Turn, Turn, Turn . . .

As we look back on 2025, it’s been quite a year in the freight and logistics world. In this blog space, we’ve covered the big shifts, the persistent challenges, and the promising developments that defined the industry over these past twelve months.

Infrastructure challenges topped the list this year. December’s deep dive into America’s $109 billion traffic jam showed that while bottlenecks are a massive problem, there’s real hope when infrastructure dollars get spent in the right places. And speaking of challenges, the ongoing parking crisis for professional drivers isn’t going anywhere—it’s still ranked as their second-biggest headache on the road.

The hydrogen fuel conversation finally moved from “maybe someday” to “okay, who’s actually doing this?” The technology is ready, but those trucks still need places to fuel up. Meanwhile, autonomous technology keeps advancing, but here’s the thing: human drivers still set the bar. Their experience and judgment remain unmatched by what current technology can deliver.

Throughout the year, one message came through loud and clear—success in modern freight requires more than just moving stuff from Point A to Point B. It’s about staying flexible when the unexpected happens, and NATCO’s three decades of experience show that adaptation is everything.

The industry also got creative about workforce development. Partnerships with foster care systems and recruiting from adjacent transportation roles showed fresh thinking about where tomorrow’s drivers might come from. Building the next generation of professionals means looking beyond the usual places.

As we close out 2025, the freight industry is clearly finding its balance between innovation and the human expertise that’s always been at its core. Here’s to a peaceful and prosperous New Year. May your loads be balanced, your routes be clear, and 2026 bring smooth sailing on every highway and byway.

The post The Rear View: Navigating 2025 appeared first on NATCO Transport.

Keep it down, hey?

Yes, idling regulations here. And we’re not talking about HR’s rules for standing around the water cooler. States and counties and cities have laws covering how long drivers can keep their engines running before being subject to tickets and fines. For example:

California has a maximum idling time of 5 minutes. The minimum first fine is $300, with subsequent penalties from $1,000 to $10,000. Of course, there are a number of exemptions, such as bad weather conditions; mechanical problems; emergency vehicles; and having a “California Certified Clean Idle” label.

Chicago has a maximum idling time of 3 minutes in any 60-minute period. The fine is $250. Exemption include traffic conditions; idle reduction technologies; exhaust filter regeneration; and power auxiliary equipment.

Nevada has a maximum idling time of 15 minutes. The fine is not less than $2,000. And, get this, the fine in Clark County, where Las Vegas resides, is not more than $10,000. So, gamble at your own risk.

Philadelphia’s maximum idling time is 2 minutes or 0 (zero) minutes for layovers, with variances of 5 minutes if it’s below 32 degrees and 20 minutes if it’s below than 20 degrees.

All firm yet fair and reasonably flexible.

Why the focus on idling? It’s a terrible culprit of air and noise pollution. Idling of personal vehicles alone puts some 30 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year, which translates to about six billion gallons of fuel. That all contributes to hazy conditions, particulate and chemicals and gases in the air, breathing problems, heart disease, and worsening of asthma. Plus all the economic toll of wasted fuel, which requires us to refill our gas tanks more often.

Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality has an interesting set of facts and debunked myths. Some highlights:

• A car that’s idling gets zero mpg.

• It’s good practice to turn off your engine when stopped for more than 10 seconds. “More than 10 seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. If you are stopped for more than 10 seconds, you’ll save fuel and money by turning off the vehicle and then restarting it when you’re ready to drive away.”

• Studies show that restarting the engine many times has little impact on components such as the battery and the starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting the engine is estimated to add $10 per year to the cost of driving, money that will likely be recovered several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling.

So, can we turn off the engine for 60 seconds and restart the vehicle and, you know, get away with it? Maybe. Probably not. It all speaks to honoring the spirit of the law. A lot of cops were born at night…but not last night.

Idle quietly, eh?

The post Idling Quietly appeared first on NATCO Transport.

For the bridge itself, plans have been drafted and money has been secured for the Key Bridge’s restoration. It’s scheduled for completion in 2028 at a (current) cost of $1.7 billion, with the federal government picking up the tab.

The Key Bridge is an important span among all the many other important spans that cover the nation. Transportation officials, truck drivers, logistics professionals, and business owners all will tell us the value of safe, smooth passage. It’s one of those rare near-universal agreements. How we get there has always been debated. So it goes.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently released an interim report that uses the Key Bridge collapse as a foundation for how that one could have been prevented and how to prevent future disasters. It’s a cautionary tale, better late than never, that echoes the Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance approach to doing business and protecting life.

