REPORT ON JOINT CONFERENCE ENO FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND BOARD OF CONSULTANTS, OCTOBER 18 AND 19, 1981. PART II: PRIVATE SECTOR MODAL VIEWPOINTS REGARDING CHANGING FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION POLICIES

This paper describes how, over the last five years, American transportation carriers have been thrust into a deregulatory environment after decades of government regulation. Truck, rail, and air carriers can no longer have the controlled stability of regulated industries. Instead, they now have market entry and rate making freedoms and can compete with one another on an individual rather than a collective carrier basis. However, there are significant transportation problems that will not be solved by the legislation on deregulation. Some of the arise from within the freight and passenger transportation sectors, and some from outside the industry. Problems of the latter kind include the deteriorating nature of the nation's highway system and the problems of financing social service responsibilities placed on public transit. High capital costs, high energy and labor costs, and environmental controls are still other problems originating outside the industry.