The Cost of Traffic Congestion Delays
14 Oct 2015
Over $9.2 billion in trucking operational costs were added due to congestion on the Interstate highways of the nation in 2013. This statistic was based off research conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) which is a not-for-profit research institute for the trucking industry.
The ATRI used the financial data of motor carriers along with billions of GPS data points (anonymous) for calculating the delays and costs of each mile of the highway. It was found that there were more than 141 million hours of lost productivity. This is equivalent to more than 51,000 trucks sitting idle each working year.
The analysis done by ATRI additionally established the metropolitan areas, states, and counties that had the highest congestion costs. With over $1.7 billion in costs, California took the lead. Texas followed with more than $1.0 billion. At almost $1.1 billion, the Los Angeles metropolitan area had the highest cost while New York City came in fairly close with congestion costs of around $985 million.
As a fleet manager, having a GPS fleet tracking solution will help you control the costs of congestion and idling. Among the most effective uses for GPS fleet tracking is for avoiding traffic jams. This software helps save company money and the drivers’ time.
There are many reasons for traffic jams, including accidents, commuting, and construction. Traffic jams mess up schedules and slow down deliveries. When your drivers can successfully avoid them, it will benefit them, your customers, and your bottom line.
How Avoiding Congestion Can Benefit your Company
There are 5 specific benefits that avoiding congestion can provide for your company and drivers when using GPS tracking.
# 1 Enhanced Worker Productivity
Your drivers will not be stuck sitting in long traffic lines since GPS will enable them to move around them allowing them to get their pickups and deliveries done on time.
#2 Avoid Overworking Truck Engines
When stuck in traffic, idling the engine for lengthy times can’t be avoided. This constant idling increases maintenance and repair costs since it decreases engine life.
#3 Better Mileage
Even when you are idling in traffic, fuel is still being used by your trucks. When you can keep them moving to their destination, you avoid wasting the fuel which is an expensive resource.
#4 Your Customers are Happier
Pickups and deliveries are done on time when drivers are not stuck in traffic. This keeps customers happy and promotes positive word of mouth.
#5 Drivers Can Make their Time More Efficient
Drivers are not able to contribute to the overall bottom line when they are sitting in long lines of traffic. However, when they are able to avoid traffic jams, they can work more productively.
GPS fleet tracking for route planning provides real-time data about weather and traffic flow. It also offers recommendations for alternative paths with the least amount of congestion. When drivers have this information, they are able to choose the best route, which reduces their stress, since they have a choice and keeps them driving more safely and being more productive.
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