The report’s assessment of the Key Bridge event:

1. Had the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) conducted a vulnerability assessment of the Francis Scott Key Bridge based on recent vessel traffic…the MDTA would have been aware that this critical/essential bridge was above the…threshold of risk for catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision when the Dali collision occurred.
2. Had the MDTA conducted a vulnerability assessment of the Francis Scott Key Bridge…the MDTA would have had information to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge.
3. The 30 owners of 68 bridges over navigable waterways frequented by ocean-going vessels are likely unaware of their bridges’ risk of catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision and the potential need to implement countermeasures to reduce the bridges’ vulnerability.

Number 3 is eyebrow-raising, especially the “likely unaware” part of that sentence.

Their recommendations include bringing relevant expert authorities on site to help “provide guidance and assistance to bridge owners on evaluating and reducing the risk of a bridge collapse from a vessel collision.”

Godspeed to all those bridge authorities.

The post Findings and Recommendations appeared first on NATCO Transport.

Aftermath

A year ago today, a 984-foot container ship lost power and hit one of the piers of the Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore. The bridge collapsed. Six people died as a result, millions of dollars were lost, and traffic on the exceptionally busy I-95 corridor was disrupted.

“The port handled more than 444,000 passengers, 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo valued at $80 billion in 2023,” Wikipedia tells us, “and was the leading U.S. port for automobiles and light trucks for the preceding 13 consecutive years (with more than 847,000 vehicles in 2023). It also employed 15,000 people and indirectly supported 140,000 others.”

The Key Bridge’s return to assisting traffic flow and commerce has been understandably erratic. Part of the problem was from the accident’s ship and bridge debris that twisted and sunk, blocking clear, safe passage of other ships through the channel. That passage was cleared 11 weeks after the accident.

Without a bridge in place, vehicles ⏤ carrying commuters, residents, business owners, and workers ⏤ north and south of the bridge have needed to take alternate routes, which increases traffic on those arteries.

And the new replacement bridge? It’s slated to be completed in 2028 at a (currently estimated) cost of $1.7 billion, slated for coverage in its entirety by the federal government.

Keying into a new bridge.

Officials, residents, business owners and employees, and those just passing through hope for a safer bridge. And that’s the plan.

The pride of place is palpable. Here’s Maryland Gov. Wes Moore: “Maryland is a bridge between America and the rest of the world. We get cars from Michigan out to market. We bring sugars and spices to Louisiana. We haul farm equipment from the East Coast deep into the heartland. Commerce and trade are the bedrock of our state, and we will continue to make investments that honor our tradition.”

The post Bridging Traffic appeared first on NATCO Transport.

We herd there was a delay.

Rule of Thumb

We measure congestion by time and distance, and with those averages we can get a sense of how much it costs to transport freight from Point A to Point B.

Simple? Yes. And no.

When the cows break through the fence on someone’s property and stand in the middle of the rural route, that’ll bring traffic to a stop for a time…on a lightly used road.

When there’s an accident on a 12-lane highway in Los Angeles, that’ll bring traffic to a stop for a time…on a heavily used road.

Both of these scenarios (and, yes, many other scenarios) affect the bottom line for business. It’ll take longer to reach the destination, and the idling time will add to the fuel cost, and the rates might rise (if not for this load then maybe for future loads), and the carrier might price himself or herself out of the competition for a rotation.

ATRI: Cost of Congestion National Statistics, 2021 – 2022

The details of this carry tremendous weight. As the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) study describes it:

“Congestion also leads to wasted diesel fuel, which in turn impacts the environment through excess carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This problem is augmented by the fact that stop-andgo traffic significantly reduces fuel economy when compared to that of trucks operating at freeflow highway speeds.”

ATRI details congestion costs by region:

ATRI: Percent Increase in Congestion Costs by Region, 2021 – 2022

And ATRI details congestion by state:

ATRI: Top Ten Statewide Congestion Costs, 2022

Are the roads that bad in Texas and California, Florida and New York? That’s subjective (even though hitting a pothole always makes for a compelling argument). Either way, these four states have the largest populations in the nation. That means more traffic, more wear and tear on roads and bridges and tunnels, more repair and replacement. More congestion, more delay.

