ATA

The favorite argument from those supporting the ATA’s teen trucker push is “if they can go to war at 18, they can drive a truck at 18.” Military service transforms young people into disciplined, responsible adults who understand that their decisions affect others. That’s why military-trained drivers have 42% fewer accidents. The solution isn’t younger drivers; it’s requiring the standards that make military drivers safer. We’ve lost something fundamental in how we raise our young people, and the highway data proves it.

The ATA wants FMCSA to extend a failed pilot program that produced 42 graduates out of a planned 3,000. Meanwhile, we’re handing CDLs to drivers who can’t pass basic safety screenings, and carriers who kill people on our highways are walking away with slaps on the wrist. Lowering the age requirement doesn’t solve a labor problem; it creates a safety catastrophe.

Federal regulators are holding off a decision on 18-20-year-old truck drivers, eventually forcing a choice between big-fleet expansion and small-business wage protection.

Editorial CommentaryThe views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of FreightWaves or its staff. 2025 is almost behind us, and it has been a tumultuous year for the American trucking industry, as major policy changes coming from the Trump Administration have shaken it to the frame rails. […]

Over the past few months, I’ve spoken with hundreds of senior executives at America’s largest trucking companies. Nearly all say they only recently discovered the massive influx of foreign drivers and motor carriers. Most assumed the trend was gradual; none realized it was exponential. Few had ever heard the term “non-domiciled CDL” until this summer […]

The ‘driver shortage’ myth might finally die.

When adjusted for inflation, truck driver wages have grown 1.1% in 15 years.

The American trucking industry is facing unprecedented challenges, marked by a deepening economic crisis and deteriorating highway safety standards. While supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic brought attention to the transportation sector, the narrative surrounding these issues has been largely mischaracterized, particularly regarding the nature and extent of the purported truck driver shortage in […]

The trucking industry finds itself mired in one of the most protracted freight recessions on record, a predicament exacerbated by a flood of capacity that has outstripped demand. This surplus stems from an industry with negligible barriers to entry, where supply can readily overshoot, challenging the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) persistent claim of a perpetual […]

The American Trucking Associations (ATA), once the pre-eminent voice of the trucking industry, is losing ground. Its president, Chris Spear, is not pleased. Last week, I posted on X a chart from SONAR, based on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data, showing that independent owner-operators are capturing a growing share of the trucking industry […]

The trucking industry’s “driver shortage” debate has persisted for decades. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) claims a chronic shortage since 1987, citing nine studies. Yet, researchers and industry experts argue the labor market functions well when freight demand is strong. A December 2024 study by Professors Jonathan Phares, Jason Miller, and Stephen Burks, published by […]

There is no easy fix: Enhancing trucking safety and driver competence, as well as combating CDL fraud, will take an all-hands-on-deck effort at every level of government.

Roehl Transport wins the American Trucking Associations’ President’s Award for the fifth time, cementing the company’s reputation as the gold standard in truckload carrier safety.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to revoke two trucking-related Environmental Protection Agency waivers granted to California.

Recent tariffs levied by the Trump administration have various trucking groups warning of greater risks, while others take a wait-and-see approach.

RXO recently released its Q1 2025 Truckload Market Forecast, with its Curve Index showing a continuation of rate inflation first observed in Q4 2024.

A recent FMCSA-sponsored study looking at the impacts of pay and working conditions on long-distance truck and bus drivers also calls into question claims of a persistent driver shortage.

ATA economist Bob Costello cites macroeconomic “return to normalcy” as a promising sign for trucking amid stagflation and private fleet growth.

A recent ATA Driver Compensation Study shows median truckload driver salaries are up 10% in two years despite the poor freight market.

The American Trucking Associations’ “Nothing Without Trucking” initiative is an effective rebranding of ATA’s efforts to educate the public and lawmakers about the industry, experts say.

Amanda Schuier, strategic maintenance director at Jetco Delivery, highlights the unique challenge of engaging with and retaining truck drivers and diesel technicians.

The National Transportation Institute (NTI) recently released Q4 2023 driver pay data that shows driver earnings continue to climb in spite of the freight market undergoing a correction. Drivers’ base mileage pay brackets saw a shift, with the 40-to-50-cents-per-mile pay bracket falling 5.2% year over year as fleets raised wages to attract and retain drivers. The 50-to-60-cents-per-mile bracket saw a 6.1% y/y increase.

Trailer orders are returning to pre-2020 normal rates, even with a 38% month-over-month decline in November.

On Thursday FreightWaves presented the FreightTech 25 awards, which were chosen independently by a panel of CEOs, industry leaders, academics and investors who scored the companies. Chattanooga, Tennessee-based accounting and auditing firm HHM administered the vote. The awards recognize the most innovative and disruptive companies in the freight technology sector.

