The 2025 ATA Management Conference & Exhibition (MCE) brought together over 3,000 leaders across trucking and logistics to chart the course for the year ahead. This year’s theme — “A United Front: Driving Policy in a New Era” — captured the industry’s determination to collaborate through economic uncertainty, regulatory change, and rapid innovation. From AI breakthroughs to automation, here are five key takeaways from this year’s event — and how Motive is helping fleets stay ahead of the trends.
1. AI will redefine fleet management in 2026 and beyond
In the session “Top 5 Fleet Management AI Trends for 2026,” experts explored how AI is reshaping the physical economy and how fleets can put it to work. The session was led by Greg Ryan, Lead Solution Engineer at Motive, with Karol Smith, Director of Transport Compliance at Estes Forwarding Worldwide, and Jared Whitson, Director of Safety at Bennett Family of Companies.
Their message: AI isn’t replacing people — it’s extending human capabilities.
- Perception AI detects risky behavior with context to prevent incidents.
- Generative AI automates coaching and surfaces insights instantly.
- Agentic AI acts like a teammate — taking action and adapting over time.
Together, these technologies help fleets act faster, prevent more accidents, and improve efficiency.
2. Conversational AI is transforming decision-making
In a fireside chat, Hemant Banavar, Chief Product Officer at Motive, and Emily Parsons, Staff Product Manager, unveiled AI answers — the first conversational AI built for physical operations.
Like ChatGPT and other LLMs, it understands natural-language questions, but instead of being trained on online resources, AI answers is trained on a fleet’s data inside Motive. For example, you can ask, “Which vehicles had the highest fuel spend?” and get clear, conversational answers with helpful visuals in seconds. Teams can now access insights instantly instead of waiting for reports — accelerating smarter, faster decisions across safety, operations, and finance.
3. Economic pressures and rising costs dominate priorities
According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI)’s 2025 Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry report, the top five issues of 2025 span economic, legal, and workforce challenges:
- Economy
- Lawsuit abuse reform
- Insurance cost and availability
- Truck parking
- Driver compensation
Other issues in the Top 10 included CSA scores, English proficiency, diesel emissions, driver training standards, and, for the first time, AI in trucking, highlighting how technology is becoming central to industry discussions around safety, efficiency, and risk.
With profitability under pressure, fleets are seeking efficiency wherever possible. Motive helps reduce risk and insurance costs through AI-powered safety tools — allowing carriers to protect drivers while staying competitive.
4. Policy and advocacy take center stage
This year’s theme underscored the power of collective action. ATA President Chris Spear reminded attendees that wins on emissions rules, tort reform, and workforce growth come from united advocacy.
Sessions, such as the President’s Address and the State of the Industry, encouraged fleets to remain engaged in shaping policies related to emissions, safety, and AI.
5. Autonomous trucks move from pilot to production
Autonomous trucking is now moving closer to real-world viability after years of investment, testing, and on-road validation. Aurora Innovation began operating driverless trucks on Texas highways, while Volvo Autonomous Solutions announced its next-generation VNL Autonomous tractors will soon enter production after successful pilots.
These trucks will operate on specific, repeatable routes that are best suited to automation, leaving more complex routes and driving situations to professional drivers. Autonomous trucks could become a new mode of freight movement, expanding long-haul capacity and easing pressure from driver shortages.
Driving the industry forward
Motive’s presence at ATA MCE 2025 reflected a shared vision with the industry — one where AI, automation, and human expertise unite to make roads safer and operations more efficient for the next era of transportation. As fleets navigate new technology, regulations, and economic shifts, Motive helps bridge today’s operations with tomorrow’s future. Contact us to learn more.
