Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations

Freight Facts and Figures 2013

Figure 3-20. Intensity of Truck Freight Congestion on Selected Interstate Highways: 2012

In addition to calculating peak-period congestion from traffic volumes, as shown in other figures, FHWA, in cooperation with private industry, measures the speed and travel time reliability of more than 500,000 trucks on 25 freight-significant corridors on an annual basis. Average truck speeds drop below 55 miles per hour (mph) near major urban areas, border crossings and gateways, and in mountainous terrain.

To facilitate a better understanding of the intensity of truck congestion and travel reliability issues, FHWA combined truck volumes from the FAF with average truck speeds measured by the FPM Program. This information is useful to private- and public-sector freight stakeholders who desire to better understand the magnitude and severity of congestion and the constraints to mobility experienced along highways. Many major urban area Interstates that have heavy truck volumes are experiencing average speeds of less than 55 mph.

Figure 3-20

Figure 3-20. U.S. map showing average truck speed/miles per hour on interstate highways, with the average truck speed above 55 miles per hour in the majority of the country and average truck below 55 miles per hour near major urban areas, border crossings and gateways, and in mountainous terrain.

[JPEG 1.23MB, PDF 1.41KB]

Source:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Freight Management and Operations, Performance Measurement Program, 2013.

 


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