The American Transportation Research Board (ATRI) said its board of directors recently approved the top research priorities for 2026, designed to address some of the industry’s most critical issues.

The research priorities for 2026 are: 

Outcomes of Coaching Practices and Front-Line Management on Safety: Through a series of data collection efforts and statistical analyses, this research will identify industry best practices for driver coaching that have the greatest impact on safety outcomes.

Advancing “Beyond Compliance.” Over 15 years ago, ATRI published the first research examining potential benefits of an “Alternative Compliance” program – a concept that would motivate and reward motor carriers for voluntary investments. Now referred to as “Beyond Compliance,” that same concept continues to generate interest. This research will examine potential incentives for participation in a Beyond Compliance program and develop a pilot test methodology and evaluation plan.

State Benchmarking: Identifying the Best Business Climate States for Trucking. This research will develop a benchmarking index based on state data relating to each state’s business climate measures, including insurance costs, taxes and fees assessed on truck fleets, labor costs, including workers’ compensation, and operational costs such as fuel prices.

Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Federal and State Regulations by Stakeholder Group. This research will develop a template for trucking industry regulatory cost-benefit analyses that index regulations based on how beneficial they are, whether or not they are clearly understood and implemented by the industry, and the degree to which they are enforced.

Quantifying the Relationship Between Medical Card Status & Operational Impacts. This research will utilize drivers’ medical card status as a proxy for driver health and quantify the nexus between driver health and increased industry operational costs.

Major Weather Event Impacts on Trucking. This research will utilize case studies to identify best practices for truck fleets, state Departments of Transportation, and State Trucking Associations for preparing for and responding to major weather events.