Current sources of data related to freight transportation in the United States are examined and improvements are recommended that would enhance the ability to make informed decisions on national transportation strategy and policy development. The major focus of the paper is on intercity freight transportation via rail, highway, water, and air. Two key trends are having a major impact on the collection and use of freight transportation data in the United States: the continuing deregulation of freight transportation carriers and the increasing importance of freight transportation to the shipper community. However, a "planning gap" is developing between the public and private sectors in freight transportation. Private companies are increasing their spending on information to ensure efficient movement of goods world-wide, while public agencies are reducing information development commitments for freight transportation right-of-way and facility planning. This paper identifies six key information gaps that need to be filled to meet emerging national freight transportation planning and policy analysis needs: modal/route/facility operating performance data, shipper logistics patterns by industry, intercity freight flows by mode, hazardous materials tracking, intracity freight movements, and emerging shipper needs. Finally, the paper recommends possible data collection options for each information gap and suggests a private sector/public sector "partnership" for freight transportation data collection in the 1990s.
Samenvatting