Freight congestion

Rush-hour truck speeds slow to 36.3 mph at major bottlenecks

Truck drivers waited 6% longer on average in 2022 while driving through the nation’s most congested sections of highway at rush hour, according to the latest data compiled by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).

Average peak-hour speeds were clocked at 36.3 mph at the top 100 freight bottlenecks, ATRI found, compared with 38.6 mph in 2021. The decrease follows an 11% drop in average speeds between 2020 and 2021.

The intersection of Interstate 95 and state Route 4 in Fort Lee,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rush-hour-truck-speeds-slow-to-363-mph-at-major-bottlenecks

Watchdog finds DOT could be hindering infrastructure grants

As many as 21% of applicants for federal infrastructure grants — including states, cities and port authorities — could be overestimating how much they need to contribute to their projects due to poor communication from the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to a federal watchdog agency.

That lack of communication, as outlined in a report released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), could mean applicants are having to dig for more money amid tight budgets or is...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/watchdog-finds-dot-could-be-hindering-infrastructure-grants

FedEx Freight reverses service suspensions after outcry from big retailers

A FedEx tractor-trailer on left and a Lowe's store on the right.

FedEx Freight (NYSE: FDX) is walking back its recent abrupt suspension of service to a portion of its customer base after ruffling feathers of key stakeholders that made known their displeasure, according to communications from the company and logistics industry executives.

The measure, aimed at shippers with more costly freight in high-density shipping zones, was intended to provide the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carrier a respite from the enormous wave of shipments pouring into its...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fedex-freight-reverses-service-suspensions-after-outcry-from-big-retailers

‘Freight Alley’ wants in on Georgia’s truck-only lane project

A Chattanooga, Tennessee-based business partnership is lobbying the state of Georgia to include “Freight Alley” in its plan to open truck-only lanes along Interstate 75.

Thrive Regional Partnership, which lists truckload carrier Covenant (NASDAQ: CVLG) as one of its investors, submitted comments to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) earlier this month asking that the agency consider the benefits of extending its commercial vehicle lanes (CVL) project along the I-75 corridor in...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/freight-alley-wants-in-on-georgias-truck-only-lane-project

DOT rolls out National Freight Strategic Plan

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Thursday unveiled for the first time a national freight transportation strategy that aims to guide national freight policy and investment and provide a framework for better multimodal coordination.

The National Freight Strategic Plan, required under the 2015 Fast Act (which expires at the end of September), received 82 comments from state agencies, associations and private companies following a “request for information” issued late last year.

“This...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-rolls-out-national-freight-strategic-plan