More than a dozen states experienced increased costs of over $1 billion each due to congestion, ATRI said. (Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)

ATRI: Traffic congestion cost trucking $49.6 billion in 2014

April 19, 2016
Research group calculates traffic delays resulted in more than 728 million hours of lost productivity for trucking.

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) calculates that highway traffic congestion cost the trucking industry $49.6 billion in 2014; a monetary figure resulting from delays totaling more than 728 million hours of lost productivity, which equates to 264,500 commercial truck drivers sitting idle for a working year.

More than a dozen states experienced increased costs of over $1 billion each due to congestion, with Florida and Texas leading with over $4 billion each, the group said. 

"Unfortunately we've come to expect traffic congestion as a part of our daily lives,” noted David Congdon, CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line, in a statement.

“ATRI's latest analysis illustrates what a significant productivity drain that congestion is on our industry and the economy at large," he added.

Other insights ATRI gleaned from its analysis of 2014 traffic data include:

  • Traffic congestion tended to be most severe in urban areas, with 88% percent of the congestion costs concentrated on only 18% of the network mileage.
  • Some 95% of the trucking industry’s total congestion cost occurs in metropolitan areas.
  • Traffic congestion added an average of $26,625 in additional per-unit operating costs for trucks traveling 150,000 miles annually.
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