You’ve probably noticed already that construction hauling delays in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro are adding real dollars to every load.
You may be managing project bids, coordinating schedules, or working with a reliable Dallas trucking company. Either way, you need to understand the true costs for construction trucking in DFW – and exactly how much is being added to your bills and why.
You can then take proactive decisions to help lower this financial burden.
Construction Hauling Delays Cost – How Big is the Problem?
In a word, big. The cost impact of traffic delays on DFW infrastructure hauling is huge.
DFW registered over $2.1 billion in trucking congestion costs in 2022, the highest in Texas and the fifth highest nationally.
These costs for construction trucking in DFW and elsewhere stem from delays and slowdowns at key bottlenecks like I‑45/I‑30, US 75 at I‑635, and I‑35W at I‑30.
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI – download their report here) tracks these using detailed truck GPS data.
Thinking back, you may remember total delay hours actually fell slightly from 2021.
But the sharp rise in truck operating costs per hour – driven by higher fuel, wage, and equipment expenses – pushed most contractors’ financial loss upward.
For the record, most congestion research models assume cargo-agnostic costs, so infrastructure loads are cost-exposed just like any freight.
Construction Hauling Delays Cost – Why Delays Hurt Budgets
Think about it: With c$90 per hour per truck, each minute of delay eats into your profit. As we said, you have a huge problem.
And even minor delays matter:
- Trucks stuck in peak-hour congestion burn extra fuel.
- Drivers hit hours limits.
- Schedules slip.
- And penalties or demurrage charges mount.
ATRI data show that even when trucks spend less time in traffic than in 2021, the increased per-hour cost means the per-load financial exposure is greater than ever.
Projects involving bridge components, earth-moving equipment, or utility and material supplies often operate on tight sequences. A one-hour delay can cascade into missed installs, idle crews, or re-scheduling labor. This drives indirect costs far beyond the direct cost per truck-hour.
What you need to know
You’re not shipping supermarket goods – you’re delivering critical infrastructure materials on fixed timelines. That means:
Every delay implies a knock-on cost. So, at $90+ per truck-hour, even a half-hour delay is a tangible addition to your bottom line.
Key freight corridors in DFW are consistently bottlenecked. ATRI Texas had 13 locations in the 2023 bottleneck list – the roads most likely to hit your hauls:
- Dallas: I-45 at I-30 (#16)
- US 75 at I-635 (#53)
- Worth: I-35W at I-30 (#61)
Freight volumes are set to more than double (>108 percent growth) by 2045. (Imagine your credit card expanding to over double its size!)
This escalates stress on already crowded highways and increases the likelihood of delays unless targeted infrastructure investment keeps pace.
What this means for your hauling services
- Plan for delay contingency: Bids and schedules should incorporate buffer time or cost allowances for traffic-related slowdowns affecting fuel costs.
- Align staging and routing strategies: Reduce exposure by working with haulers to avoid peak congestion windows, or use tolled managed lanes to bypass congestion (which can prove cheaper in the long run).
- Support freight-focused infrastructure improvements: Advocate in places where you have a voice for faster completion of projects similar to the North Tarrant Express, managed lanes, and ramp improvements. These can improve reliability – and reduce hauling cost risk long-term
- Consider hiring power-only: Where appropriate, this can help you reduce other costs to compensate for unavoidable construction hauling delays.
Cowboy Trucking Understands the Real Costs of Hauling Delays
Estimating the real cost of DFW construction hauling delays is no longer academic. For you – and for Cowboy Trucking as your go-to partner in Dallas trucking services – it’s a business-critical input.
These delays directly impact your hauling costs, project timelines, and contractor risk profiles.
With our decades of experience operating in DFW and wider afield, we can help you work around known bottlenecks and manage costs and expectations. Call us and let’s talk business success.
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