United States Department of Transportation
i
Measuring the economic contribution of the freight industry to the Maryland economy.
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2015-05-01
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[PDF-909.40 KB]
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Abstract:Economic impacts of freight movement to Maryland’s economy were estimated by input-output analysis
using the 2010 IMPLAN data. A freight economic output (FECO) index was also developed based on the
historical payroll data and gross domestic product (GDP) between 2002 and 2010. This effort was
motivated by the absence of defendable performance measures for the economic contribution of freight
transportation services. It was found that the freight industry generates sizable ripple effects. While the
trucking sector is the largest in terms of an absolute employment size, the spillovers of the freight water
and port services are about seven times its employment size. The impact of government spending is also
significant. The aggregate FECO index parallels the Maryland GDP and the national freight service index.
Interestingly, the evidence of modal competition between truck and freight rail is observed. Their trends
and the magnitude of the changes are generally moving in opposite directions. The findings and
methodologies of the study will help decision makers understand the role that each freight mode plays in
order to make more informed decisions. The economic indicators used in this study – jobs, income, and
GDP – can be used for public outreach to mitigate the negative perception of freight movement. While
travel time reduction and increased business productivity used in past impact studies are useful
performance measures, jobs and income measures appeal to citizens.
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