Cost Per Mile Increasing With Wages, ATRI Study Says

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Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News

The average marginal cost per mile for truck drivers rose to $1.68 in 2013 from $1.63 in 2012, according to a report from the American Transportation Research Institute.

The Operational Costs of Trucking, an ongoing study tracking costs from 2008 through 2013, is based on information derived directly from fleets’ financial and operational data, ATRI said.

“The increase in average operating costs in 2013 is attributed to the ongoing driver shortage and the resulting wage increases by motor carriers to ensure retention of experienced, qualified drivers,” ATRI said in the Sept. 24 report.

“Carriers have experienced significant increases in equipment and labor costs, as well as second-level line items like tolls and health-care benefits,” said Andrew Boyle, executive vice president of Boyle Transportation in Billerica, Massachusetts, and a member of ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee.

Besides average costs per mile, the analysis contains average costs per hour and cost breakouts by industry sector.