Truckers waste over a billion hours sitting in traffic every year, making shipping even more expensive. See the 10 worst bottlenecks.

Bianca Giacobone
Updated ·4 min read
A traffic bottleneck in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
The intersection of I-95 at SR 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey has been the most congested bottleneck for trucks in the US for five years in a row.Getty Images

  • A highway intersection outside of New York City is the US' most congested bottleneck for trucks.

  • Congestion added over $42 billion to the cost of freight transportation in 2019.

  • Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles are among some of the most congested cities for trucks.

As the transportation system works to become more sustainable, low-carbon fuels for cars and trucks get a lot of attention. But there's a big, old problem that's costing the country money, time, and carbon dioxide emissions: traffic.

A traffic jam on a gloomy day in Chicago.
Chicago is considered one of the most congested cities for trucks, with two bottlenecks in the top 10 most congested bottlenecks in the US, and five in the top 100.Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Highway congestion adds tens of billions of dollars to the cost of freight transportation each year — nearly $75 billion in 2016, and over $42 billion in 2019, according to the most recent available data. Truck drivers, who move more than 70% of US freight, sit in traffic for over 1 billion hours per year, burning fuel, and emitting carbon dioxide.

At a Senate hearing in February, Chris Spear of the American Trucking Association said reducing traffic is the best and simplest way to reduce emissions in the short term.

Trucks stuck in traffic.
Truck drivers sit in traffic for over 1 billion hours per year.Robert Michael/picture alliance via Getty Images

"Reducing idling hours and time wasted in stop-and-go traffic on our nation's highway bottlenecks will make more efficient use of every gallon of fuel burned," he said, adding that "congestion serves as a brake on economic growth and job creation nationwide."

The American Transportation Research Institute recently released a list of the 100 most congested bottlenecks for trucks in the US.

Aerial view of the Spaghetti Junction, in Atlanta, Georgia.
The intersection of I-85 and I-285 in Atlanta, Georgia, is known as 'Spaghetti Junction' and it is one of the most congested bottlenecks in the US.Getty Images

According to the institute's analysis, which uses GPS data to identify where freight trucks are forced to sit idle, the "average rush hour truck speeds were 36.3 MPH, down more than six percent from the previous year."

These are the top 10 most congested bottlenecks for trucks, ranked from best to worst:

 

10. San Bernardino, California: I-10 at I-15

Map of truck bottleneck in San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, CA: I-10 at I-15.Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

9. Nashville, Tennessee: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)

Map of truck bottleneck in Nasvhille
Nashville, TN: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East).Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

8. Los Angeles, California: I-710 at I-105

Map of truck bottleneck in Los Angeles, I-710 at I-105
Los Angeles, CA: I-710 at I-105.Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

7. Los Angeles, California: SR 60 at SR 57

Map of truck bottleneck in Los Angeles, SR 60 at SR 57
Los Angeles, CA: SR 60 at SR 57.Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

6. Chicago, Illinois: I-290 at I-90/I-94

Map of truck bottleneck in Chicago, I-290 at I-90/I-94
Chicago, IL: I-290 at I-90/I-94.Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

5. Atlanta, Georgia: I-20 at I-285 (West)

Map of truck bottleneck in Atlanta, GA, I-20
Atlanta, GA: I-20 at I-285 (West)Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

4. Atlanta, Georgia: I-285 at I-85 (North)

Map of truck bottleneck in Atlanta, GA
Atlanta, GA: I-285 at I-85 (North), nicknamed "Spaghetti Junction."Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

3. Houston, Texas: I-45 at I-69/US 59

Map of truck bottleneck in Houston, Texas
Houston, TX: I-45 at I-69/US 59.Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

2. Chicago, Illinois: I-294 at I-290/I-88

Map of truck bottleneck in Chicago
Chicago, IL: I-294 at I-290/I-88.Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

1. Fort Lee, New Jersey: I-95 at SR 4

Map of truck bottleneck in Fort Lee, NJ
Fort Lee, NJ: I-95 at SR 4. The intersection of I-95 at SR 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey has been the most congested bottleneck for trucks in the US for five years in a row.Courtesy of the American Transportation Research Institute

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