Turning grieve into advocacy, mothers Marianne Karth and Lois Durso are pushing for mandatory side underride guards be added to tractor-trailers. On Thursday, they read the names of nearly 750 victims of underride crashes at DOT headquarters in Washington.

Earnings season is upon us and the freight recession lingers worse than salmonella-carrying potato salad at a tailgate party. Wisconsin-based truckload carrier Martin Transport reported its Q1 2023 earnings Tuesday. While operating revenue improved 3.7% from $287.3 million in Q1 2022 to $298 million this year, the actual operating income declined from $35.9 million to $29 million.

A plan to allow 18-to-20-year-old truck drivers to haul interstate cargo got a sharp rebuttal at the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) conference by Knight-Swift President and CEO David Jackson. The plan was conceived as a way to address the driver shortage and is strongly supported by the Biden administration and the American Trucking Associations (ATA).

The American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 2.8% in August after a disappointing 1.5% drop in July. The ATA data primarily relates to contracted freight tonnage volumes and is a useful indicator of shipping activity.

FreightWaves, in partnership with MerQube, an index provider, on Tuesday released a supply chain tech index. This index is composed of companies identified by FreightWaves and MerQube as supply chain tech companies and traded on developed market exchanges.

FreightTech 100 nominations end soon It’s the second most wonderful time of the year behind college football returning. If you or someone you know is innovating or disrupting the freight industry, the nominations for the annual FreightWaves FreightTech 100 are ending on Friday. To submit a nomination, use the link here.  An external peer group […]

ATRI: Costliest year ever in trucking On Wednesday, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released its annual report on the operational costs of trucking. The report, which has been published annually since 2008, is based on motor carrier financial and operations data from 2021.  Below are some highlights from the report and press release:  Total […]

This week: Trucking Cares donates to Ukraine relief funds, Bendix supports hospice Pappus House and the UPS Foundation celebrates Women’s History Month.

A diverse coalition of trucking groups is urging the California Air Resources Board to consider alternative solutions to enforcement of an emissions rule that would require upgrades to 2010 model year or newer diesel engines by Dec. 31.

OOIDA is urging U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to exempt cross-border truckers from vaccine rules implemented in mid-January.

Los camioneros estadounidenses planean un convoy a Washington

Immediate Past ATA Chair Sherri Garner Brumbaugh joins the show to discuss ways to introduce trucking to younger drivers, especially to more women.

A rule requiring vaccines for employees, or weekly testing for workers declining vaccination, at companies with staff of 100 or more gets emergency stay.

This week: Lineage Logistics launches Foundation for Good, Trucking Cares Foundation honors Walmart driver and J.B. Hunt wins 12th consecutive award from the EPA.

This week: A Kenworth truck is set to deliver the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree for the eighth time; a project44 partnership offers camper vans for employees to work from anywhere; and ATA’s road team delivers supplies to Afghan refugees in Wisconsin.

Anna Faford, VP of strategy for C&K Trucking, joins this week’s episode to discuss what got her into the industry, as well as how the driver shortage challenges are impacting the intermodal/drayage business.

American Trucking Associations announced Monday that Paul Enos has been named chairman of the ATA Trucking Association Executives Council.

This week: Workforce Heroes teach students about trucking careers, ‘Grow at XPO’ launches 100th location and WIT teams up with CarriersEdge for Diversity and Inclusion Index.

“NTDC is annually one of the highlights of the ATA calendar, and we are very happy to bring the ‘Super Bowl of Safety’ back in this virtual format”

On this episode of Taking the Hire Road Jeremy Reymer, Founder and CEO of DriverReach, speaks with Chris Spear, president & CEO of the American Trucking Associations, about a diverse range of topics including ATA’s role in truckers being recognized as essential, the industry’s image, and working on the industry’s agenda with a new administration.

The next CVSA championship is scheduled for Aug. 15-19, 2022, in Indianapolis.

Trucking groups OOIDA, WSTA and ATA condemn the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, call for truckers to focus on policy, not politics.

As the Nov. 3 election quickly approaches, both ATA and TCA are positioning to work with the next administration.

Following Love’s Travel Centers’ edict requiring face coverings at its truck stops, NATSO and the American Trucking Associations followed suit.

Nothing fires up the trucking community like a strong opinion on the driver shortage. From its inception, FreightWaves waded into the conversation, balancing perspectives from both ends of the continuum. We considered the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA’s) perspective that there is an ever-expanding dearth of quality drivers, especially for midsize to large carriers. We considered […]

Dan Doran suggests the industry should’ve focused on HOS revisions before discussing ELDs.

Understanding all of your options when it comes to improving driver comfort

American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear sits down with Craig Fuller on this episode of Fuller Speed Ahead.

American Trucking Associations annual Trucking Trends report shows nearly $800 billion flowed into industry, 13.8 percent increase.

