CSA Overtakes Economy as Trucking’s No. 1 Concern, ATRI Survey Shows

LAS VEGAS — The federal CSA safety ratings program replaced the economy atop the list of the most critical issues facing the trucking industry, the American Transportation Research Institute announced.

ATRI’s annual survey, released here Oct. 8 during American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition, showed that recent and potential changes to federal hours-of-service regulations ranked as the second most important concern on the research group’s list of the industry’s top 10 issues.

The economy, which topped the list in each of the previous three years, dropped to third in the ATA-commissioned survey of more than 4,000 trucking industry executives. 

“ATRI's annual survey of critical industry issues gives ATA, and all trucking stakeholders, a clearer understanding of the challenges our industry faces,” ATA Chairman Dan England said in a statement. England is chairman of the board for C.R. England Inc.

"As we all know, the trucking industry operates in a complex and evolving environment and we must constantly work to understand how economic and regulatory changes will impact the industry,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves said. “By improving our understanding of the issues, we can be better stewards of the important job our industry is tasked with. ATRI’s work once again gives ATA the information we need to effectively represent the industry.”

This year’s survey marked the first time that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s CSA program, which stands for Compliance, Safety, Accountability, topped the list.

Hours of service was also second in last year’s survey. ATRI reported that many in the industry are concerned about how changes to the 34-hour restart provision, the addition of a mandatory rest break after eight hours of driving and “threats to reduce total drive time” will affect operations.

The growing shortage of qualified drivers ranked No. 4 on the list.

Some in the industry said that economic recovery, CSA and the hours-of-service changes “may be contributing factors to a shrinking driver pool, ATRI said.