Weather Delay Costs to Trucking

2012PDFTech ReportFHWA-JPO-13-023DTFH61-11-D-00012TruckingTraffic delayWeather conditionsEconomic impactsFreight transportationResearch HubTruckingTraffic delayWeather conditionsUnited StatesUnited States. Department of Transportation. Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program OfficeKrechmer, DanielPerry, NoelDestro, LisaGallaher, SarahjoyCambridge SystematicsFTR AssociatesUnited States. Joint Program Office for Intelligent Transportation SystemsNTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-Economic ImpactsNTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTNTL-FREIGHT-Trucking IndustryIntelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office;Federal Highway AdministrationEstimates of the nation\u2019s freight sector of transportation range to upwards of $600 billion of total gross domestic product with 70 percent of total value and 60 percent of total weight moving by truck. Weather-related delays can add significantly to shipping costs, resulting in negative impacts on the overall economy. FHWA funded this project in order to estimate the impact of adverse weather on U.S. roadway freight operations. The findings of the study were that weather phenomena impact freight traffic between 3 percent and 6 percent of the time, depending location, with a national average of 4.6 percent. The cost of weather-related delay to the freight industry was estimated at $8.659 billion or 1.6 percent of the total estimated freight market of $574 billion. While this appears on the surface to be a small percentage the dollar value is significant and it is important to note that improvements to road weather management programs, which are generally relatively inexpensive, can have major payoffs from a benefit/cost standpoint. Specific research required to refine this estimate is recommended in the report