Washington – September 15, 2026 -- The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released new research identifying which telematics metrics deliver the greatest value to motor carriers, exposing a gap between what fleets currently measure and what actually drives safety and operational gains.
Cost-per-mile ranks as top operations metric despite limited adoption
The report, titled "From Telematics Data to Decisions: High-Value Performance Metrics for Trucking Operations," found that managing cost-per-mile scored highest for importance among operations KPIs, yet only 73 percent of surveyed carriers currently track it.
Four safety metrics dominate current fleet adoption
Critical events, speeding, risky driving behavior and hard braking emerged as the four most widely used safety-related KPIs among motor carriers surveyed for the study.
ATRI report gives carriers a blueprint to close the KPI gap
Robert Braswell, Executive Director of the American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council, said the research identifies performance metrics that fleets find most valuable and highlights those that, for some carriers, deserve more consideration. He called the report a practical guide for evaluating what carriers currently measure versus what they ought to measure to improve safety, maintenance and operations.
The findings give motor carriers and telematics providers a data-backed reference point for prioritizing which KPIs to adopt or expand across safety, maintenance and operational functions.