Many drivers have a most loved or most hated trucking route, and with the average driver logging more than 100,000 miles per year, they are very informed on and dedicated to their certain routes. We know that much of their decision factors depend on their home base state, areas they are comfortable driving regularly, specific road conditions, and are probably even weather dependent.

While each driver may have an individual or specific set of favorite and least favorite, there are industry trends that can be observed on the topic of trucking routes. Software Advice, a company that reviews trucking software, looked to gain some insight on these trends by surveying approximately 400 trucking professionals looked to gain some insight on these trends by surveying approximately 400 trucking professionals, from all industry segments. Forrest at Software Advice offers some insight on their research: “We conducted this research because while we focus on software, we also like to get a better understanding of the industries we’re in. I’ve found visual representations of data to be very effective, so we put together maps to accompany the report. After it became clear trucking professionals enjoy longer routes we wanted to review trucking software solutions that exist to make these long-hauls more enjoyable, which we thought trucking professionals would be interested in reading.”

Below, the key highlights from the study:

Favorite Routes Data:

  • The average distance of most drivers favorite lane was 1,055 miles.
  • Favored trucking routes tended to be longer and cover more rural highway areas where they have the most opportunity to make money on long road trips that are not constrained by metropolitan city traffic.
  • Florida was highlighted as a favored origin or destination point with 13% of those surveyed, and involved drivers either snaking up the East Coast or traversing west to California.

favorite-trucking-routes

Most Common Routes Data:

  • Most common trips logged in at an average of 670 miles.
  • Shipping hubs lead the way for most common trips taken, and 40% of those surveyed listed Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and St. Louis as points of origin or destination.

most-common-trucking-routes

Least Favorite Routes Data:

  • Least favorite lanes logged in at an average of 757 miles.
  • 50% of those surveyed disliked an area known as the “Rust Belt” region and up through New York and New England; those areas are very traffic congested due to the population density in that area, and unfavorable due to extreme regional weather conditions.

least-favorite-trucking-routes

The study showed how leveraging route planning software can be a great way to make cross country hauls more enjoyable for truckers; these types of software assist in avoiding construction zones, inclement weather conditions, and congested roadways. Here at UWT, we are constantly checking weather and road conditions so that we can provide our drivers with up to date information that helps them better plan their routes. A driver with both route planning software and access to our knowledge and expertise in all areas of the county will be well prepared for delivery success in any lane across North America.

A big thanks to Software Advice for the information and study they conducted!  If you would more details from the study, please visit their full report.

Trucking Routes, an Industry Review was last modified: January 16th, 2018 by UWT