Improving Freight Transportation

According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the volume of freight traffic on the United States road system will increase 70 percent by 2020. This increase presents significant challenges for the freight transportation industry and for State departments of transportation (DOTs) across the country. This article reviews the data from a survey conducted by the FHWA Office of Freight Management and Operations in 2000-2002 to elicit insights on freight transportation issues and determine how best to prioritize and fund freight-related transportation projects. The data was gathered from Federal, State, local, and industry stakeholders. Responses emphasized the need for better coordination and cooperation between the public and private sectors. Innovative mechanisms for financing projects, better research data, and improved data analysis also ranked high in the responses. In the area of human resources, the responses highlighted a need for transportation professionals to have greater access to knowledge of data sources and freight trends and issues. They also cited a need for new skills, such as freight forecasting techniques using different data sources and analytical tools, and creating Freight Advisory Committees to develop cooperation between the public and private sector on freight issues. Finally, nearly all respondents stressed the importance of having one or several specially-designated people to serve as focal points for freight interests at the State level. The author also briefly describes the results obtained from a conference of private sector representatives convened as a follow-up to the survey.

• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/81981
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1586080
• Authors:
  • Sedor, Joanne
• Publication Date: 2006-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos;
• Pagination: pp 40-49
• Serial:
  • Public Roads
  • Volume: 69
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Federal Highway Administration
  • ISSN: 0033-3735
  • Serial URL: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cooperation; Data analysis; Financing; Forecasting; Freight and passenger traffic; Freight transportation; Public private partnerships; State departments of transportation; Truck traffic
• Identifier Terms: U.S. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01020698
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 27 2006 7:23AM