Average Truck Speeds
April 18, 2011
The Federal Highway Administration studies traffic volume and flow on major truck routes by tracking more than 500,000 trucks. The average speed of trucks on selected interstate highways is between 50 and 60 miles per hour (mph). The average operating speed of trucks is typically below 55 mph in major urban areas, border crossings, and in mountainous terrain. The difference in average speed between peak traffic times and non-peak hours can be as much as 1.5 mph (I-45) or as little as 0.2 mph (I-81).
Average Truck Speeds on Selected Interstate Highways
Source
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Freight Management and Operations, Freight Facts and Figures 2010, Figure 3-13 and Table 3-8.