Frederick Johs says he doesn’t care about image. But he admits that his 2002 BMW drop-top is a pretty sweet ride, which makes his round-trip commute of more than 100 miles each day a little easier to endure.

Like millions of commuters across the country, Mr. Johs spends a good chunk of his day on the road getting to and from his job, a task that is demanding an increasing amount of time from workers nationwide, according to a report released earlier this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.