Report asserts industry needs to hire 1.1 million new drivers over the next decade.

Labor Department says drivers do not have to be paid for time spent in sleeper berth.

ATA concerned that extending deadlines could affect proper enforcement.

Groups claim teen drivers carry more risk resulting in more fatalities.

The American Trucking Associations will steer clear of the fight over longer-combination vehicles

State-by-state benefits of raising gas tax included in White House letter.

White House receives guidelines but DOT, FMCSA still must sign off.

Trucking could get hit “very hard” by an economic recession, ATA warns

Nearly 47,000 Americans work in trucking-related jobs supported by cross-border freight movements with Canada and Mexico. A significant number of jobs could be impacted by President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat on all Mexican imports.

Trucker union sides with most of proposal’s early comments.

Trucking warns supply chain may still require Inventory buffers.

Support for proposal split between large and small carriers.

Getting Trump to support raising the gas tax would be a major step toward passing an infrastructure bill.

ATA points out that the proposal, to be officially unveiled on Capitol Hill this week, makes several wrong assumptions.

Hair follicle testing – once cleared for use in the federal database – could have the biggest effect on driver availability.

Association’s new ad campaign highlights dangers to consumers of not getting a highway bill funded this year.

FedEx Freight, J.B. Hunt, Schneider National among companies with the most non-preventable accidents identified so far by FMCSA.

Rate increases are slowing and could even turn negative later this year, although fleet profits should remain strong for much of the year.

Authors controversial study miss key factors contributing to truck driver turnover and wages.

ATA considering next steps in fight against “discriminatory” toll plan after judge rules that his court lacks jurisdiction.

Study finds lagging response to demand surges makes managing driver recruitment and retention more difficult.

FMCSA estimates over 11,000 Class B truck drivers will save time and money using the new process.

Sentiment could be growing for lowering the driver age, but questions linger over safety and wages.

Speed limiter regulations sat idling under Bush and Obama, so truck safety groups now look to Congress – and Trump – to put it in gear.

A glimpse at the ATA Truck Tonnage Index.

For-hire truck tonnage posted its best yearly growth since 1998, but a decline in ATA’s Index at the end of the year indicated some softening.

Regulators say a database designed to standardize and simplify training certification for new drivers will be ready on time next year.

Trucking companies could be exposed to increased liability while a challenge to FMCSA’s hours-of-service preemption in California is pending.

While onboard with the group’s goals, not all truckers seem happy with the approach Black Smoke Matters is taking to achieve them.

FMCSA has ruled that California can’t dictate meal and rest break requirements that conflict with federal hours-of-service regulations.

States will soon be able to give would-be drivers more time to get their CDLs at the same time potentially lowering knowledge exam costs.

No signs of a broader downturn, but the month-on-month numbers are generally a little weaker.

A long list of concerns in the ATA President’s annual speech to his group’s conference, including young drivers and California’s own laws.

Martinez also said the process has begun to look at the overlapping rules regarding agriculture transportation, and he clearly doesn’t favor California’s separate rules on meal breaks.

FreightWaves reached out to OOIDA for their perspective on the current state of affairs in trucking. We also want to engage in a dialog from the fragmented industry interests, seeking points of agreement, as well as naming points of contention.

Under California law, drivers making their way through the Golden State are entitled to a 30-minute meal break for every five hours worked.

ATA chairman outline group’s legislative priorities for this year.

Probably to no great surprise to attendees in the room, American Trucking Associations’ Chief Economist Bob Costello painted a very positive picture of the current and near-term freight environment during the ATA’s 2nd Annual Economic Summit last week in Washington, DC.

It’s no surprise that truck drivers who travel during peak times face slower average speeds and that more flexible HOS regulations could not only speed those travel times, but also would not impact the miles drivers cover in a day, according to ATRI.

Last year’s survey by ATRI had driver shortages as the biggest issue facing the industry, with ELDs second.

A House bill on the issue of drivers under 21—that hasn’t progressed—now has a companion piece of legislation in the Senate.

The trucking industry awaits rulings from the courts, and through legislation, regarding the status of drivers. How often will rest breaks take place, and will they be paid? How will drivers be defined as independent contractors? What will be the implications either way?

Truck drivers involved in certain behaviors are more likely to have a future crash, ATRI research has concluded.

Preliminary numbers on the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) June For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index shows a slight downturn in tonnage carried despite the generally robust economic numbers that should fuel freight demand. 

The FMCSA and ATA talk regulations at SMC3; Cummins has to pay tariffs to import its own engines; Canadian National and Canadian Pacific investing in Port of Vancouver; why protectionist rhetoric is roiling the markets; key takeaways from OPEC’s Vienna meeting.

Truck tonnage rose for the second consecutive month in May, as improving economic conditions and gains in hiring have helped trucking performance.