Study Highlights Need to Modernize Freight Transportation System

(World Trade Interactive)

The RAND Corporation released recently a study finding that the long-term efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. freight transportation system is threatened by bottlenecks, inefficient use of some infrastructure components, vulnerability to disruptions and crucial environmental and energy concerns. Demand for freight transportation is expected to increase in the future, a RAND press release states, but the nation’s highways, ports and railroads are nearing the limits of their capacity in key urban areas and transportation corridors, and delays and uncertainty in the system’s performance translate into higher prices for consumers and reduced productivity.

“There’s an opportunity now for the United States to develop policies and plans that will improve the flexibility and security of the freight transportation system, which is currently vulnerable to a host of dangers that could cause costly disruptions, whether from a terrorist attack or a natural disaster, such as an earthquake,” said Richard Hillestad, lead author of the study. “The whole functionality of freight transportation is built on reliability and speed, and those elements need to be protected.”

Read more here or download the complete report (163 page PDF via STR Trade).