The Effect of Atlanta Traffic on Fuel Spending

While traffic is often an easy topic for small talk, the subject takes on a life of its own in the Atlanta area.

Whether you are struggling with a lengthy commute, fighting congestion on game day for one of the region’s professional teams or just trying to get into the city for dinner reservations on a Friday night, natives know that traffic is always a factor when making plans.

Navigating Atlanta Traffic

Atlanta was once nicknamed the “Poster Child for Suburban Sprawl” and the modern version of this city does feature multiple regions, neighborhoods and zip codes that in any other area would be considered their own cities, but are instead grouped under the umbrella of the Atlanta name. This extended area is compounded by a lack of accessible public transportation in the area, with the subway and bus systems only serving small areas and offering minimal stops.

All of these factors result in over two million people daily using Interstate 285, known to locals as “the Perimeter” as it cuts a circle around the metropolis of Atlanta. Originally designed to allow trucks to move around the city to help with Atlanta fuel management, this highway varies from eight to twelve lanes wide and even offers eighteen lanes in Spaghetti Junction, an instate change onto I-85.

Interstate 285 is widely known for being clogged with drivers and confusing to navigate. Atlanta Braves pitcher Pascual Pérez famously getting lost and missing the beginning of a game in 1982 and during the now notorious snow storm of 2014, the highway was transformed into a parking lot for almost a full day.

So, with rush hour lasting most of the day as commuters struggle to move in and out of the city and around the daily fender-benders that pepper the highway, a fleet’s movement through Atlanta is, at minimum, a struggle. The time spent in traffic can add time to a trip and strain on fuel supply, neither of which are profitable for a transportation company.

One way to keep a lid on this fluctuating need for gas is to use a fuel card that offers electronic management features that you can access and use to immediate results. For example, a system like this can allow you to set spending limits that you can adjust according to an excess or lack of traffic.

Managing Fuel Spending

Such a card can not only ensures that you get the best deal on fuel in the area, but it can also send you notifications on how and when money is being spent, giving you the ability to adjust your budget accordingly. It can also give you the option of canceling the card immediately, in case of theft or abuse.

Even if Atlanta traffic is a force that even a resident of the area might not want to reckon with, a fleet moving goods in the Southern area of the United States might have no option but to drive in this treacherous area. However, with a intuitive fuel management system that allows you to adjust limits to your needs on a moment’s notice, rush hour might be annoying to your drivers, but there will never be an issue with filling up afterwards.