The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is giving drivers one more reason to loathe congestion on our nation’s roads, stating that slow moving and dead standstill traffic is costing the industry billions of dollars in productivity a year…that’s right, billions.
In their 2018 update that was posted this month, ATRI indicated that the cost of congestion rose in 2016 to $74.5 billion from $74.1 billion the previous year. This number derives from drivers sitting 1.2 billion hours in congested traffic multiplied by ATRI’s national average operational cost per hour in 2016 of $63.66. (1)
The report takes into account 11.5 million registered trucks across the nation and focuses on the delays for the trucking industry during weekdays. Given these numbers, a single truck averages a congestion cost of $6,478 a year. (1) What’s even more startling is that the 1.2 billion hours that the industry lost “due to congestion is equivalent to 425,533 trucks sitting idle for an entire year,” according to ATRI. (2)
Diving down deeper, only 17.2% of the National Highway System accounted for 86.7% of congestion costs, costing over $155,000 a mile. (3)
The top ten congested states in 2016 remained the same from the year prior with Texas ranking first followed by Florida, California, New York, and New Jersey. The only change in the lineup was Illinois passing out Pennsylvania for the number sixth spot. These ten states (which also include Tennessee, Ohio, and North Carolina) were responsible for 51.8% of congestion costs (2)
Why the sudden surge in congestion in 2016? Some of the reasons include a record 7.3 million reportable accidents and 5.6% more fatalities that year, weather conditions such as Winter Storm Jonas, as well as growth in e-commerce sales and economic activity. (1)
While there is no way to predict an accident or other delays that drivers face every day, we do take measures to help reduce them. Road Scholar Transport has the ability to monitor and react to road conditions/reroute equipment. Our dispatch team monitors traffic congestion overlay to see where our trucks are and where traffic may affect delivery in order to choose the best route to avoid delays so that your product line is not on hold or affect your reputation.
Additionally, Road Scholar is preventing delays and damaged/loss of freight with our anti-crash technology. We have ACB systems (Active Cruise with Braking) installed on our trucks that allow us to maintain a set distance of 8/10ths of a mile marker behind a forward vehicle.
Not only does Road Scholar incorporate the Bendix Wingman ACB on its trucks, but ESP (Electronic Stability Program) as well. This system is especially good for icy or wet weather conditions where wheels lose their grip, or taking a curve too quickly, which can result in a rollover. Drivers may not sense that a rollover could be starting, which is where the ESP’s row and yaw stability sensors come into play. The row sensors work to prevent rollovers while yaw sensors prevent slide, spin, or jackknife situations. The ESP automatically distinguishes the problem and quickly corrects it by reducing the engine throttle and applying the brakes.
These are just some reasons why Road Scholar has a low damage claim rate of just 0.0003%, in addition to qualified drivers and safe equipment.
Are in transit delays from your current carrier becoming an issue of concern? Let us know. Road Scholar Transport will do a free audit of your lanes and offer some suggestions on route optimization. Visit www.roadscholar.com today.
(2)https://www.ccjdigital.com/atri-congestion-cost-trucking-74-5-billion-1-2-billion-hours-in-2016/
(3)https://www.ttnews.com/articles/congestion-creates-745-billion-burden-trucking-atri-study-shows
