{"id":774188,"date":"2026-07-21T05:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&p=774188"},"modified":"2026-07-17T12:44:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:44:13","slug":"slow-trucking","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/slow-trucking","title":{"rendered":"The Fast Math on Slow Trucking"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10862],"tags":[493553,281,641,7142],"department":[488812],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-774188","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esri","tag-fleet-management","tag-location-intelligence","tag-logistics","tag-transportation","department-emerging-technologies"],"acf":{"short_description":"When transportation costs rise and profits shrink, fleet managers look for tradeoffs. They\u2019re discovering a science that can help.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Commercial trucking is a world of tight schedules, thin margins, and fast delivery, but over the last few months, some participants have reconsidered the need for speed."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Snapshot:<\/strong> As fuel costs rose this spring, average truck speeds declined by 4 percent, indicating that fleet managers were trying to preserve profit margins in any way possible. Examining the science of slowing down...","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"INRIX, a transportation analytics company, calculates that commercial trucks are traveling 4 percent slower<\/a> than usual. Not coincidentally, diesel fuel<\/a> prices have risen more than 60 percent since last year.\r\n\r\nTrucking operators know that even small changes in speed can have outsized financial benefits<\/a>. Anything over 50 mph carries a measurable per-gallon cost penalty, and reducing speed<\/a> by as little as 5 mph cuts aerodynamic drag enough to improve fuel economy by up to 14 percent.\r\n\r\nOperations executives who oversee any kind of fleet\u201418-wheelers, waste management haulers, utility rigs, self-driving taxis\u2014constantly assess tradeoffs as real-world conditions change. When fleet managers take an analytical view of these variables, they\u2019re applying a form of location intelligence. For many, location intelligence begins with geographic information system (GIS) technology<\/a>.\r\n

Telematics Tells the Story for Fleet Managers <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nTransport companies use GIS to perform route optimization<\/a>, a scientific approach to designing shorter routes and reducing fuel spend\u2014all while maintaining on-time deliveries and customer satisfaction. It\u2019s a practice that depends heavily on data.\r\n\r\nIn today\u2019s transport economy, that isn't hard to find. Most organizations that operate vehicle fleets use GPS-based telematics to collect data on driving behavior. Fleet managers receive information on everything from idling time and harsh braking to rapid acceleration and engine diagnostics.\r\n\r\nWhen fuel prices rise, these diagnostics become even more relevant. The algorithms in modern GIS technology sort thousands of data points to guide fleet managers on key operational decisions, like whether and where to slow vehicles, and how much can be saved. That insight can lead to fleet-wide adjustments or hyperlocal tweaks.\r\n

The Question of Speed<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nTrucking is not the only industry that has adopted slower speeds to protect margins. In a practice called \u201cslow steaming<\/a>,\u201d global shipping companies direct their fleets to move slower when fuel prices surpass certain thresholds.\r\n\r\nThe practice began in earnest in 2007 as global fuel prices soared. It spiked this April, when the average speed of container vessels was 2.3 percent slower<\/a> than in the last quarter of 2025."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Related Read:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ Delivering customer service <\/a>at the speed of business.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Yet while slower speeds may be a go-to tactic for fleet-dependent companies protecting the bottom line, other options often go unnoticed. With sophisticated location analysis, operations managers can optimize routes to minimize time on fuel-guzzling hills or schedule electric charging when utility costs are lowest.\r\n\r\nGIS analysis also helps route planners minimize another factor that compromises on-time deliveries and spikes fuel costs: traffic. Since two roads of equal length are rarely created equal, GIS algorithms crunch data on historic traffic patterns to design routes that offer the best chance of consistently speedy deliveries. Companies with real-time dispatch centers change routes according to traffic conditions.\r\n\r\nAs certain segments of the transport economy slow down to preserve profits, they remind us that when the world changes, the process of getting from A to B also evolves. With GIS technology, that process isn't a best guess; it\u2019s a science."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nFleet Managers and the Calculus of Slow Trucking<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When fuel costs rise, fleet managers get stuck between lower profits and high customer expectations. Location intelligence helps.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/slow-trucking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Fast Math on Slow Trucking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When fuel costs rise, fleet managers get stuck between lower profits and high customer expectations. 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