In The News

New data on trucking costs available

Trucking operation costs were $1.73 per mile and $83.68 per hour, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s analysis.


The institute wanted more realistic data for freight and transportation programs and models, according to John Culp, Maverick USA’s chief financial officer. Also, the U.S. Department of Transportation has started looking for creative financing strategies, such as congestion pricing, where the time/distance value of operating a truck is often overstated


“Operational costs are difficult to benchmark due to variations in the way companies account for different costs, however, the marketplace is in need of current data,” Culp said. “Some of the industry data being used today for infrastructure investment considerations are 10 years old or more.”


ATRI, the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization, surveyed a cross-section of for-hire motor carriers. The operational costs analysis was based on marginal cost data accruing from operating a truck for a mile or an hour in a standard operating environment. Fixed costs were not included since they are generally unaffected by system impacts such as congestion or external factors such as fuel price fluctuations.


Marginal costs were divided into vehicle- and driver-based. Top costs for carriers were diesel fuel/oil, driver wages and truck/trailer lease or purchase payments. Additional costs were captured beyond the information presented, including data for private fleets.


Across most key cost centers, significant cost fluctuations by industry sector were found. The specialized sector had the highest total marginal CPM, followed by the less-than-truckload and truckload sectors.


For the driver-based costs per mile, pay was $0.441, benefits was $0.126 and bonus payments was $0.036, The driver costs per hour was $16.59 for pay, $6.56 for benefits and $1.87 for bonus pay.


A summary of the findings is available on ATRI’s website at www.atri-online.org.