Is there a solution? Until we master gravity, we’ll likely need to deal with, and try improving, what we have.

The post Measuring Traffic appeared first on NATCO Transport.

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) study, “Cost of Congestion to the Trucking Industry,” highlights the price we all literally pay for congestion throughout the nation.

In 2022, the most recent year of full statistics on this, the financial impact of delay totaled more than $108 billion.

The average per-hour operational cost jumped from $63.66 per hour in 2016 to $90.78 in 2022.

Delay of the Land

ATRI’s description of this:

“The marginal costs to operate a truck include line-items such as fuel, truck and trailer purchases/leases, repair and maintenance, tires, insurance premiums, tolls, permits and licenses, and truck driver wages and benefits. These costs reflect a wide range of economic factors such as freight demand, global oil production, litigation and labor markets.”

Reasons for that surge? In 2022, as we felt the effects and repercussions of COVID-19:

• the transportation industry was reeling from a sharp rise in diesel fuel;
• prices for new, used, and leased trucks, tractors, and components rose as a result of supply chain backlogs for parts;
• fewer available vehicles meant that those in service were driven longer, and that meant higher costs to repair and maintain; and
• compensation for drivers rose apace with the driver shortage and the resulting competition to attract new drivers.

And then, adding insult to injury, as we returned to the roads as COVID restrictions eased the congestion returned. The infrastructure bill paved the way for much-needed work on our nation’s roads, bridges, and tunnels. And yet, the report speculates that maybe the priorities haven’t been thought through fully.

ATRI’s study says that “it is not clear whether all this infrastructure investment was adequately targeted to traffic congestion hotspots and bottlenecks, which is where strategic investments are most needed.”

It’s all about hotspots and bottlenecks. Which sounds like names of nightclubs on Padre Island. That’s where we’re going next time. Not to Padre Island. To the traffic things.

The post Congestion Pricing appeared first on NATCO Transport.

Our friends at the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) just published their latest study, “Cost of Congestion to the Trucking Industry.”

Delayed Traffic is Costly

Why the focus on congestion? Those of us in the industry, and those the industry affects ⏤ from growers and manufacturers to mom & pop shops and end users: we know that traffic flow is central to business.

Delays cause headaches. We’ve all been stuck in traffic. And delays cost time and money.

How much?

A lot.

From the ATRI report: “In 2021, congestion costs exceeded $94 billion. In 2022, congestion’s impact on the trucking industry was more than $108 billion annually.”

Their formula is simple. “When traffic volumes along critical freight corridors exceed highway capacity,” they write, “the ensuing congestion impedes freight movement and creates inflationary increases in the cost of goods and services.”

Part of the focus here is on fuel consumption and air quality. Traffic delays lead to diesel fuel that’s wasted, and that informs excess emission of carbon dioxide. On the financial side, that delay totaled some $32 billion in 2022.

How are we approaching the problem? Since Congress passed the Infrastructure spending bill in 2021, congestion easing has been “a focal point fro collaboration between industry advocates, government, and local communities,” according to the ATRI study.

The federal government spent $52 billion on highway work in 2022, alongside $180 billion state and local governments spent. Here’s the rub: “However, it is not clear whether all this infrastructure investment was adequately targeted to traffic congestion hotspots and bottlenecks, which is where strategic investments are most needed.”

Compounding the issue is operational cost. ATRI has averaged the per-hour cost over the years. We jumped from $63.66 per hour in 2016 to $90.78 in 2022. That’s due to a number of factors, which we’ll spotlight next time. For now, though, ATRI’s report shows a sometimes steep rise in the cost of truck transportation. And that affects wide lanes of the nation’s economy.

The post Just a Little Congestion appeared first on NATCO Transport.

We face many challenges in the U.S. trucking industry, Things like driver retention, alternative fuel adaptation, and supply-and-demand fluctuations make for an (as-always) uncertain future. That said,  we’re proud to be part of and contribute to such a vital industry. Among the sometimes eye-opening statistics:

Our Statistical Watchdog

8.4 million

→ number of people who are employed in trucking-related industry work.

72.6

→ percent of all goods moved throughout the United States by truckers.

82.7

→ percent of all agricultural products moved throughout the United States by truckers.

92

→ percent of all dairy, fruit, nuts, and vegetables moved throughout the United States by truckers.

