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Congestion Takes Toll on Trucking Industry
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According to a recent survey of trucking executives conducted by The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) on behalf of the American Trucking Associations Federation, without a long-term solution congestion will have a “deleterious” effect on the trucking industry. Congestion ranked fourth among concerns for the industry but was a vital cog in the top three concerns.
The Hours-of-Service (#1 on the list) rules do not currently provide for “congestion credit.” Drivers facing congestion are disincentivized from pulling out of traffic and resting for a few hours due to the impact on total driving and on-duty hours.
The second concern on the list is driver shortage which is intensified by potential recruits having to contemplate a career trapped in traffic. Fuel usage is the third most pressing issue facing the trucking industry. As trucks sit idle in traffic, fuel is wasted. A study by the Federal Highway Administration estimates that trucks spend over 240 million hours annually idling in traffic which translates to a cost of $8 billion per year for the trucking industry.
The ATRI survey is used by industry groups at the state and federal level as a roadmap of issues and strategies that carriers believe will have the most impact on the industry in the foreseeable future. The survey lets these groups address the issues broadly and proactively.
