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The AASHTO-FHWA Freight Transportation Partnership. Synthesis of Findings from the AASHTO/FHWA Survey, Web Casts, and Conference

This paper describes how the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) co-hosted a meeting of State Department of Transportation (DOT) freight officials, FHWA Division Office staff, and U.S. DOT headquarters staff, as well as private sector representatives, on April 26-27, 2005 in Columbus, Ohio. The objective of the conference was to define a position description framework for a State-Level Freight Coordinator(s) through the identification of the: (1) roles and responsibilities of a State-Level Freight Transportation Coordinator; (2) skill sets required for the Freight Transportation Coordinator position; and (3) organizational and institutional issues that need to be addressed to better advance freight transportation projects more effectively. Between 2000 and 2002, the FHWA Office of Freight Management and Operations (HOFM) conducted extensive outreach with freight stakeholders from both the public and private sectors in order to learn what was needed to enable freight transportation projects to better compete in the project selection process. The responses heard emphasized the need for better coordination and cooperation between the public and private sectors, new mechanisms for financing freight projects (innovative financing), better data and use of that data, and better professional capacity building. Additionally, the freight community expressed that having someone or several people within each state dedicated to making freight transportation improvements will be a necessity in order to spearhead these improvements. In response to the freight transportation improvement challenges being faced and the feedback from the outreach events, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) included a provision for a State-Level Freight Coordinator in its proposed bill for surface transportation reauthorization, the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003" (SAFETEA). Whether or not the position is actually included once SAFETEA is passed, FHWA and AASHTO both recognize the need for someone of a similar position in each state to help plan and operate a transportation system that accommodates freight movement needs. To set the stage for the Ohio conference, in February 2005, AASHTO conducted a survey of freight professionals in State DOTs to learn about their perspectives on freight transportation priorities and needs. Similarly, FHWA conducted a survey of FHWA Division Office professionals focused on freight transportation. Two online WebEx conferences were held to discuss the results of the survey and shape the agenda for the Columbus conference.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Edition: Final Report
  • Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
  • Pagination: 55p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01076751
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, USDOT
  • Created Date: Sep 21 2007 1:55PM