ATRI, ATA Open Three Studies on Telematics, HOS, and Driver Pay

Three industry studies, one open call for carrier data

Two of the trucking industry's largest research bodies opened simultaneous data collection windows this week, and both are asking carriers to weigh in. The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) launched studies on telematics safety applications and Hours of Service compliance, while the American Trucking Associations (ATA) kicked off a driver compensation survey aimed at refreshing the industry's pay benchmarks.

The timing is not a coincidence. Insurers, the FMCSA, and policy makers all increasingly cite ATRI and ATA datasets when shaping rules and rate filings. Carriers that contribute data shape the conversation; carriers that sit out get the conversation made for them.

ATRI's telematics study targets the safety and maintenance ROI question

ATRI's telematics research is digging into something carriers have argued about for a decade: does telematics actually move the needle on safety and maintenance, and where? The study is open to carriers of any size and is collecting input on which use cases are producing measurable results, from driver coaching and CSA score management to predictive maintenance and unplanned downtime reduction.

For fleets weighing renewals, expansions, or first-time deployments of telematics, this is the kind of independent benchmarking that's usually hard to find outside vendor white papers. Carriers contributing data also get early visibility into peer practices.

HOS study lines up against the next regulatory cycle

Separately, ATRI is pulling together carrier input on the operational impact of current Hours of Service rules. Past ATRI HOS work has been cited in FMCSA rulemaking and Congressional hearings, so the data carriers contribute now is likely to surface in regulatory debates well into 2027.

The questions track familiar fleet pain points: how the 14-hour clock interacts with detention, how the 30-minute break rule plays out across operation types, and how split sleeper berth flexibility is or isn't being used in practice.

ATA wants a real read on driver pay in 2026

On the ATA side, the new driver compensation survey is targeted at producing a fresh national benchmark. Pay structures have shifted noticeably over the last two years, with more fleets layering in performance bonuses, safety-based pay, and home-time premiums on top of cents-per-mile or hourly rates. The official benchmarks haven't fully caught up.

For fleet managers, the practical use case is straightforward: contributing data now means a more useful comp benchmark to negotiate against later, whether you're defending a budget, pricing a recruiting campaign, or making the case to ownership for a pay structure overhaul.

The carrier registration backdrop

Quietly in the background, FMCSA's carrier registration numbers tilted back to net positive growth this quarter after several quarters of net exits. Read alongside the ATRI and ATA studies, that's a useful signal for capacity planners: the fleet population is expanding again, even as research bodies work to capture how those operators are paying drivers and using technology.