Traffic congestion costs US trucking $63bn a year

US trucking loses $63bn annually because of congestion on the country’s highways, according to this piece from Trucks.com. Citing a study by the American Transportation Research Institute, wasted fuel, labour costs and vehicle wear and tear all contribute to this mountainous figure. The study concludes that more than 996m hours of productivity are lost because of congestion – equal to 362,243 truck drivers sitting idle for an entire year. Of all the states, Florida ranked as the biggest offender, accounting for 8.4%, or more than $5.3bn, of the total. Atlanta’s famous “Spaghetti Junction” was listed as the worst bottleneck in the country.