Understanding how, where, and why commercial vehicles move offers powerful clues about upcoming changes in business, including infrastructure, logistics, and commerce. By analyzing aggregated, anonymized commercial vehicle movements, we can identify emerging trends that often precede major business and economic shifts.
Here, we explore three types of commercial transportation analyses that act as leading indicators for what’s next in the movement of goods, services, and people.
Is freight traffic volume rising, falling, or holding steady? Shifts in freight movement often reveal economic patterns before other indicators do. Corridor analyses examine volume changes across specific routes to understand where freight is increasing or decreasing, and why.
For example, corridor-level shifts often track with policy and macroeconomic changes in adjacent markets. For example, when commercial traffic dips after tariffs (as analyzed in this study) or surges during economic recovery, the ripple effects extend to infrastructure, maintenance schedules, and even local commerce.
Takeaways and leading indicators include:
A corridor analysis becomes even more valuable when paired with vocation analysis. Understanding which types of commercial vehicles are operating in a region can surface key insights about evolving industries.
Categories of commercial vehicle vocations that can be analyzed using Altitude by Geotab.
For example, in an analysis of New York City’s truck routes, Altitude’s corridor and vocation segmentation helped pinpoint where high-volume commercial traffic occurred off designated truck routes. The resulting “freight efficiency score” framework helped local agencies identify where to prioritize infrastructure updates and improve freight performance.
Pinpointing a rise in light- and medium-duty vehicle activity (such as multi-purpose vans or pickups) may indicate an expansion in last-mile delivery or local commerce. Conversely, increases in heavy-duty freight may suggest stronger industrial or long-haul logistics activity.
An Altitude by Geotab analysis of multi-purpose vehicle activity shows how these shifts emerge in up-to-date trends. In the study, vocation and composition data were used to track the rise of multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) in last-mile delivery, helping planners identify where to prioritize improvements like better on- and off-ramps, truck parking, or turning lanes.
Commerce implications include:
Where commercial vehicles stop, and for how long, can point to important economic shifts. Stop analytics illuminate trends in delivery behavior, vehicle utilization, and even the readiness of existing infrastructure for new technologies like EV charging.
Using our Stop Analytics module, one project evaluated trucks stopped at existing fuel sites, their duration of stay, and travel ranges. This data helped assess whether those locations were well-suited to host electric charging infrastructure, identifying both high-potential and underutilized sites.
Another analysis used stop clustering to uncover where trucks frequently pulled over outside approved rest areas or points of interest. This data is a clear indicator of insufficient parking availability or route inefficiencies.
Analysis of freight stop-clustering uncovers “hot spots” for unauthorized truck stops, highlighting need for nearby parking.
Key takeaways include:
From freight corridors to curbside stops, commercial movement insights offer an up-to-date view of how economies move, and can serve as an early indicator for areas that deserve further study. By interpreting these patterns and trends, public agencies and businesses can detect early signs of rising or falling commerce, or shifts to different kinds of economic activity.
Developers and agencies can then prioritize infrastructure investments according to where freight traffic is increasing or decreasing. They can plan urban space and curb access based on delivery vehicle trends. Or identify regions ready for EV charging infrastructure.
Commercial vehicle analytics are more than traffic metrics. They can serve as early warnings and opportunity maps for the next wave of economic and infrastructural change.
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Commercial vehicle trends, especially shifts in freight traffic volume during a corridor analysis, often reveal economic patterns before other indicators emerge. A rise may signal a need for infrastructure reinvestment, while a fall can hint at shifting supply chains or reduced industrial output.
Corridor analysis examines changes in traffic volume across a specific route. Vocation analysis focuses on what types of commercial vehicles (e.g., light-duty vans vs. heavy-duty freight) are operating in a region, which indicates evolving industries and specific infrastructure needs.
Stop analytics can identify two key investment areas: EV charging sites by assessing stop duration and travel ranges at existing fuel sites, and truck parking needs by uncovering where vehicles frequently pull over outside approved rest areas (stop clustering).
A freight efficiency score is a framework used by agencies to identify where to prioritize infrastructure updates. It is developed by pairing corridor and vocation data to pinpoint where high-volume commercial traffic is occurring, especially if it’s off designated truck routes.
Unlock the “gold under your canopy” by optimizing existing fuel sites for commercial drivers. Use vehicle movement insights & stop analytics to boost ancillary sales and site efficiency.
Learn how insights from aggregated, anonymized commercial vehicle movements can show how fuel retailer sites actually perform.
Report by Smart Freight Centre, Altitude by Geotab, and Terawatt Infrastructure Finds EV Truck Transition Feasible Now with Strategic Charging
