DOT Releases Draft National Freight Strategic Plan
The Department of Transportation on Oct. 19 released a draft copy of its detailed National Freight Strategic Plan that calls for funding dedicated to freight projects, identifies major corridors and gateways, offers ways to improve data collection and analysis to measure freight movement and suggests programs to train future freight transportation workers skills for fast-changing technologies.
The strategic plan was mandated by Congress and is intended to describe the freight transportation system and future demands on it, assesses financial barriers to improvement and specify best practices for enhancing the system.
It also aims to identify many successful programs already in place to improve freight planning and investment.
“Other strategies may require statutory changes, new partners, technologies, funding sources, or other innovations,” the strategic plan said. “Many of the strategies presented in this plan focus on encouraging collaboration among private, state and local stakeholders to ensure the greatest flexibility possible to plan for an uncertain future.”
The plan says the nation’s freight system faces a number of future challenges. Freight tonnage is expected to grow significantly over the next 30 years, transportation modes are underfunded, and there is difficulty in planning and implementing freight projects and coping with the technological revolution.
There also are challenges in improving transportation safety and security and competing on a global scale, according to the plan.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in his Oct. 19 blog that he hopes the plan will “wake the country up and get us moving forward.”
“It's time for this generation to shoulder the burden, face our transportation challenges and keep improving our nation's freight network,” Foxx said.
The department is seeking public comment on the plan.
