Highway congestion

ATRI: Road congestion cost trucking $108.8B in 2022

Highway congestion cost the trucking industry a record $108.8 billion in 2022, according to a survey released Wednesday by the American Transportation Research Institute.

ATRI’s survey, which measures congestion using average truck speeds, truck volumes and operational costs, found that total congestion hours in 2022 decreased slightly from 2021 due to the weakening freight market.

However, the cost to operate a truck increased at a greater rate in the same period, causing overall congestion...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/atri-road-congestion-cost-trucking-108-8b-in-2022

Lack of drivers hamstringing supply chain recovery

The trucking industry is desperate to get drivers into seats at a time when the supply chain needs them most, but a variety of factors is stalling the industry’s ability to gain traction.

Chief among those factors is the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Since January 2020 when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began recording substance abuse violations in the clearinghouse database, over 91,000 drivers have been taken off the road for testing positive or refusing to take a test....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lack-of-drivers-hamstringing-supply-chain-recovery

Viewpoint: The interstate system turns 65 — it’s time to modernize it

This commentary was written by Dave Kearby, executive director at TRIP. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates.

By Dave Kearby

As the U.S. interstate highway system reaches 65 years old on Tuesday, it is congested, carries significant levels of travel — particularly by large trucks — and lacks adequate funding to make needed repairs and improvements. America’s most critical transportation link will need...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/viewpoint-the-interstate-system-turns-65-its-time-to-modernize-it

FreightWaves Classics: Interstate 5 runs from Mexico to Canada (Part 2 – Oregon and Washington)

Traffic on I-5 in Oregon. (Photo: Oregon Department of Transportation)

In Part 1 of this article, the California portion of Interstate 5 was the focus. This article focuses on I-5 in the states of Oregon and Washington.

Overview

There are 70 primary interstate highways in the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or IHS) is a network of freeways in the United States. The oldest parts of the interstate system date back to the 1950s, and the planning for the system began prior to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-interstate-5-runs-from-mexico-to-canada-part-2-oregon-and-washington

Could truck crash resurrect Brent Spence Bridge expansion project?

A billion-dollar bridge project put on hold due to lack of funding could get renewed attention in the aftermath of a truck crash that threatens to keep a major U.S. freight corridor closed for weeks.

The accident occurred at approximately 2:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday on the Brent Spence Bridge, which carries Interstate 75 and Interstate 71 traffic over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. A northbound truck jackknifed on the bridge’s lower deck, according to the Kentucky...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/could-truck-crash-resurrect-brent-spence-bridge-expansion-project