Skip to content

Senator Asks DOT to Create Freight Initiative


5/31/2012 1:00:00 PM
Write a Letter to the Editor



Print This
 

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) has asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to create a multimodal freight initiative within the Department of Transportation.

“This initiative office should report directly to you, include a special assistant designated with specific responsibility for freight movement and endeavor to improve federal freight policy, planning, and investment across all modes,� Cantwell wrote in a letter to LaHood on Thursday.

Freight is projected to grow by as much as 27% by 2040 but the nation’s economic potential is hindered by traffic bottlenecks, Cantwell said, noting that congestion costs the economy $200 billion a year.

Strengthening the federal role in freight mobility could mean system-wide benefits that help the recovering economy “accommodate� increasing export and import trade, she wrote.

A freight initiative should aim to increase DOT’s ability to “prioritize and expedite� transportation projects without added staff and expense, Cantwell said.

Follow Transport Topics on RSS Twitter Facebook


 Print This
 


© 2012, Transport Topics Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

 

 

RELATED ARTICLES

LTL Carriers Hope Conference Committee Will Revive Pup-Trailer Expansion Plan (5/21/2012 3:00:00 AM)
Opinion: Driver Recruiting Against the Odds (2/6/2012 8:00:00 AM)
Transportation Committee Leadership Vows to Block Any Cut in Truck Drivers’ Hours (10/3/2011 8:45:00 AM)
Mica Letter Cites ‘Concern’ on Proposed Hours-of-Service Rule Changes (9/28/2011 11:30:00 AM)
TT Private 100: Fleets Focusing on Costs, Hiring Drivers (8/15/2011 8:10:00 AM)
Opinion: Driving Accident-Free — A Mission (8/11/2011 11:30:00 AM)
 

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
We'll deliver tax strategies to your inbox from our CPA firm.
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.