The American Transportation Research Institute has opened two industry surveys asking truck drivers and carrier executives how driver health shapes safety, retention, and operating costs on US highways.

The Arlington, Virginia-based research arm of the American Trucking Associations launched the paired questionnaires to gather input from professional drivers and from the fleet safety and human-resources leaders who manage them, the institute told TheTrucker.com.

What is ATRI asking drivers to share?

The driver-side survey asks operators to describe how medical conditions, fatigue, and access to care affect their time behind the wheel. The companion executive survey asks carriers how driver health shows up in their cost structures, from insurance and workers' compensation to turnover.

Together, the two instruments give ATRI a matched view of the same problem from opposite sides of the cab, the institute said. Past ATRI research has repeatedly identified driver pay, hours-of-service, and health benefits among the most pressing concerns inside the truck, and the new questionnaires extend that work into a single coordinated data set.

Why does driver health move freight economics?

A single untreated medical condition can sideline a driver for weeks. With US for-hire trucking carrying roughly 72.6% of domestic freight tonnage by mode, according to federal data, even small changes in driver availability ripple through shipper pricing and contract negotiations.

Health-related attrition also feeds the industry's persistent turnover problem. The American Trucking Associations has tracked large-carrier driver turnover above 80% annually for years, a figure that pushes fleets to expand training pipelines and raises the per-mile cost of moving freight. Survey responses will give ATRI a current read on how much of that turnover traces back to medical issues, lifestyle demands, or limited access to care on the road.

How will the findings reach the industry?

ATRI intends to publish the aggregated results in a research report that member carriers, safety directors, and federal regulators can use to benchmark their own programs. The institute has not yet set a publication date, but its annual research calendar typically places new driver-focused studies in the second quarter of the following year.

The two surveys remain open to drivers and fleet executives, and ATRI is encouraging broad participation so the resulting sample reflects regional haul types, from long-haul over-the-road lanes to regional and last-mile operations.

What comes next for the data?

Once ATRI closes the survey window, the institute will pair the driver and executive responses against its existing industry cost databases, isolating where health-related friction is concentrated and where interventions have the clearest payback. The findings are likely to inform next year's round of carrier benefit design, insurer underwriting, and federal medical-examiner policy reviews.