As the American economy grows, so does the volume of freight. Expanding supply chains, just-in-time deliveries, and increasing competition means freight demand has grown faster than the population. Over 50 million tons of freight move across the U.S. transportation network every day on truck, train, barge, pipeline, and plane, with each mode responsible for carrying different goods in an interrelated network. Federal grant programs aim to target funding to freight bottlenecks and intermodal connectors while also supporting experiments in drone delivery. At the local level, policymakers are placing emphasis on managing curb space, reducing emissions, and more efficiently using space to deliver packages, food, and other essentials.

Senate Passes FY16 Budget After 16-Hour “Vote-a-Rama” Session

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
April 2, 2015 - The Senate passed its fiscal 2016 budget plan (S. Con. Res. 11) in the wee hours...

Senate Hearing Examines 12/31/2015 Positive Train Control Deadline

Sep 9, 2015 | Emily Han
June 11, 2015 - The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on June 10th about passenger rail...

Highway “Devolution” Bill Introduced

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
June 11, 2015 - The latest iteration of legislation to “devolve” most federal surface transportation programs back to state and...

President Nominates Rail, Pipeline/Hazmat Administrators

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
June 4, 2015 - Last Friday, President Obama made two long-awaited nominations for senior safety regulatory positions at the U.S....

Senate Panel Approves FY16 Corps Funding, But Bill May Not Move to Floor

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
June 4, 2015 - The Senate Appropriations Committee late last month approved a fiscal year 2016 appropriations bill funding the...

2-Month HTF Extension Signed – What Now?

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
June 4, 2015 - On Friday evening (May 29), President Obama signed into law the second short-term extension of the...

Senate Appropriations Hands Out FY 2016 Spending Allocations

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
May 21, 2015 - Earlier today, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted by a party-line vote to give its twelve subcommittees...

Senate Action on 2-Month Extension May Be Last Pre-Recess Business

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
May 21, 2015 - The Senate is preparing to vote on a two-month Highway Trust Fund extension.

House Panel Approves FY16 USDOT Budget

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
May 14, 2015 - The House Appropriations Committee yesterday approved the fiscal 2016 appropriations bill for the Department of Transportation...

DOT Issues Long-Awaited Rail Car Rule

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
May 6, 2015 - Last Friday, U.S. DOT released its much-anticipated rulemaking for shipping crude oil and other liquid energy...

House Subcommittee OK’s $71.5 Billion FY16 USDOT Budget

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
April 30, 2015 - A House appropriations subcommittee today approved a draft bill making available $71.5 billion in spending authority...

Foxx Defends DOT FY16 Budget Before Senate Appropriators

Sep 9, 2015 | Jeff Davis
April 22, 2015 - U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx defended his department’s fiscal year 2016 budget request before a...

Op-Ed: When Investing in Infrastructure, Invest in Freight

The lesson from the 2019 Infrastructure Week is that throwing money at the problem is not enough. Panel discussions, speeches, and presentations this week did not dwell on the proposed multi trillion dollar funding amount but focused rightly on what the goals and objectives of a federal investment…