The Federal Highway Administration said May 26 it has started an online tool that identifies traffic chokepoints using data from thousands of trucks.

Called Freight Performance Measures, the tool determines average operating speeds for trucks that travel on interstate highways.

State and local transportation agencies can use the information to prioritize highway spending, while shippers and freight companies can use it to time and choose their routes more strategically to avoid congested areas. The FPMweb, measures operating speeds for trucks at any given place and point in time along 25 interstate highways that are considered significant freight routes.

Developed through a multiyear FHWA research initiative with the American Transportation Research Institute, FPMweb is an effort to capture information on truck travel speeds from across the country through onboard GPS and satellite technology. Low speeds reflect congestion levels at a particular location and time of day. Users can set up an account and access the tool at www.freightperformance.org.