- PROJECTS
- ELEMENTS
- Other Components of the Plan
- Air Quality Planning
- Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan
- Congestion Management Process
- Environmental Consultation & Mitigation
- Emergency Preparedness & Transportation Security
- Financial Plan
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- Human Service Transportation Coordination
- Land Use Coordination
- Management, Operations & Technology
- Transportation Safety Planning
- Scenario Planning
- Regional Transportation Priorities Plan
- PROCESS
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- How the Plan Performs
- Metropolitan Growth
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- DOCUMENTS
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Regional Truck Freight
Trucks carry the majority−approximately 76 percent– of goods to, from, and within the National Capital Region. In 2002 the top tonnage commodities transported by trucks to, from, and within the region were gravel and waste/scrap. The top value commodities transported to, from, and within the region were machinery and textiles/leather.
For trucking companies, congestion diminishes productivity and increases the cost of operations, as drivers must be paid for time spent making deliveries as well as time spent stalled or stopped in traffic. Congestion is a major concern to all drivers in the National Capital Region.
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Truck movements support our way of life. They make daily deliveries to grocery stores, offices, and hospitals. A commodity may have originated in Asia and been transported on a ship or originated in Norway and transported by air; however, the last mile of a freight delivery is usually made by truck. Most trucks we see in our communities or on our city streets are making local deliveries. In addition, a large number of trucks make trips through our region. 
The region's industry and employment characteristics play a large role in its freight composition. The National Capital Region is a service driven economy. Federal, state, and local government employs 21 percent of the region. Professional and business services employ another 21 percent of the region. As such, the region consumes goods rather than produces them. To maintain this active consumer economy, it is necessary to have reliable freight deliveries to provide the consistent availability of goods. 
Congestion impacts all drivers: package delivery drivers, the short-haul trips (such as a local beverage warehouse to the grocery store), and the long-haul driver passing through the region. The five worst truck bottlenecks in the Washington region are also among the most congestion locations for all traffic:
Transportation Planning Board | Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
©2010 Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments