United States Department of Transportation
i
The Freight Story: A National Perspective on Enhancing Freight Transportation
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2002-11-01
[PDF-1.37 MB]
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Abstract:Although efforts to improve freight transportation efficiency and reliability have been successful, the U.S. transportation system is now facing challenges that, unless addressed, may jeopardize its reliability. Allowing transportation system reliability to erode would add additional pressure to U.S. companies operating in an increasingly competitive international market and place more burdens on communities seeking to sustain their economic base and quality of life. Improved logistics has thus far been able to address the corrosive effects of loss of system reliability. Unfortunately, the ability of logistics to provide additional offsetting savings appears to be nearing its limit, as are the savings attributable to deregulation. Unless these challenges are addressed, more discretionary income will be devoted to moving materials and products, businesses will be constrained in their adoption of innovative strategies to maintain global competitiveness, quality of life - as measured by congestion - will suffer, and safety and security could be jeopardized. This report summarizes two years of work conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation's other modal administrations, and the Secretary's Office of Intermodalism. It involved the development of an integrated freight data and analytical tool, called the Freight Analysis Framework, and extensive outreach to freight stakeholders. Through these efforts, FHWA identified several key issues facing freight transportation. These key issues, which are discussed in this report, include (1) congestion and expanding capacity, (2) improving systems operations, (3) planning and financing freight project, (4) safety, (5) national security, (6) the environmental effects of the freight transport, and (7) building professional capacity in the freight sector. The report also discusses several strategies to meet these challenges. The strategies are organized around the geography of freight and include international gateways, state and local transportation programs, and multijurisdictional corridors and regions.
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