U.S. DOT unveils long-term plan for moving nation’s freight
The U.S. Department of Transportation released its National Freight Strategic Plan, laying out “a vision for long-term investments in infrastructure, the workforce, and other essential parts of the freight system.”
Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao unveiled the plan on Sept. 3.
The plan is based around improving safety, infrastructure, and innovation, the DOT said. Each category includes its own strategic objectives.
Safety
- Support the development and adoption of automation, connectivity and other freight safety technologies.
- Modernize safety oversight and security procedures.
- Minimize the effects of fatigue and human error on freight safety.
- Reduce conflicts between passenger and freight traffic.
- Protect the freight system from natural and human-caused disasters and improve system resilience and recovery speed.
Infrastructure
- Fund targeted investments in freight capacity and national goals.
- Improve consideration of freight in transportation planning.
- Prioritize projects that improve freight intermodal connectivity and enhance freight flows on first- and last-mile connectors at major trade gateways.
- Develop a methodology for identifying freight bottlenecks across modes.
- Advance freight system management and operation practices.
- Stimulate job growth and economic competitiveness in rural and urban communities.
- Mitigate the impacts of freight movement on communities.
Innovation
- Support the development and adoption of automation and connectivity, including V2X (vehicle-to-everything) technologies.
- Support the safe deployment of unmanned aircraft systems technology.
- Streamline or eliminate regulations to improve governance, efficiency, and economic competitiveness.
- Improve freight data, modeling, and analytical tools and resources.
- Strengthen workforce professional capacity.
- Invest in freight research.
- Support regulatory frameworks that foster freight innovation.
In February, OOIDA filed comments about the creation of the plan.
“The NFSP must address deteriorating highway infrastructure that results in lost productivity and compensation for drivers,” OOIDA wrote. “The plan also must prioritize fixing the nation’s truck parking crisis and address other institutional barriers, such as excessive detention time that can be mitigated through more practical federal policies.” LL