Global Congestion Costing Commercial Drivers
The cost of traffic congestion increased in 2016 to an average of $1,400 for U.S. drivers, as congestion worsened in Los Angeles, which has become the most congested city in the world, according to the Inrix Traffic Scorecard.

Photo via Wikimedia.

Photo via Wikimedia.
The cost of traffic congestion increased in 2016 to an average of $1,400 for U.S. drivers, as congestion worsened in Los Angeles, which has become the most congested city in the world, according to the Inrix Traffic Scorecard.
Congestion takes its toll on commercial vehicles, costing company drivers directly in the value of fuel and lost productivity, as well as indirectly in freight and business fees from, idling fleet vehicles that are passed on by companies to households through higher prices.
U.S. cities dominated the top 10 list on the scorecard, which analyzed 1,064 cities in 38 countries, including 240 in the U.S. The U.S. ranked highest with an average of 42 hours in traffic during peak hours.
Los Angeles surpassed Moscow as the most congested city in 2016, where drivers spend an average of 104.1 hours in congested traffic. The congestion is Los Angeles costs drivers an average of $2,408 in direct and indirect costs.
Other U.S. cities on the list include New York City (third with 89.4 hours), San Francisco (fourth with 82.6 hours), and Atlanta (ninth with 70.8 hours). Miami came in at 11 with 64.8 hours. Other global cities include Moscow (second with 91.4), Colombia's Bogota (fifth with 79.8 hours), Sao Paulo (sixth with 77.2 hours), London (eighth with 73.4 hours), and Russia's Magnitogorsk (ninth with 71.1 hours).
View the full scorecard here.
More Operations

Fleet Has a Talent Pipeline Problem. What Comes Next? | AF News Recap
Where will fleet’s next generation of leaders come from? This week, we’re looking at the industry’s talent pipeline, what certification can add to a fleet career, how to build an award-worthy track record, and the return of Automotive Fleet’s Personal Use Survey.
Read More →
Smith System Launches Driver Risk Management Program
Fleets have more driver data than ever, but identifying risky behavior doesn't necessarily correct it. Smith System's new Driver Risk Management program combines monitoring, training, and follow-up coaching to help fleets connect risk signals with driver intervention.
Read More →
Automotive Fleet Opens 2026 Personal Use Survey for Commercial Fleet Managers
Less than two weeks left! Commercial and corporate fleet managers are invited to share how their organizations handle company vehicle personal-use policies, charges, and driver eligibility.
Read More →
From AI Prompts to AI-Generated Safety Songs | AF News Recap
Can better prompts make AI more useful for fleet managers? This week, we’re breaking down smarter fleet analysis, an AI-assisted experiment that turned safety training into music, and what happened to fuel prices in August.
Read More →
How to Write Better AI Prompts for Fleet Analysis
Include these six elements in your fleet prompts to generate more relevant analysis and accurate answers.
Read More →
Fleet Meets: Eric Kilgore
This edition of the Fleet Meets series features one of the industry's best leaders driving multi-market and national operations.
Read More →
Why Reactive Fleet Management Is Becoming Too Expensive to Sustain
Research highlights a growing need for proactive management strategies to address rising costs in fleet operations effectively.
Read More →
What Your Fleet KPIs Aren’t Telling You
Tracking fleet metrics is only useful when the data leads to better decisions. This guide helps fleet leaders assess cost, utilization, and downtime more accurately, identify performance gaps, and prioritize the actions that can improve operational results.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
Turning Fleet Payment Data into Executive Insights
Does data alone drive results in operations?
Read More →