Special Reports Library

Special Reports are feature-based supplements that drill down into a specific business interest.

Featured Special Report 

Insurance Special Report: 

Navigating Rising Trucking Costs

As known too well, there has been nowhere to hide from the rising costs of everything from maintenance to insurance. Rate premiums have not found a bottom for some time; according to American Transportation Research Institute, truck insurance premium
costs per mile rose 6.8% in the first quarter of this year compared with 2023 and is one of the fastest-rising expenses in trucking.

In this special report, we ask trucking companies what they are doing to manage their insurance costs and present alternative solutions from self-insurance to technology. Discover, too, what providers recommend to better prepare for commercial truck insurance needs.

Brought to you by:

Hudson Insurance Group offers comprehensive protection for automobile liability, physical damage, cargo, general liability, non-trucking liability, occupational/accident and contingent liability. Hudson is rated A+(Superior) by AM Best, FSC XV. 

Napa River is a third-party administrator and a wholly owned subsidiary of Hudson Insurance Group providing tailored, flexible, hands-on risk and claims management and funds control services to clients in the transportation industry. 

Special Reports Archive

Electric Vehicle Special Report: Finding the Right Fit

Published January, 2024

In the midst of looming regulations like Advanced Clean Fleets that will mandate fleets to implement zero-emission vehicles, fleet owners who have traditionally worried about operational bottom lines are now feeling the pressures and confusion that come with making the transition and may think that simply purchasing zero-emission vehicles for their fleets is progress enough to meet the mandate requirements.

How can you prepare your fleet for the electric future? What unique steps will you take to stay ahead of the competition? And most importantly, are you prepared beyond the initial EV procurement? 

Find answers in 'Finding the Right Fit', available for download now. 

Artificial Intelligence Helps Fleets Better

Navigate Risk Management

Published April, 2023

Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It’s in the news: It’s going to ruin business as we know it, or at least take over humans. As with all things new, it has also become the trendy buzzword, as some companies that merely mention the letters AI garner favor from general media and consumers.

However, aside from producing funny songs and imagery for social media, there have been some innovations that have proved useful, especially for the trucking industry. Find out how in this special report. 

Electric Vehicle Special Report: Clearing The Way For Electric Trucks

Published December, 2023

While electric-powered trucks represent only a tiny sliver of the  commercial vehicles on the road today, environmental regulations could push the industry to accelerate the shift toward zero-emission trucks in the years ahead.

Is the infrastructure ready for that kind of push? How are fleet executives making their transition? 

See how the industry is 'Clearing The Way For Electric Trucks', available for download now. 

Insurance Special Report: Nuclear Verdict Threat

Published November, 2022

As Mike Tyson once proclaimed, we all have a plan until we get punched in the face. The boxer could have been speaking about the litigation battles many fleets around the country are facing when it comes to fending off the threat of nuclear verdicts.Detrimental to their insurance rates, the increase in nuclear verdicts gives carriers pause. But by utilizing technology, documenting and sharing safety efforts, fleets can minimize the risk. Find out more about minimizing risk in this special report. 

Technology Special Report: Futureproofing Your Fleet

Published June, 2022

From the first in-cab communications systems dating to the late 1980s to the far more advanced telematics systems installed on today’s trucks and trailers, connectivity yields steady improvements in safety and efficiency in the trucking industry. Examine this data-connected world, and future proof your fleet. Download the special report below:

How Can Fleets Attract More Drivers?

Published June, 2021

It’s our mission that you not only learn what these trucking companies are accomplishing and implementing to combat the driver shortage, but begin to understand the complexity of this persistent challenge from every angle and perspective — driver and employer. Download this recruitment and retention report below.

Electric Vehicle Special Report: 

Can We Go Electric?

Published December, 2021

While many of the benefits are proving out, there are several significant barriers to widespread EV adoption, including high acquisition costs, complex infrastructure requirements and basic financial questions such as the resale value of a first-generation electric tractor. 

So, fleet's are left asking "Can we go electric?" Find out in this December's special report, available for download now. 

Trucking's Electric Future Begins to Take Shape

Published December, 2020

The development and introduction of electric-powered trucks continues to gain momentum. This emerging segment of the commercial vehicle market is still in its infancy, but it is becoming clear that electric trucks are poised to become an increasingly important part of the trucking industry in the years and decades ahead.

Winning The Insurance Game

Published August, 2021

Insurance is yet another unavoidable cost of doing business as a motor carrier, and that particular cost has been climbing sharply in recent years, a trend that is forcing fleet managers to take a closer look at how they are managing risk.

This Transport Topics special report is our latest effort to help you do exactly that.

Will Electricity or Diesel Power Trucking's Future?

Published December, 2019

As electric-powered trucks gain more momentum, batteries and hydrogen fuel cells are set to power a new segment of commercial transportation. This special report examines the ways to prepare, predict, and operate in an electric industry.  

How Fleets Are Finding Balance Amid Rising Risk

Published November, 2020

Although the pandemic briefly eased traffic congestion and the risk of crashes in the short term, several longer lasting trends have been driving up insurance rates and premiums in the past several years. Download this special report to learn more. 

Trucking Plugs Into An Electric Future

Published December, 2018

The constant news stream has many business-minded folks wondering what, when, and why they should act on battery-powered technology. Is this the alternative fuel that will rival diesel? In this special report, Transport Topics reports on the technology at the root of  industry sea change.

ELD: Your Guide to the Mandate

Published September, 2019

Effective December 18th, 2018 the ELD rule made a significant shift in how driver HOS limits were enforced, altered trucking's competitive landscape, and was widely expected to have far-reaching effects on the supply chain. How far have we come? Find out, in this special report.