TJS1018

TRUCKINGNEWS
The projected growth in freight and its reliance
on trucks will increase congestion and
make it more difficult and costly to move
freight, the study said.
As for the forecast, the report said in 1990,
36.4 percent of the freight moved on the NHFN
will be by truck.
That percentage had jumped to 46.5 percent
in 2015 and is forecast to reach 54.4 percent by
2040 for an annual growth rate between 2015
and 2040 of 1.6 percent per year.
As for the distance freight travels, the report
said approximately 50 percent of large freight
trucks (trucks with a gross vehicle weight of
over 10,000 pounds) operate within 50 miles
of their origination and account for about 30
percent of truck vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
By contrast, only 10 percent of large trucks
operate more than 200 miles away from their
origin, but these large trucks account for more
than 30 percent of overall truck VMT.
Long-distance truck travel also accounts for
nearly all freight ton-miles and a large share of
truck VMT.
As for truck parking, the report noted that
truck drivers need safe, secure, and accessible
truck parking.
With the projected growth in truck traffic,
demand for truck parking will continue to outpace
supply.
In 2014, FHWA worked with states and industry
partners on the Jason’s Law Truck Parking
Survey Results and Comparative Analysis
to assess the needs. The resulting information
quantified the commercial motor vehicle parking
shortage at facilities along the National
Highway System.
The survey provided direct insight into parking
issues: more than 75 percent of truck drivers
surveyed said they regularly experienced
problems finding “safe parking locations when
rest was needed.”
40 // TJS 2018