The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today said it is seeking motor carriers to participate in research on rising insurance costs and strategies for managing risk.
Trucking auto liability premiums rose by 36 percent per mile in the past eight years amid persistent unprofitability for insurers, even as truck crashes declined over the past four years. In 2025, insurance cost/availability and lawsuit abuse, a primary contributor to rising insurance costs, were voted as the third- and second-greatest issues facing the trucking industry respectively.
In response to this financial pressure, fleets are reevaluating their total cost of risk by pursuing a variety of new technologies, training protocols, and insurance schemes, such as self-insurance or captives, according to ATRI. The institute said its prior research detailed how fleets reduced coverage and raised deductibles from 2018 to 2020 in search of savings, self-incentivizing safety improvements but still experiencing higher premiums.
ATRI said it’s Research Advisory Committee (RAC) identified expanding upon this prior research as a top priority in order to better understand and assess industry-wide trends in the ongoing adoption and effectiveness of these strategies.
Motor carriers are requested to submit data on their coverage stacks for the years 2021 through 2024, in addition to information on their use of safety technology and alternative insurance arrangements. ATRI said all data is kept completely confidential for analysis in aggregate form only, and ATRI will sign non-disclosure agreements as desired.
All participating carriers will receive a customized report that compares their fleet’s cost of risk to an anonymized peer group. Motor carriers can complete the survey by PDF or online here. The deadline is Friday, Dec. 19.
Werner honored as 'military friendly' employer
Werner Enterprises, Inc. today announced it has once again been recognized by VIQTORY as a Military Friendly Employer and Military Spouse Friendly Employer, marking the company’s fourth consecutive year in the Top 10 in these award categories.
In the category for companies with $1 billion to $5 billion in annual revenue, Werner was ranked third on the Top 10 Military Friendly® Employer list and second on the Top 10 Military Friendly® Spouse Employer list.
“At Werner, we deeply value the skills, dedication and resilience that veterans and military families bring to our organization,” said Werner’s Chairman and CEO, Derek Leathers. “These recognitions are a testament to our ongoing commitment to providing career opportunities that honor their service and support their growth in civilian life. With approximately 20% of our workforce comprised of veterans, we are proud to honor their service with career paths that lead to long-term growth and success.”
Werner said its commitment is demonstrated through numerous specialized programs and benefits tailored to the military community, including:
- Military Skills Test Waiver Program and the SkillBridge/Career Skills Program.
- VA Educational Benefits and deployment support.
- 'WEVets' Veteran Resource Group.
- Operation Freedom Fleet, a special initiative recognizing military drivers.
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