I found some very interesting and alarming statistics in a recent report compiled by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – AASHTO.
The study projected the amount of truck highway congestion that will occur as far out as 2035. That might seem a long way away, but as we all know, action taken by state and federal agencies needs a long time to respond, so we need to start now to think of solving or mitigating the impending problem.
Let’s start with the big picture. AASHTO notes that logistics costs are rising, both in absolute terms and in terms of their percentage of the America economy. In 2005, total logistics costs rose to 9.5 percent of GDP, compared to 8.6 percent in 2003. That was the largest rise in 30 years. It is estimated that only one-third of this higher cost is attributed to rising fuel prices. Another third was caused by delay and inefficiencies in the transportation system.
“Delay and inefficiencies” translate to real money out-of-pocket on a personal level and at the fleet level. If it costs more to ship products, then they will cost more at the grocery store. The increase in costs to your fleet caused by delay and inefficiencies will show up as more fuel used for the same route and increased maintenance costs for traveling the same distance, but with longer hours of operation.
Take a look at some of the increases in projected truck traffic by AASHTO:
• Loaded trucks traveled 164 billion miles on the nation’s roadways in 2004. Over the next 30 years, that will double.
• Today only 30 miles of Interstate Highways carry more than 50,000 trucks a day. By 2035, that will grow to 2,500 miles carrying more than 50,000 trucks daily.
• Today, the average Interstate highway mile carries 10,500 trucks and that will rise to 22,700 by 2035.
• By 2035, more than a third of America ’s Interstate highways will carry more than 25,000 trucks per day. That means for a motorist changing a tire on the side of the Interstate, a truck will pass him or her every 3.5 seconds.
Simply put, it means that your drivers and equipment will be on the road longer and running more hours to haul the same amount of freight. Some fleet have already experienced congestion in certain areas of the country. If the study is true, more of you will have the same experience.
You can do something about it. Make your local government officials aware of the problem and contact your state and federal representatives, as well. Support the organizations that can deliver the message to Washington and your state capitol. For more details, visit www.transportation1.org/tif3report/intro.html .
Bob Dorn,
Publisher
