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The American Transportation Research Institute (abbreviated as ATRI), founded in 1953, is a nonprofit think tank and an independent part of the American Trucking Associations federation.

According to ATRI's mission statement, its purpose "is to conduct and support research in the field, with an emphasis on the trucking industry's essential role in a safe, efficient and viable transportation system."

History
ATRIs’ predecessor organization, the ATA Foundation, was founded in May 1953 by ATA president Walter F. Carey. The ATA Foundations original purpose was to educate the public on the US trucking industry and to advocate for a larger Federal highway program. Eight companies with interest in the trucking industry signed as charter members of the foundation and donated the money to operate. Along with giving monetary donations, the member companies produced many of the advertisements that appeared in print, radio, and on television.

The ATA Foundation developed many of the themes and projects were funded and produced by member companies, with ATA covering administrative and staffing costs. The Foundation ran many media campaigns to combat the public’s negative perceptions of the trucking industry and to promote industry objectives.

This operating model lasted 30 years until 1985 when the foundation was incorporated as an independent non-profit in order to allow for greater participation from trucking industry stakeholders. Under this model the ATA Foundation became a separate entity from ATA by incorporating as a non-profit organization. After restructuring, the ATA Foundation began shifting focus from communications to research initiatives relating to trucking and freight.

In 1996 the foundation reorganized under a name "The American Transportation Research Institute" (ATRI), which it is known as today.

Industry Initiatives
From 1956 to 1964, in an effort to increase trucking visibility the Foundation issued the Ted V. Rodgers Journalism awards. The awards were given for published articles that involve “highway development, progress, and use.”

To celebrate ATAs 50th anniversary, in 1984 the Foundation ran a mobile museum tour called the Cavalcade of Trucking. The museum toured in a 48-foot van presenting displays, dioramas, pictures, and trucking related trinkets to educate the public on "what trucks are all about and their importance to the commerce." Over its year long tour, it had 300,000 attendees, visited 139 cities, and logged 25,000 miles.

Research
ATRIs research focus covers US trucking industry. Topics include: Safety, Regulatory Impacts, Driver Shortages, Infrastructure Capacity, and Industry Trends. ATRI publishes a few annual reports, most notably reports on issues in the industry, operation costs , and freeway bottlenecks.

Research objectives are selected by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC). The RAC is “comprised of government officials, independent scientists, labor union officials, academics and trucking company executives and suppliers from a diverse cross-section of the industry, all who understand the importance of sound science to an industry as complex as the trucking industry. The RAC is charged with annually recommending a research agenda for the Institute.”

In Popular Culture
On June 5th, 2015, a news article the satirical newspaper The Onion described the publication of a fictional ATRI report that found drug tunnels to be "the most intact and reliable form of transport infrastructure in the United States."