R' Leo Penne Program Director Intermodal

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Freight Partnership Survey State DOT Results
R. Leo Penne
Program Director
Intermodal Industry Activities


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FREIGHT is .

• Necessary
• Growing
• Changing
• Valuable
• Glocal
• Multimodal
• Intermodal

THE FUTURE !!!
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How high a priority is freight transportation in
your state?
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How high a priority is freight transportation in
your state?
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What hot freight issues do you foresee in the
next 5-10 years? For your state? For the Nation?
States say

• Higher truck volume.
• Container on barge use on inland waterways
• Expansion of public/private partnerships for
  funding of freight projects.
• Development of a National Transportation Policy
  regarding freight.
• Truck size and weight.
• ITS tools for better management of truck and
  freight movement.
• Rail Infrastructure/Relocations
• Modal Diversion
• NAFTA Corridor Impacts Safety/Security Issues
• Development of multi-state freight strategy.
• International trade.
• Expansion of intermodal facilities.

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Do you agree or disagree that there are a core
set of skills, roles and responsibilities that
freight transportation professionals and offices
need to advance freight-related transportation
projects?
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Cont.
States on roles and responsibilities

• Build partnerships and facilitate dialogue with
  private sector community and other state
  agencies.
• Be an external and internal point of contact and
  resource for DOT on all matters regarding
  freight.
• Build technical aptitude for understanding,
  using, and explaining commodity flow data to
  internal and external stakeholders.
• Monitor freight movement.
• Assess current system.
• Propose and evaluate policies,

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Do any of your State agencies collect or analyze
freight transportation data beyond truck counts?
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States on Collecting Freight Data

• Rail and water.
• By industry
• Grain shipping information.
• Border crossing information.
• Truck origins, and destinations with commodities
  and preferred routes. Periodically for
  Statewide Plans MPO Plans
• Specific studies, not continuous program..

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How would you rate the capacity of your
organization and staff to deal with freight
transportation needs in your state?
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Cont.
States on freight transport needs

• Organizational hierarchy works well in
  communicating needs and getting responses, but
  little 'horizontal' communication between various
  planning, operations, and construction staff on
  freight issues.
• Involvement in developing a coordinated freight
  program has been limited. The State's freight
  focus has been on highway needs driven primarily
  by funding capability and infrastructure
  ownership.
• Freight planning team handles many issues.
  Capacity improving gradually.
• Do not have a specific freight office. Have
  several people that deal with freight. Same
  director for Modal Division and Planning and
  Programming Division fosters concept of
  comprehensive freight planning. More a matter of
  attitude than organization.

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Cont.
States on freight transport needs

• Need statewide office (at Governor's cabinet
  level) to coordinate /emphasize freight and
  intermodal issues,
• Staffing is in modal silos which has a negative
  impact on coordination of non-highway freight
  projects or intermodal initiatives.
• We have "nickel and dimed" our responses to some
  freight issues. Rail staff and staff from
  Transportation Planning worked together to hold a
  series of "Freight Mobility Economic
  Prosperity" Forums over the past 2 years.

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Do you have a formal arrangement for
communication and coordination with the freight
industry such as a Freight Advisory Council ?
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States on Freight Councils

• Separate rail and trucking councils advise and
  communicate issues with the Department. No one
  freight council exists.
• In 2003 the Governor created the Freight
  Advisory Council which includes members from the
  private rail/aviation/trucking industry - meets
  on a regular basis.
• Not enough staff, time, resources nor commitment
  from executive level currently to coordinate such
  a thing
• This type of council would be good for lobbying
  purposes, but of less value to gain deep industry
  knowledge.

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Cont.
States on Freight Councils

• Several years ago had an Intermodal Advisory
  Panel that had freight industry represented along
  with the Cabinet, university, and local planning
  agencies.
• Have standing industry boards/committees to
  address specific freight modes or issues.

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Based on your experience do you believe there are
key factors to successfully implementing freight
projects that cross state lines?
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States on Freight Projects

• Emphasis and communication on a corridor basis.
• Independent evaluation of public benefit
  allocation.
• Developing a great regional perspective and
  coordination.
• Our markets are national and international and
  the interstate highway that give us access to our
  markets and ports need to work well or we are at
  an economic disadvantage.
• Must have national programs to establish
  standard goals and visions for an integrated
  transportation system to develop and efficiently
  utilize the nations resources.

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Cont.
States on Freight Projects

• Share common corridors in which improvements
  would be mutually beneficial to both states.
• Defining benefits for all parties to play!
• Establishing a mutual respect concerning decision
  parameters between public and private
  participants.
• Cooperation and coordination among various state
  agencies is crucial in the success of multi-state
  and/or international freight projects.

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Can FHWA' s Division Offices, Resource Center,
and Headquarters do more to support State DOT/MPO
freight staff activities ?
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States on FHWA

• Primarily provide freight educational
  opportunities for DOT and MPO staff.
• Provide greater emphasis (and funds) on the need
  to consider freight movement even in the early
  planning stages.
• We need federal involvement to bring states
  together on interstate corridor issues
  Information and analysis technique development is
  needed
• Until clear mandates and guidelines are
  established by US DOT FHWA, states and local
  entities will not take freight "seriously...
• Increased funding for both non-personnel
  resources and staffing.
• Research targeted at areas of need (interstate
  cooperation, public-private partnerships, etc.).
• Increased data collection and dissemination
  analytical tools.

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Can AASHTO do more to support State/MPO freight
staff and activities?
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States on AASHTO

• Elevate freight within AASHTO to a status equal
  to passenger traffic. Or, at least, make sure
  that freight has a place in all discussions.
  AASHTO currently does a better job of recognizing
  freight than most organizations, but it still
  seems to be an outsider of sorts (e.g., current
  Freight Rail Bottom Line report was first ever).
• Compile "best practices" manual on data
  gathering, analysis and planning.
• Coordinate the various efforts in addressing
  freight problems going on in various states.
• Work closely with TRB to conduct research that
  addresses freight needs.
• Emphasize a system approach to solving freight
  problems

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What question(s) should we have asked that would
help you do your jobs better and advance
freight-related transportation projects?

• How can we raise awareness of freight issues to
  the level of Congress and the federal government?
  
• How can the states work together to advance a
  freight agenda?
• How can we re-organize our freight planning
  boundaries (state lines, national borders, etc.)
  to deal with the reality of freight movement
  rather than fitting into political boundaries?
• Is freight your only or even your primary duty
  within the DOT?
• How many staff members are dedicated solely to
  the State's freight related projects?
• How are freight related needs identified
  prioritized?
• How are freight projects funded?

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Discussion
For more Information Leo Penne
202-624-5813 lpenne_at_aashto.org



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