Building a National Freight Policy

Freight is a growing issue in transportation. Freight tonnage and ton miles are growing more quickly than passenger mileage in many highway corridors. Many freeways are operating under increasingly congested conditions. Railroads are also often operating at or beyond theoretical track capacity. Congestion threatens to harm economic health, particularly in the Midwest, with its heavy reliance on manufacturing and agriculture. But the United States has been slow to respond to this growing challenge. In part the slowness is a factor of the traditional roles of the federal government, the states, and private companies in freight. In part, it may also be related to the fact that little real agreement exists on what a policy should contain. In January of 2007, a survey was sent to 250 observers or participants of an organization made up of the ten states of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Mississippi Valley Conference, the Mississippi Valley Freight Coalition. This survey asked for reactions to a number of statements dealing with alternative federal freight transportation policy. The survey results were then used in a workshop made up of state, local, and private sector participants in the freight industry. This paper reviews the results of the survey and of the workshop. It outlines areas of apparent agreement and concerns and suggests future work.