WASHINGTON - Think the highways are getting crowded with 18-wheelers? Just wait.

One million more of the big rigs are expected to ply the nation's highways by 2016, up from 2.7 million operating today, according to the American Trucking Association.

The group's chief economist, Bob Costello, cited American consumerism as the main reason for the increase in trucks - from 18-wheelers carrying products over thousands of miles across interstates to smaller ones like those delivering FedEx and UPS packages.
As people buy more, retailers rely increasingly on trucks to keep their shelves stocked, he said. More trucks also are required to haul freight to and from seaports and across the borders with Mexico and Canada.

rest of story