The Coalition Freight Program focuses its efforts on the safe and efficient movement of freight across multiple jurisdictions and across multiple modes. Through the Program’s Freight Committee, the Coalition is actively helping states and stakeholders, by working on transportation issues that impact goods movement, to foster safety, mobility and economic vitality within states and across the Corridor.
The Coalition’s Freight Committee is comprised of representatives from member agencies within the corridor, including State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Port and Toll Authorities along with associated entities such as national and state trucking associations. The Freight Program focuses on areas where coordination among multiple modes, jurisdictions and entities would be highly beneficial in furthering freight-related transportation improvements.
Marygrace Parker
Freight Program Director,
The Eastern Transportation Coalition
Phone: 518.852.4083
Email: [email protected]
Freight Program Chairs:
Freight Data & Planning Working Group Chair:
Truck Parking Working Group Chair:
More information coming soon
The Eastern Transportation Coalition is actively engaged with our members and related stakeholders in the opportunities and use of various freight data to improve their agencies ability to plan for freight activities. This working group is comprised of staff representatives from member states who actively work with freight data. Meeting quarterly, this working group focuses on three areas: TDM Freight Data Optimization, Disaggregated FAF Data Use, and Innovative Applications/Uses of Freight Data for Planning. Agency staff interested in participating in the Coalition’s Freight Data & Planning Working Group should contact the Coalition’s Freight Program Director, Marygrace Parker ([email protected]).
March 22, 2023 – Using Disaggregated FAF Data
The Eastern Transportation Coalition continues to focus on truck parking as a critical issue facing the region. Trucks are a key transportation mode in the corridor. The average annual daily truck volume throughout the entire corridor is over 10,000 with portions of the corridor above 31,000 trucks. These trucks need safe, secure locations to park, either for short periods of time while waiting for a business to open each day or waiting for congestion to subside, or for longer periods to meet federally mandated hours of service (HOS) rest requirements.
The Coalition’s Truck Parking activities span an array of interest areas to economically and viably serve diverse geographical situations. During the past several years, these activities have included investigation of truck parking technologies; truck parking applications which are flexible and adaptable, and useable within states’ existing system platforms; ability to reach the user with well-timed truck parking availability information; holding a truck parking workshop for the entire Corridor; and conducting a demonstration pilot project, along with an evaluation of the project and lessons learned.
Bridge strikes by trucks, buses, and recreational vehicles cause significant risks to drivers, vehicles, and cargo; are a major source of damage to bridge infrastructure; and disrupt surrounding traffic while vehicles are cleared and roads and bridges are returned to normal operation. Through its Bridge Strike Mitigation Working Group, the Coalition has boosted awareness among its members, the motor carrier industry, and the public on these risks as well as strategies for preventing and reducing the impact of bridge strikes. Efforts to date include sharing information on the frequency and characteristics of bridge strikes; developing case studies of prevention and mitigation strategies; and conducting a multistate media campaign to communicate the importance of understanding and preparing for bridge clearances.
Ongoing activities include preparing for a second annual media campaign in July 2026; coordinating with Federal agencies and the motor carrier industry; working with State departments of motor vehicles (DMV) to expand content on bridge height, clearance, and signage in Driver’s Manuals/Commercial Driver’s License manuals; working with State law enforcement agencies to increase use of a generic driver questionnaire to document and understand the factors contributing to bridge strikes; and assessing State readiness to provide authoritative data on bridge clearances for sharing with commercial drivers and third-party mapping and navigation providers.
FY27 activities may include identifying additional proven countermeasures to prevent or reduce the impact of bridge strikes, such as enhanced signage and other passive warning systems, shock-absorbing infrastructure, active warning systems, and in-vehicle alerts; encouraging navigation companies to include bridge information in their platforms; exploring the feasibility of a centralized data resource for bridge clearance; addressing training gaps for CDL/non-CDL drivers; assessing the effectiveness of enforcement approaches such as blitzes; assessing how to identify “bridge strike and run” offenders; and evaluating approaches for collecting insurance recovery for bridge strikes damage. Specific activities will be advanced through SCOOP or Federal discretionary grants.
