Trucking Insurance Cost Ranks No. 4 in ATRI's 2026 Top Issues

What happened

Trucking insurance cost is still one of the industry's biggest worries. That is one result of a new survey released on Oct. 18, 2026.

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is the research group of the trucking industry. Every year it asks people in trucking what worries them most. This year, nearly 3,100 people answered. About half work for motor carriers, about a quarter are truck drivers, and the rest are suppliers, trainers and law enforcement. ATRI shared the results at the American Trucking Associations conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Here is the 2026 top 6:

1. Fuel prices
2. Lawsuit abuse reform
3. CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability, the FMCSA safety score program)
4. Insurance cost and availability
5. Driver shortage
6. The economy, which was No. 1 last year

Fuel prices jumped 17 spots to reach No. 1. Ben Banks, president of the carrier TCW, said diesel topped $6.50 a gallon. He said that hurts small and mid-size fleets the most.

What it means for owner-operators

Look at numbers 2, 3 and 4 together. Lawsuits, CSA scores and insurance are all tied to the same thing: your safety record and how you prove it.

Big lawsuits after crashes push insurance costs up for everyone. CSA scores are public, and insurance companies look at them. So three of the top four worries are about risk and the price of covering it.

Drivers ranked things a little differently. For truck drivers, including owner-operators, the top 3 were fuel prices, truck parking and driver pay. Motor carriers put lawsuit abuse reform first.

One more number stands out. For law enforcement, the top issue was ELD fraud, meaning fake or edited electronic logs. Expect officers to look closely at your logs.

What to do next

You cannot control fuel prices or court cases. But you can control some of what goes into your insurance cost:

• Check your CSA scores on the FMCSA website every month. Fix wrong data fast. Our guide on how your CSA score affects insurance premiums explains why it matters.
• Keep your logs clean and honest. Log fraud is on law enforcement's radar.
• Think about a dash cam. Video can help tell your side after a crash.
• Start your renewal early. Have your loss runs, driver list and truck list ready before your policy ends.
• Know what each coverage does. Read our guide to trucking insurance coverage.

Want someone to review your policy before renewal? Call or text TCZ Insurance Agency at 956-526-6727.