BTS added 2025 estimates to its experimental county-to-county truck travel-time database, extending the series to eight years and reporting observed travel-time percentiles for more than 3,000 counties.
BTS announced the 2025 expansion October 16
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics announced on October 16, 2026 that its experimental county-to-county truck travel-time database now includes 2025 estimates. The update extends the product to eight years of observations covering 2018 through 2025.
The database was launched in August 2025
BTS introduced the county-to-county travel-time product in August 2025 and has now added another annual layer. The agency describes the data as an experimental statistical product, meaning users should evaluate its methods and limitations rather than treating every estimate as an official operating standard.
It covers pairings among more than 3,000 counties
For each year, BTS reports observed travel-time estimates for unique county pairings among more than 3,000 counties in the continental United States. The county-pair structure supports broad freight-flow analysis; it is not an address-to-address navigation service and does not describe every road segment within either county.
Three travel-time percentiles are reported
The product reports the median, 25th-percentile and 75th-percentile observed travel times for covered county pairs. The median is the middle observed value, while the other percentiles help show the spread around it. They should not be read as minimum, maximum or guaranteed delivery times.
Binned truck-movement counts add context
BTS accompanies the travel-time estimates with a binned count of observed truck movements. The bins help users distinguish pairings with different amounts of observed activity without implying an exact census of all commercial trucks traveling between two counties.
The underlying observations come from ATRI data
BTS says the estimates use American Transportation Research Institute data processed within the agency's Freight Mobility Initiative. The product therefore reflects trucks observed in that source, not every truck on every roadway. Sampling coverage, fleet mix and available GPS observations matter when interpreting a county pair.
Eight annual layers can support trend questions
The 2018–2025 span lets analysts compare the distribution of observed travel times across multiple years. It can help identify pairings that warrant closer investigation, but a year-to-year change should not automatically be attributed to congestion. Construction, routing, freight mix, sample composition, weather and data coverage can also affect results.
The estimates are descriptive, not a live ETA
The database summarizes historical observations by year. It does not provide current traffic, weather, work-zone conditions, closures, parking availability or a driver's remaining hours. Dispatchers and drivers still need current route, restriction, weather and hours-of-service information for an actual trip.
County pairs are a planning scale
County-to-county measures can help public agencies and freight planners study corridor performance without exposing individual truck traces. For a motor carrier, they may offer a high-level benchmark for lane review. They do not replace customer appointment data, terminal dwell, urban last-mile time or facility-access constraints.
Percentiles help communicate variability
A single average can hide a wide range of outcomes. Reporting the 25th, median and 75th percentiles lets a user see whether observed travel times are relatively concentrated or dispersed. The data still require adequate context, and BTS does not present the 75th percentile as a legally required schedule buffer.
Movement bins are not freight tonnage
The accompanying counts concern observed truck movements in the source data. They are not tonnage, shipment value, commodity volume or an official total of all trucks. Analysts should combine them with appropriate freight, economic or traffic sources when the question involves market size rather than observed travel time.
Drivers should not route from a county-pair table
Safe route planning requires truck-legal roads, bridge and clearance restrictions, weight limits, hazardous-materials rules, weather, construction, fuel and parking contingencies. A historical county-pair estimate cannot confirm that a specific path is lawful for a vehicle or that a rest location will be available.
Hours-of-service limits remain unchanged
The BTS update does not change federal driving, duty or rest limits. A percentile estimate also cannot justify scheduling a driver beyond available hours or pressuring a driver to continue through unsafe conditions. Carriers should build schedules from legal hours, current conditions and realistic non-driving time.
BTS plans additional freight-fluidity statistics
The agency says it intends to produce additional national freight-fluidity statistics from processed GPS data and welcomes feedback on the experimental product. Future releases may refine or expand the measures, so users should preserve the vintage and methodology used in any analysis.
Primary-source note
This report is based on the BTS release published October 16, 2026 and the linked official data product. The publication date, experimental status, 2018–2025 span, coverage of more than 3,000 counties, three reported percentiles, binned movement counts and ATRI/Freight Mobility Initiative basis come from BTS. CDL Truck Pro has not described the database as a real-time navigation system, a census of all trucks or a regulatory travel-time standard.
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Official sources
BTS: County-to-County Travel Time Database Expands Through 2025BTS Freight Mobility InitiativeCDL Truck Pro provides educational information. Confirm licensing, safety, tax, and regulatory requirements through current official sources and qualified professionals.