Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026:
Chicago overtakes G.W. Bridge for worst trucking bottleneck
The interchange of Interstate 294 and Interstates 290/88 in Chicago has dethroned the George Washington Bridge interchange of I-95 at SR 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as the most congested freight bottleneck in the U.S., according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual Top Truck Bottleneck List.
The G.W. Bridge held the top spot on the list for the last seven consecutive years.
“Congestion delays inflicted on truckers are the equivalent of 436,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire year,” said ATRI President and COO Rebecca Brewster. “While these congestion metrics are getting worse, the good news is that states do not need to accept the status quo. Illinois has been home to the country’s top bottleneck before, but following a sustained effort to expand capacity, its previous No. 1 bottleneck at the Jane Byrne Interchange no longer ranks in the top 25. This data gives policymakers a road map to reduce chokepoints, lower emissions, and drive economic growth.”
In ATRI's newest report, 28 states were found to have at least one top 100 bottleneck. States with the most bottlenecks in the top 100 are Texas, Georgia, and California.ATRI
The annual list measures the level of truck-involved congestion at more than 325 locations on the national highway system. The analysis, based on an extensive database of freight truck GPS data, uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location.
The I-294 and I-290/I-88 Chicago interchange is the top freight bottleneck in the country for the first time in the report’s history. The Top 10 bottlenecks:
- Chicago: I-294 and I-290/I-88
- Fort Lee, New Jersey: I-95 at SR 4
- Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)
- Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59
- Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (North)
- Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
- Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)
- Houston: I-10 at I-69/US 59
- Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75
- McDonough, Georgia: I-75
ATRI’s analysis, which utilized data from 2025, found traffic conditions continue to deteriorate from recent years, in some instances due to work zones that result from increased infrastructure investment. Average rush hour truck speeds were 33.2 mph, 2.8% slower than the previous year. Among the top 10 locations, average rush hour truck speeds were 29.6 mph.
The full report with the full top 100 freight bottlenecks can be viewed here.
Volvo begins production of regional-haul VNR
Volvo Trucks North America has started production of its new regional hauler, the updated Volvo VNR, at the company’s plant in Dublin, Virginia. The new VNR is designed to meet the demands of urban and regional delivery operations, the company said.
The Volvo VNR was first unveiled in March 2025, with order books opening six months later. The first units rolled off the assembly line this month and will be delivered to Clayton, a national single-family homebuilder.Volvo Trucks
“Built on a completely new platform – 90 percent new compared with the legacy model – the Volvo VNR is purpose-built for navigating congested city streets, distribution centers, and urban routes where visibility, precision, and agility are critical,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America. “We are excited to begin production and get these trucks into the hands of our customers.”
The new Volvo VNR incorporates a comprehensive Volvo safety package, with advanced onboard technologies designed to support operation in dense urban traffic and pedestrian-heavy environments. The truck offers better forward visibility than the previous model, enabled by a sloped hood design and a larger panoramic windshield. It also incorporates industry-first safety innovations including integrated side curtain airbags, making it the safest regional truck ever produced by Volvo Trucks North America.
The new VNR delivers up to a 7.5% improvement in fuel economy compared with the legacy model, Volvo said, driven by enhanced aerodynamics, advanced powertrain features, and idle-shutdown systems. Improved fuel efficiency helps lower operating costs while supporting sustainability goals in regional and local delivery applications.
Ohio plans I-71 truck parking expansion
As part of a statewide initiative to significantly boost truck parking, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will convert the existing Medina County north and southbound I-71 rest areas into a new truck parking facility.
The rest area will close on March 2 to begin demolition on the current site.
"There are additional rest areas within 30 miles of this location, and upgrading these rest areas would have required a significant investment,” said ODOT District 3 Deputy Director Bob Weaver. “Converting them to truck parking will help to improve safety for all motorists along the I-71 corridor.”
The project includes expanding from 10 to 29 truck parking spaces at the I-71 northbound location and from 20 to 66 truck parking spaces at the I-71 southbound location. In addition to parking spaces, the site will include lighting and a restroom facility. In total, the project will cost approximately $6.8 million.
On average, about 3,000 trucks pass the I-71 rest areas in Medina County each day, ODOT said.
In 2024, Governor Mike DeWine directed ODOT to address the lack of truck parking in the state and to begin construction of additional truck parking sites as soon as possible. Following an extensive review of ODOT property, Ohio will add at least 1,400 new truck parking spaces at 33 sites across the state.
[Related: Ohio governor announces plan to address state’s truck parking shortage]
