Save the Date!! The MAFC 2023 Annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the OKI Conference on Freight! We hope to see you there!
SAVE THE DATE!
2023 OKI Conference on Freight
September 5-7, 2023
Hyatt Regency Cincinnati
Sign up HERE to receive email updates on the 2023 OKI Conference on Freight.
In August, the MAFC technical representatives from the 10 member states met in Traverse City, Michigan for the 2018 MAFC Annual Meeting. This meeting was held in conjunction with the MAASTO 2018 conference, which dedicated a track to freight topics throughout the two-day event. The content for the breakout sessions in this track was driven by MAFC members.
Freight topics included truck parking and TPIMS, shortline rail, marine freight planning, freight funding, and freight customer service.
The MAFC attendees held their annual dinner and meeting at nearby Black Star Farms on Tuesday, August 28th.
To download slides and other materials, view the web page for this event.
The purpose of this report is to provide an understanding of truck platooning and how this technology can be adopted across MAASTO freight corridors in a uniform manner.
Coordinated regulations across state boundaries will better serve and meet the needs of the industry. The overall goal is to develop a Midwest Truck Platooning Regulatory Model that provides for harmonization of regulations governing truck platooning across the MAASTO region. This effort to “harmonize” is somewhat driven by the historic and current status of OSOW regulations across the country.
Often there are state-by-state differences that hinder efficient movement of oversized loads. Placing mixed regulations across the region will decrease the efficiency and slow the adoption of truck platooning.
The Mid-America Freight Coalition (MAFC) has released a report on the impact lock and dam closures along the Upper Mississippi River would have on the parallel highways based on the increased truck numbers required to move displaced agricultural products.
The Mississippi River is a critical corridor for transportation of agricultural products and, in turn, is critical to the economies of the states that utilize the river to transport these trade goods. Five of the MAFC region’s states are dependent on the Upper Mississippi River to move the majority of their agricultural products.
Movement through the Upper Mississippi is facilitated through locks and dams, all of which were constructed between the 1930’s and late 1950’s. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) estimates that there are over $1 billion in backlogged maintenance costs for these structures. Given the age and maintenance backlog, a failure at any of these facilities, especially the southernmost, would divert agricultural products to truck or rail.
The report assesses the total impact of such closures and then demonstrates how the cost the closures, or improvements designed to mitigate their impact on the highway side, compare with the cost of improving Upper Mississippi River control structures.
MAFC Program Administrator, Ernest Perry, PhD, testified last week to members of the Assembly Transportation Committee for the State of Wisconsin in support of continued funding for the Harbor Assistance Program (HAP). In his statement, Perry emphasized a multiagency effort that has been taking place for over three years to to increase the freight and economic activity at Wisconsin ports. Wisconsin ports are responsible for the health of a large part of the state’s economy and will have an increasingly important role in the future. The support provided by HAP funds has been significant in providing tangible benefits to the state’s port infrastructure and will continue to be a much needed asset to ensure the sustainability of this important system moving forward.
Perry’s complete statement can be downloaded here.
The 2016 Statewide Freight System Plan was released by MAFC member, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, today.
The plan includes a snapshot of Minnesota’s current freight system as well as a description of the state’s economy, relevant trends, and current and future issues around freight. It also includes an action agenda which outlines how the system can keep pace with the significant growth in freight tonnage expected by 2040.
One of multiple transportation plans in support of the Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan and the Minnesota GO vision for transportation in the state, this plan was developed with the help of the public-private Minnesota Freight Advisory Committee.
The plan and a video explaining the plan development are online at the MnDOT website.
As directed by the FAST act, states and, in certain cases, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, are responsible for designating public roads as Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs) and Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFCs). The MAFC has completed a survey of member states for this purpose and continues to work with states to identify and share the best approaches for identifying CRFCs and CUFCs and other components of state and regional freight networks. The survey data is available for download here.
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) directed the FHWA Administrator to establish a National Highway Freight Network to strategically direct Federal resources and policies toward improved performance of highway portions of the U.S. freight transportation system. Critical Rural Freight Corridors (CRFCs) are public roads not in urbanized areas that provide access and connection to the Primary Highway Freight System and the Interstate with other important ports, public transportation facilities, or other intermodal freight facilities. Critical Urban Freight Corridors (CUFCs) are public roads in urbanized areas which provide access and connection to these same facilities.
Last week, Mid-America Freight Coalition member, Iowa DOT, released Iowa’s first dedicated state freight plan.
Created with the input of interested stakeholders, particularly Iowa’s Freight Advisory Council (FAC), the freight plan is designed to connect and optimize numerous freight planning initiatives being conducted by the Iowa DOT.
Additionally, it will guide the department’s investment decisions for maintaining and improving the state’s freight transportation system.
For more information about this plan, visit the Iowa DOT website or read the press release.
Two Mid-America Freight Coalition member states have completed their freight plans and are working to finalize them in July. The Iowa DOT and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have draft plans available on their websites.
The 2016 Kentucky Statewide Freight Plan and Executive Summary is available for review and comment through the end of June. They are seeking feedback and information from freight professionals, local government, industry, agency, and the public to contribute to the direction of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Freight Program. Written comments will be accepted through July 8, 2016.
To download and view the plan visit:
http://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Pages/2016-Kentucky-Freight-Plan.aspx
As part of their plan development, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is also developing a Kentucky Freight Advisory Committee with industry guidance. This committee will report, advise, and instruct state officials about industry needs, innovation, and planning.
A brief survey on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet website is also available for respondents to help prioritize upcoming freight activities.
The Iowa DOT plan is designed to connect and optimize numerous freight planning initiatives being conducted by the department. Additionally, it will guide Iowa DOT’s investment decisions for maintaining and improving the state’s freight transportation system. The plan supports the National Freight Goals, as defined by MAP-21, and was developed in conjunction with the State Rail Plan. The Iowa freight and rail plans are both are anticipated to be completed in July of this year.
To learn more, or to download the draft plan, visit the Iowa DOT website.
Have an opinion about the future of rail in Wisconsin? Fill out the State Rail Plan 2030 Questionnaire. For more information about the Wisconsin Rail Plan 2030, go to www.wisconsinrailplan.gov.