$940 billion

→ gross freight revenue from trucking.

100,000

→ miles on average driven by a truck driver each year.

13.8 million

→ number of trucks on our roads.

45.6

→ percent of drivers who are minorities.

12.1

→ percent of drivers who are women.

64.4

→ percent of trucks with lower emissions than a decade ago.

1.3 trillion

→ dollars in revenue the industry is projected to generate by the end of the year.

10

→ percent of trucks on the road driven by owner-operators.

2nd

→ rank of lack of available truck parking as a concern of truckers.

28

→ percent of all costs of trucking-related expenses.

90

→ percent of NATCO’s customers who are repeat business.

50

→ number of States that have been served by NATCO.

graphic by CloudTrucks

The post Statistically Speaking appeared first on NATCO Transport.

In (and out of) The Loophole

The Morphing of The Hummer Loophole

Time was when we could get a generous tax break on buying a Hummer.

The gas-guzzling Hummer got an average of 15 miles to the gallon. Time was when we could get a generous tax break for buying a Hummer: upwards of $25,000 for the write-off.

(Spoiler alert: Hummer stopped producing in 2006, though GM is now making a new EV version.)

They tinkered with that deduction over the years. Had to prove you used the vehicle more than half the time for business purposes, and whatnot.

Things change. Now it’s not so much the deduction itself (the Section 179 deduction is a great way to reduce your tax burden) as it is the focus the government places on what we can deduct.

New this year from the U.S. federal government is the Commercial Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit:

“Beginning January 1, 2023, a tax credit is available to businesses for the purchase of new EVs and FCEVs. Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) below 14,000 pounds (lbs.) must have a battery capacity of at least seven kilowatt-hours (kWh) and vehicles with a GVWR above 14,000 lbs. must have a battery capacity of at least 15 kWh.”

Money-wise, that means reductions that include:

• 15% of the vehicle purchase price for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
• 30% of the vehicle purchase price for EVs and FCEVs.
• The incremental cost of the vehicle compared to an equivalent internal combustion engine vehicle.
• Maximum tax credits may not exceed $7,500 for vehicles under 14,000 lbs. and $40,000 for vehicles above 14,000 lbs.

Combine that with industry trends. PepsiCo, for example, campaigns to have net-zero emissions by the year 2040, with a 75% reduction by 2030. John G. Smith at trucknews.com reports that the company has folded into its operations “battery-electric versions of 37 straight trucks, 18 over-the-road tractors, 35 delivery tractors, more than 30 support and service vehicles, and 178 delivery vans. Five hundred more eTransits will be deployed this year.”

As we reach (pass?) critical mass on adopting hybrid and EV technology into our driveways, garages, fleets and highways, the possibilities and realities seem to be merging.

The post The Discount Factor appeared first on NATCO Transport.

On the Move

By experience and by statistics, this country is on the move.

Remember back to the beginning of the pandemic: as we hunkered down, not knowing what was going to happen, the roads got eerily quieter. And pollution levels receded. And we watched a lot more television.

It’s too early to know for sure ⏤ and maybe we’ll never know; things change all the time ⏤ but it does look like we’re moving through and past that lull, in robust ways.

One way to try gauging it is through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s monthly report, Traffic Volume Trends.

The DOT’s most recent report takes us up through June of 2023. A couple of examples:

• “Travel on all roads and streets changed by +3.1% (+8.4 billion vehicle miles) for June 2023 as compared with June 2022.”

• “Cumulative Travel for 2023 changed by +2.3% (+35.1 billion vehicle miles). The cumulative estimate for the year is 1,578.9 billion vehicle miles of travel.”

The statistics on Average Daily Travel on U.S. Highways by Month:

U.S. DOT

The easy and fairly safe guess from this chart is that we tend to drive more in the warmer months. And while that might seem otherwise unimportant, factor in some variables ⏤ like supply-and-demand, scheduling infrastructure projects, and gas prices ⏤ and we can also catch hints of how statistics inform planning and action.

How dramatic were the effects of the pandemic on the economy and on how we lived? Have a look at the DOT’s graph of Seasonally Adjusted Vehicle Miles Traveled by Month:

U.S. DOT

April 2020. America turned into a ghost town.

April 2023. America looked like it was conquering its demons.

Here’s to the good trends.

The post On the Road appeared first on NATCO Transport.