior Vice President Dan Murray present during ATA's 2025 MYMS.

Upcoming opportunities to hear the ATRI team talk about the latest research:

May 22, 11a.m. ET-12:00p.m. ET: Webinar with Marsh McLennan Agency - Driver behavior matters: Safety and compliance essentials - Dan Murray

May 27-30: Transportation Research Board Data Conference, Seattle, WA – Jeff Short

June 1-3: 2025 ATA National Accounting & Finance Council Annual Conference & Exhibition, Tampa, FL – Rebecca Brewster

June 12: ATRI on the Air on the Nemo Show – Alex Leslie

May 17-18: FHWA Research and Technology Coordinating Committee, Washington, DC – Dan Murray

June 23-25: Georgia Motor Trucking Association Annual Convention, Amelia Island, FL – Rebecca Brewster

July 13-17: Trucking Association Executive Council Annual Meeting – Rebecca Brewster

July 20: North Carolina Trucking Association Annual Conference, Amelia Island, FL – Rebecca Brewster

July 23-24: Kentucky Trucking Association Annual Conference, Jamestown, KY – Rebecca Brewster

ATRI's Weekly Key Research Highlights

Each Wednesday, ATRI shares a key research finding from one of its studies on social media. In one of the latest posts, ATRI Vice President Jeff Short discusses the findings from ATRI's Renewable Diesel research. Be sure to follow ATRI on LinkedIn to keep up with the latest from ATRI’s research each week.

ATRI's Repealing the Federal Excise Tax on New Truck Equipment

Expanding Truck Parking at Public Rest Areas - Full Report and Dashboard

ATRI's Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks - 2025

Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry - 2024

Cost of Congestion to the Trucking Indsutry: 2024 Update

Costs and Consequences of Truck Driver Detention: A Comprehensive Analysis

AMERICAN TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE | TruckingResearch.org

Atlanta, GA • Minneapolis, MN • Washington, DC • Sacramento, CA

ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501c3 not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.