More information coming soon
The Eastern Transportation Coalition hosts an online portal to access information for Motor Carriers. The portal contains links for Commercial Vehicle Operating, Credentialing, Registration, Taxation, and Permitting Requirements, Commercial Driver Licensing, Traveler Information, Truck Parking and Weigh Stations, Tolling Information, and Motor Truck Associations for each of the Coalition Member States. It also has links to key Federal and national resources for motor carriers.
The Eastern Transportation Coalition is actively engaged with our members and related stakeholders in the opportunities and use of various freight data to improve their agencies ability to plan for freight activities. This working group is comprised of staff representatives from member states who actively work with freight data. Meeting quarterly, this working group focuses on three areas: TDM Freight Data Optimization, Disaggregated FAF Data Use, and Innovative Applications/Uses of Freight Data for Planning. Agency staff interested in participating in the Coalition’s Freight Data & Planning Working Group should contact the Coalition’s Freight Program Director, Marygrace Parker ([email protected]).
March 22, 2023 – Using Disaggregated FAF Data
The Eastern Transportation Coalition hosts an online portal to access information for Motor Carriers. The portal contains links for Commercial Vehicle Operating, Credentialing, Registration, Taxation, and Permitting Requirements, Commercial Driver Licensing, Traveler Information, Truck Parking and Weigh Stations, Tolling Information, and Motor Truck Associations for each of the Coalition Member States. It also has links to key Federal and national resources for motor carriers.
The TETC Freight Committee also undertook a project to examine Freight Data resources to assist public sector practitioners in their understanding of various data sources that may apply to their work. This work consists of three documents:
The Coalition Freight Committee will use these documents as part of on-going discussion and expansion of the knowledge base and to complement other resources on freight data.
These project documents and more information are available on the Freight Data project page.
Member States’ Fast Act-Compliant Freight Planning Activities
In mid-2017, at the request of its members, the Eastern Transportation Coalition staff conducted extensive guided interviews with 17 Coalition member Departments of Transportation (DOTs) from 16 states and Washington, DC, to assess the status of their freight planning activities in response to the requirements of the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). The Issues and Recommendations report can be viewed here.
M-95 Highway Corridor
The Eastern Transportation Coalition, on behalf of its member and affiliate agencies, submitted an application for designation of waterways/waterside system as a Marine Highway Corridor under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) “America’s Marine Highway Program”. As a result of the Coalition’s submission, a designation was successfully received under the “America’s Marine Highway Program” for the “M-95” Corridor, a series of waterways/crossings/
Truck Parking
The Coalition’s Truck Parking activities span an array of interest areas to economically and viably serve diverse geographical situations. During the past several years, these activities have included investigation of truck parking technologies; truck parking applications which are flexible and adaptable, and useable within states’ existing system platforms; ability to reach the user with well-timed truck parking availability information; holding a truck parking workshop for the entire Corridor; and conducting a real-time trucking parking pilot project, along with an evaluation of the project and lessons learned.
Within the Freight Committee, a Truck Parking Working Group, comprised of representatives from Coalition agencies actively engaged in addressing truck parking related activities, continue to work together to share information, best practices and advance solutions to truck parking needs in the Corridor.
More information about Truck Parking activities may be found here.
Working with FHWA, the Coalition has been supporting initiatives they have been leading to provide tools for public agencies for freight planning and development of performance measures.
The National Freight Fluidity Program is a national initiative by the US Department of Transportation/FHWA to better understand how our transportation system supports freight movement. Currently, public policy, program, and investment decisions are guided by information about network and corridor capacity, infrastructure conditions, and safety. This national effort aims to add the perspectives of shippers, carriers, and receivers by focusing on supply chains and understanding the end-to-end performance of an individual freight trip or shipment moving across multiple modes and jurisdictions. Having a clearer view of freight fluidity will lead to strategic transportation system investments that directly improve supply chain performance and the country’s economic competitiveness. See our freight fluidity page.
February 25, 2021 – Freight Committee Meeting and Using Weigh-in-Motion in Maryland