Congestion equals 51,000 truck drivers idled for a year, ATRI finds

Lost productivity and other costs associated with drivers idled by congestion on interstate highways cost the trucking industry than $9.2 billion in 2013, according to a report released by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). Not surprisingly, congestion costs rose with truck mileage, ATRI found. A truck driven for 12,000 miles in 2013 saw an average congestion cost of $408, while a truck driven for 150,000 miles had an average cost of $5,094.

Avery Vise

May 1, 2014

2 min read

Using motor carrier financial data and billions of anonymous truck satellite data position reports, ATRI calculated congestion delays and costs on each mile of Interstate roadway.

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Congestion delays totaled more than 141 million hours of lost productivity – equivalent to more than 51,000 truck drivers sitting idle for a working year, ATRI concluded.

California led all states with more than $1.7 billion in costs, followed by Texas with more than $1 billion. The Los Angeles metropolitan area led metro areas at nearly $1.1 billion, edging out New York City at $984 million. Congestion tended to be most severe in urban areas, with 89% of the congestion costs concentrated on only 12%.

"Congestion is an unfortunate byproduct of our just-in-time economy, and it’s a significant roadblock to our country’s productivity as well as its global competitiveness,” said Jack Holmes, President of UPS Freight. “ATRI’s analysis quantifies congestion in a way that clearly shows the urgent need for highway investment.”

Click here to request for a copy of the study results.