Photo courtesy of VDOT
Image

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

May 1, 2014
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.

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.

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.

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.

About the Author

Avery Vise | Contributing editor

Avery Vise was a FleetOwner editor from 2013 to 2015.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!

Sponsored Recommendations

What challenges are top of mind for fleet professionals in 2025? Get exclusive insights from the 2025 Fleet Trends Survey and discover where the industry is headed next.
The most successful fleets accomplish more than delivering freight. To accomplish this, fleets need a fuel that’s reliable, more economical and more sustainable. That fuel is ...
Are your KPIs driving real fleet improvement? Learn how to set smarter, data-driven benchmarks, track success like top-performing fleets, and apply proven strategies to optimize...
Learn how eets can enhance truck utilization and minimize safety incidents using business intelligence and AI. Delve into innovative practices, technology integration and real...