The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has called for motor carriers to participate in its annual update to its Operational Costs of Trucking report by Friday, Aug. 20.

Now in its 13th year, ATRI’s annual Operational Costs of Trucking collects cost information derived directly from trucking fleets and owner-operators and is among the most requested ATRI research studies. ATRI’s annual analysis is used as a key benchmarking tool by motor carriers of all sizes.

Public sector agencies also utilize ATRI’s real-world data analysis to make better-informed transportation planning and infrastructure investment decisions. Most recently, ATRI’s Operational Costs of Trucking data was used to quantify impacts from the I-40 bridge closure in Memphis.

“While 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, America’s trucking industry kept moving and freight demand has since returned to pre-pandemic levels,” Steve Rush, Carbon Express president, said. “Understanding how 2020 affected fleet costs – from driver pay to insurance to vehicle leases – will help the industry better position itself for future global emergencies.”

Among the for-hire fleet metrics being requested by ATRI are driver pay, fuel costs, insurance premiums and lease or purchase payments. Carriers and owner-operators are asked to provide full-year 2020 cost per mile and/or cost per hour data using the easy-to-use online data entry form.

“ATRI’s annual Ops Costs analysis provides a one-stop shop for fleets of all sizes to benchmark their metrics against their peers,” Tom Weakley, director of the OOIDA Foundation, said. “Our members appreciate that ATRI’s analysis includes a focus on small carrier costs.”