Bottlenecks – on urban roads and interstate thoroughfares – have been on the radar of our Cleveland trucking firm for some time.

Transportation bottlenecks in the supply chain could include:

• Congestion on a freeway in an intercity trucking freeway;
• A traffic light that’s poorly-timed on an urban trucking corridor;
• Routine crashes at an intersection that’s improperly-designed or outdated.

Everyone knows the pain of a traffic jam, but for the U.S. trucking industry, per a report last year from the American Transportation Research Institute, trucking industry time losses due to clogged highways collectively added up to 1.2 billion hours annually. According to the agency’s release, this is equivalent to more than 425,000 truck drivers sitting in idle mode –  for a full 12 months. Total cost of this traffic congestion to the trucking industry (which ultimately affects shippers and consumers too) is nearly $75 billion.

Worst Trucking Bottlenecks in U.S. Supply Chain

Our Cleveland trucking company stays constantly apprised of traffic flow and congestion on major and minor routes, maintaining contingencies for alternative routes to help save time – and ultimately money. For example, if every UPS vehicle every day experienced a 5-minute delay, this would total $115 million in additional costs a year.

Data tracking by ATRI includes a yearly list of the worst trucking bottlenecks throughout the country. It’s truck speeds have fallen by nearly 10 percent on average in the top 10 worst-congested areas, No. 1 being Fort Lee, New Jersey. Atlanta has three of the worst truck industry bottlenecks in the top 10 and Los Angeles has two. These are just the most significant slowdowns. Coast-to-coast, they’re far from the only traffic impediments to have major costs.

Ohio trucking industry bottlenecks on the list (with corresponding rank) include:

• No. 6: Cincinnati on I-71 at I-75.
• No. 48: Cincinnati on I-71 at I-74.
• No. 93: Columbus on I-71 at I-70.

Numerous other cities in the Midwest are on the list too, such as Indianapolis, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago and Gary (Indiana). Like Atlanta and Los Angeles, some of these cities appear on the list more than once.

Cleveland trucking companies like On Time Delivery & Warehouse uses analytic evaluation tools like this and others to make better-informed route decisions, avoid the biggest hold-ups and meet customer expectations.

Resolving the Congestion That Slows Our Roll

Addressing this time-consuming and expensive issues, we need government buy-in, as local, state and federal agencies oversee road design, construction and maintenance. There is no simple, one-answer fix to these issues because the reasons for them vary. Still, given the enormity of the costs, doing nothing isn’t an option either.

Some proposals being weighed by USDOT’s Federal Highway Administration include:

• Closing or metering entrance ramps.
• Designating a small section of the shoulder as an extra traffic lane during peak travel hours.
• Tinker with traffic signal timing on arterial roads.
• Offer the public timely traffic diversion information with alternative routes.

Of course, these do require upfront investment, but failure to act will continue to have substantial adverse economic and environmental impact. And don’t forget: Government agencies are affected by trucking slowdowns too.

If you have concerns about Cleveland trucking industry congestion points, the professionals at On Time Delivery & Warehouse can help identify and address the pain points in your supply chain. The benefit of working with a dedicated third-party logistics firm – one that provides trucking, warehousing, distribution and more – is that we have a developed network of partners and planning tools to help find the most efficient workarounds.

If you have questions about Cleveland trucking company services, contact On Time Delivery & Warehouse by calling (440) 826-4630 or sending us an email.

Additional Resources:

An inside look at the impact of urban supply chain congestion, Nov. 12, 2018, By Kristin Musulin, Supply Chain Dive

More Blog Entries:

Are Your Cleveland Trucking Solutions Adaptable? Check With Our 3PL, May 12, 2019, Cleveland Trucking Company Blog