Freight Program

The Coalition Freight Program focuses its efforts on the movement of freight across multiple jurisdictions and across multiple modes. Through the Program’s Freight Committee, the Coalition is actively helping states, 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.

Contacts

Marygrace Parker
Freight Program Director,
The Eastern Transportation Coalition
Phone: 518.852.4083
Email: [email protected]

Freight Committee Leadership Team

Freight Program Chairs:

Dave Rosenberg, New York State DOT
Dan Pallme, Tennessee DOT

Freight Data & Planning Working Group Chair:

Sara Walfoort, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

Truck Parking Working Group Chair:

Erik Johnson, Virginia DOT

Upcoming Meetings

Check back for information on upcoming meetings.

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.

Click here to access the CVO Portal.

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/connections within the Coalition’s region. As the sponsor of the “M-95” Marine Highway Corridor, the Eastern Transportation Coalition works as may be necessary with Ports, Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and the USDOT Maritime Administration (MARAD) in various activities to further advance the utilization of the coastal and inland waterways within the I-95 Corridor region and join in research as may be applicable, to identify potential freight and passenger markets where water could serve as a transportation mode to address mobility needs.

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.

The The Eastern Transportation Coalition’s (TETC) Freight Plan Matrix is intended to offer members a glance at what TETC states (and neighboring states) are doing within their post-Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) (2021) freight plans to address some of the most compelling issues, specifically truck parking, and resilience. There are links to each of the freight plans within the spreadsheet for members to dive in deep. For truck parking, where available, there are links to the most updated truck parking, studies, or assessments. As applicable, TETC will provide periodic updates.

TETC members interested in access to the Freight Plan Matrix should contact TETC Freight Director Marygrace Parker at mgparker@tetcoalition.

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 White Paper – “Demystifying Freight Data” provides some background on the theoretical context around freight data along with practical recommendations for public agency transportation planners/practitioners
The “Freight Data Matrix Metadata Document” (an Excel spreadsheet) is intended to familiarize practitioners with the various attributes within freight data sources for understanding and comparison for potential uses in planning associated
The “Freight Data Matrix User Guide” which is intended for informational and instructional guidance to use the Freight Data Matrix Metadata Document.

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.

Freight Data Partners

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]).

Recent Meetings

December 5, 2024 – New York State DOT’s Freight Plan and Web Atlas Visualization Tool
- Slides
- Agenda:
  - Welcome & Introductions – Sara Walfoort, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
  - Spotlight Presentation: New York State DOT’s Freight Plan & Demonstration of Web Atlas tool – Jim Davis, Statewide Policy & Performance Bureau, New York State DOT, Eric Krans, SUNY/Albany Visualization and Informatics Lab (AVAIL)
  - Member Agency Roundtable: Freight Plan Updates and TETC’s Freight Plan Matrix
  - Next Steps/Upcoming Events – Sara Walfoort, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

June 12, 2024 – Updates on Ongoing Freight Data, Research, and Tools
- Agenda:
  - Welcome & Introductions – Marygrace Parker, TETC & Sara Walfoort, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
  - Spotlight Presentation: Updates on Ongoing Freight Data, Research, and Tools – Birat Pandey, Freight Analysis and Data Manager, Federal Highway Administration – Office of Freight Management and Operations
  - Member Agency Roundtable: New planning studies/freight plan updates or data activities
  - Next Steps/Upcoming Events – Sara Walfoort, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

December 14, 2023 – Maryland’s Statewide Transportation Model
- Slides
- Agenda:
  - Introductions – Marygrace Parker, TETC & Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning
  - Spotlight Presentation: Maryland’s Statewide Transportation Model – “C” 20 Freight Model – Rana Shams, Division Chief, Traffic for Travel Forecasting & Analysis Division, Maryland DOT-SHA; Mark Rodovic & Sabya Mishra, Gannett Fleming
  - Future Working Group Discussion Topics & Next Steps – Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning

September 13, 2023 – Philly Freight Finder
- Slides
- Agenda:
  - Introductions – Marygrace Parker, TETC & Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning
  - Spotlight Presentation 1: Philly Freight Finder – Freight Data Portal for the Delaware Valley – Kristen Scudder, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
  - Spotlight Presentation 2: “The Rhode Island Freight Finder” – Rhode Island’s Freight and Goods Movement Plan Mapping Application
  - Polling & Discussion Questions – Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning – Marygrace Parker, The Eastern Transportation Coalition

March 22, 2023 – Using Disaggregated FAF Data
- Slides
- Agenda:
  - Introductions – Marygrace Parker, TETC & Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning
  - Spotlight Presentation: Using Disaggregated FAF Data – Sara Walfoort, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
  - Agency Roundtable Discussion
  - Future Working Group Discussion Topics & Next Steps – Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning

December 15, 2022 – All about Disaggregated FAF Data
- Slides
- Agenda:
  - Introductions – Marygrace Parker, TETC & Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning
  - Overview/Update on USDOT FAF Activities – Ed Strocko, Stephanie Lawrence, Monique Stinson, Kyle Titlow, USDOT, BTS
  - RI’s Interim Freight Plan Update: TRANSEARCH & FAF Disaggregation – Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning
  - Member Agency Roundtable on Using Disaggregated FAF Data – All
  - Transportation Data Marketplace Update – Marygrace Parker, TETC
  - BTS Procurement Update – Kyle Titlow, USDOT, BTS
  - Future Working Group Discussion Topics & Next Steps – Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning

September 21, 2022 – Freight Data Vendor Forum
- Agenda:
  - Intro & Explanation of Forum – Marygrace Parker, TETC & Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning
  - Vendor Presentations: Geotab, INRIX, Quetica, Streetlight
  - Wrap Up – Marygrace Parker, TETC & Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning

- June 29, 2022 – Kick-off Meeting
  - Slides
  - Agenda:
    - Agency Introduction/Roles – All, Led By Marygrace Parker, TETC
    - Background & Working Group Focus – Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning
    - Data Applications – UMD CATT Lab
    - Roundtable: What Does Your Agency Want to Do With This Freight Data? – All
    - If a Freight Vendor Contacts You: Agency Approach & Topics to Cover/Questions to Ask
    - Next Steps – Josh O’Neill, RI Statewide Planning

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

Slides Only