The cost of everything is on the rise, so it makes sense that the cost of trucking would be on the rise as well. The operational cost of trucking has reached a 4-year high. Over the last two years, there has been a steady increase in the cost of fuel and wages, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has reported.
On September, 12, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released its cost study results in “An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking.”
“The research, which identifies trucking costs from 2008 to 2011 derived directly from fleet operations, provides carriers with an important high-level benchmarking tool and government agencies with real world data for future infrastructure improvement analyses,” ATRI said in a press release.
“The average marginal cost per mile for 2011 was $1.71, the highest of the four years studied. After a sharp decline in fuel prices resulted in decreased industry costs between 2008 and 2009, industry costs have steadily risen through 2010 and 2011. Fuel and driver wages (excluding benefits) continued to be the largest cost centers for carriers, together constituting 62 percent of the average operating cost in 2011.”
ATRI published its first issue of analysis in 2008 and it remains the most requested report.
“Accurate, up-to-date operational costs are essential for our industry. Given the current economic climate, the more financial data carriers have to analyze, the more opportunities there are to improve operations,” commented Chad England, Chief Operating Officer of C.R. England, Inc. and a member of ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee.
To read the full report, follow this link to ATRI.