DOWNWARD 2%
TRUCKERS: As a leading economic indicator, where do you see the economy trending? Trucking companies have a unique view of the country’s economic conditions and serve as a leading indicator for where the economy is heading next. Their view on how things are looking for what lies ahead? A vast majority remains cautious with 71% saying they think the economy is trending somewhere in between upward and downward. On the bright side, only 2% of survey participants see a downward-trending economy, while 27% view an economy that is trending upward, up from 22% in 2025.
UPWARD 27%
SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN 71%
TRUCKERS: What are your greatest challenges?
71%
Driver-related (recruitment, retention, training)
Not surprisingly, this year most companies (71%) pointed to driver-related issues, particularly recruitment, retention, and training, as being among their top challenges, up slightly from 70% in 2025. Rising equipment costs is also top of mind for a majority of truckers with 51% calling it a top challenge. Not far behind was insurance costs and liabilities at 49%. Along the same theme of cost-related topics, fuel costs (42%) figured into the top five concerns. Notably, price pressure from customers and competitors was cited by 50% in 2025, but dipped below 40% in 2026. Not shown on this chart, it was cited by 38% of respondents and is the sixth most onerous challenge.
51%
Rising equipment costs
49%
Insurance costs and liabilities
44%
Cargo theft and security
42%
Fuel costs
SHIPPERS: What are your greatest challenges?
Meanwhile, shippers faced with the same question responded resoundingly, with 80% of survey takers indicating transportation costs as the most-cited concern. Shippers report other areas where the price of doing business has them worried. Price pressure from customers and competitors is among the top worries for 46% of shippers in the survey—the third greatest challenge. Falling outside the top concerns but still onerous, insurance costs and liabilities (not shown) was cited by 37% of respondents. Cargo theft has rapidly become a prominent issue in the supply chain, with an eye-opening 53% of shippers indicating it was among their greatest challenges, the only other issue to capture more than half of the vote. In a sign of how serious theft has become, just 12% of shippers in 2023 said it was one of their top challenges. Truckers are similarly wary of the issue and its ramifications with 44% of them calling it one of their more pressing problems (see chart above) .
80%
Transportation costs
53%
Cargo theft and security
46%
Price pressure from customers/competition
45%
Customer service
September 2026 • Inbound Logistics 35
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