Traffic congestion on U.S. highways added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022. That’s according to the latest Cost of Congestion study published by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). 

Record High Congestion Costs

This finding, part of ATRI’s ongoing highway performance measurement research, marks a new record-high national congestion cost.

ATRI utilized a variety of data sources, including its substantial truck GPS database and Operational Costs benchmarks, to calculate the impacts of trucking delays on major U.S. roadways. 

The total hours of congestion decreased slightly in 2022 from record 2021 highs due to a softening freight market, but the cost of operating a truck during this period increased at a much greater rate. 

As a result, the overall cost of congestion increased by 15.0 percent year-over-year. This level of delay is equivalent to more than 430,000 commercial truck drivers sitting idle for one work year and an average cost of $7,588 for every registered combination truck.

The report found that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the congestion costs borne by trucking had been on a steady rise, reaching more than $87 billion annually in 2018. 

The pandemic offered a small reprieve in congestion costs as the number of vehicles on the road hit record lows in 2020 due to mandatory office, school and retail closures. 

Since that time, however, drivers have returned to the road and traffic has slowed; in 2021, congestion costs exceeded $94 billion. In 2022, congestion’s impact on the trucking industry was more than $108 billion annually.

Costly Delays

In addition to the national findings, ATRI’s analysis also documented state and metropolitan delays and related cost impacts. 

The top 10 states each experienced costs of more than $8 billion, led by Texas ($9.17B), California ($8.77B), and Florida ($8.44B). Combined, the top 10 states ultimately account for more than half (52%) of trucking’s congestion costs nationwide. 

Additionally, the metropolitan areas with the highest congestion costs included New York City ($6.68B), Miami ($3.20B), and Chicago ($3.14B).

ATRI’s analysis also found that the trucking industry wasted over 6.4 billion gallons of diesel fuel in 2022 due to congestion, resulting in additional fuel costs of $32.1 billion. 

“With rising costs putting pressure on businesses and consumers alike, minimizing delays caused by congestion is more important than ever,” said Frank Granieri, A. Duie Pyle COO of Supply Chain Solutions. “Addressing these challenges requires a shared commitment to modernize our infrastructure and strengthen the backbone of our economy: resilient and efficient supply chains.”

A copy of this report is available on ATRI's website.