Driver costs now higher than fuel costs, says ATRI

by Truck News

ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) says due to lower fuel prices, the trucking industry’s operational costs declined in 2015.

Releasing the findings from the 2016 update to ‘An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking, the ATRI said the average marginal cost per mile in 2015 was US$1.59, a 6% decrease from the US$1.70 in 2014.

“ATRI’s ‘ops cost’ research is an excellent barometer of the state of the nation’s economy, as it documented the softening in 2015 but also indicates that costs will be on the rise in 2016,” said Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations and a member of the ATRI Research Advisory Committee.

In addition to lower fuel prices, the decline in marginal cost per mile was attributed to a softening in the US economy late 2015. And, for the first time, driver costs represent a higher percentage of overall costs than fuel.


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