Policy Options for Intermodal Freight Transportation Special Report 252 (1998) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction: The Intermodal Freight System, Policy Issues, and Study Scope
1 Introduction: The Intermodal Freight System, Policy Issues, and Study Scope
Pages 10-19
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From page 10... ...
Thus, even incremental productivity gains yield major benefits. Freight transportation is a joint enterprise of the private sector and government.
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, which governed the disbursement of nearly $30 billion in annual revenues from fuel and vehicle excise taxes for highways and other transportation purposes, was one important step toward a new government approach to serving the freight sector. The act's Declaration of Policy states: It is the Policy of the United States to develop a National Intermodal Transportation System that is economically efficient and environ mentally sound, provides the foundation for the Nation to compete in the global economy, and will move people and goods in an energy efficient manner.
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From page 12... ...
To continue this review, TRB's Committee for a Study of Policy Options To Address Intermodal Freight Transportation has examined prospects for changes in government programs to improve the efficiency of freight transportation in the light of recent experience. In the remainder of this introductory chapter, the sources of dynamism in freight transportation today and the government's role in freight are described, and the specific public policy issues that the committee has examined are identified.
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From page 13... ...
This example illustrates how redesigning logistics lowers costs in industry by reducing inventory and allowing suppliers to respond more quickly and precisely to changes in demand and technology. The drive to attain these kinds of economies dictates the service qualities that shippers seek from freight transportation, for example, reliability and real-time information about the location and expected arrival time of shipments in transit.
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freight activity, whether measured in physical volume of freight or in the cost of services. However, intermodal freight is critical in international trade, in transport of many high value-added products, and in military supply; it has been a source of trucking industry cost savings and rail industry revenue growth; and intermodal transfers, which often require coordination of government entities and multiple private-sector firms, can be physical and organizational bottlenecks affecting the performance of the entire freight system.
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Intermodal Freight as a Public Policy Issue ISTEA was evidence of increased awareness of intermodal freight transportation on the part of government. State and local government transportation departments and economic development agencies also have shown great interest in promoting freight intermodalism.
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Primary motivations more often are controlling highway agency costs, reducing pollution, and stimulating local employment. These are legitimate responsibilities of government; however, in this study, the committee has taken the perspective that an essential criterion for judging public-sector freight transportation programs should be the effect on
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STUDY SCOPE This study was undertaken on the initiative of the TRB Executive Committee to review recent experience with government programs affecting intermodal freight transportation, identify options for changes in public policy that could help foster more efficient intermodal freight transportation, and indicate areas where research could resolve problems. The study committee has limited its conclusions concerning particular policy issues to identification of the leading alternatives for addressing recognized problems or capitalizing on opportunities.
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From page 18... ...
Issues and policy options in the following four areas are defined in Chapters 2 through 5 of this report: · Principles for government involvement: The committee examined what the guidelines should be for deciding the forms of government involvement in freight-related activities that are in the public interest and what practical analysis tools governments need to evaluate individual proposals for developing freight facilities. · Federal surface transportation programs and freight: The committee examined how federal surface transportation programs have served the needs of freight and considered options for provisions of federal programs aimed at improving intermodal freight efficiency, including the overall structure of the federal program, rules governing use of
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From page 19... ...
· Public finance of intermodal freight projects: The committee identified the factors that federal, state, and local public officials should take into account in making finance decisions for individual projects and for public works programs. REFERENCES Abbreviations FHWA Federal Highway Administration GAO General Accounting Office NCIT National Commission on Intermodal Transportation TRB Transportation Research Board American Association of Port Authorities.
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