The TIMTC Annual Meeting had more than 150 attendees; three-quarters of whom represented private sector industry interests. The TIMTC Annual Meeting agenda can be viewed on the TIMTC website: www.freightmobility.org

The November 16th Webinar will review the TIMTC presentations on crash-proofing trucks, dedicated truck-only lanes, automating communications between trucks and pavement, truck parking information systems and freight performance measures. Webinar participants will also provide guidance on the role that TIMTC should play in emerging government mobility and technology programs.

There is no cost for the webinar.

WHAT: Trucking Industry Mobility and Technology Coalition (TIMTC) Webinar
WHEN: Monday, November 16, 2009, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST
HOW: Participants will need access to phone and internet. For your free registration, use the link below. An automated email with instructions for joining the webinar will be sent to all registrants.

http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webConfID=18682

TIMTC Annual Meeting

Four sessions, spread over two days, comprised the TIMTC annual meeting; an educational session and a participatory general session, both on the second day of the meeting, sparked a remarkable degree of interest and participation. 

The TIMTC educational session highlighted a number of current truck mobility and technology initiatives.  In a room set for 120, more than 150 attendees filled the space, eager to hear officials from FHWA, FMCSA, and several State DOTs provide updates on a number of current trucking initiatives, including: Onboard Technologies, Freight Performance Measures, Dedicated Truck Lanes, and Truck Parking Technologies, among others. 

The afternoon general session included an update from AASHTO on reauthorization, as well as time for general discussion and questions from meeting participants.  Participants engaged on the critical challenges existing in relation to technology adoption in trucking industry, and sought creative solutions to address these challenges.  Participants also commented on the leadership role that TIMTC should play in these change efforts; they agreed that the TIMTC should focus efforts on:

• Identifying incentives/incentive plans for technology adoption
• Defining research problem statements
• Providing educational opportunities

A summary of the TIMTC annual meeting, as well as presentation materials from each of the TIMTC sessions, can be found online at www.freightmobility.com.

Intellidrive - Taking Smart Highways from the Lab to the Asphalt
by Dave Miller

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IntelliDriveSM is a current U.S. Department of Transportation initiative focused on advancing connectivity between vehicles and road infrastructure.  The objective is to improve the safety and mobility of the U.S. transportation system.

This is potentially exciting technology for every highway user. It holds promise for improving safety by making vehicles smarter and more aware of their surroundings and road conditions, essentially by enabling vehicles to “talk” with each other as well as with sensors in the highway itself.

Some of this technology is available today, but only on a limited and non-integrated basis.  And while a number of challenges currently exist, one of the goals of the IntelliDrive program is to give those challenges a full examination. We need to understand the next steps necessary for the program to be successful – and for the technologies to see wider adoption in trucking and the mainstream motorist population.

I recently attended the IntelliDriveUSA Working Group Meeting, which was held October 29-30, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan.  It was an opportunity for IntelliDrive partners and stakeholders to discuss future plans, as well as ways to increase stakeholder involvement.

The program’s proposed goal was identified as creating wireless connectivity embedded in critical infrastructure that would bind multi-modal systems together – autos, trucks, trailers, highways, traffic flow and control systems, tolling systems, etc. The ostensible benefits of such a connected infrastructure would be: improved traffic safety and mobility (better traffic flow and congestion management), e-payment, lower carbon emissions and reduced environment impacts, and providing better roadway system management tools to government.

Certainly these concepts and overarching principles are worthy of attention. But they also leave too many details to chance; as is often the case, details that will either set a foundation for, or cripple progress toward, success.

Much of the IntelliDrive program centers on answering basic questions.  Which stakeholders should be brought to the table? How should they be engaged?  How should the U.S. DOT undertake the user ROI assessments that must be made? How do we balance direct user benefits from less tangible “societal” benefits?  Finally, keeping in mind the scale of the initiative, how might a 2014 Project Deployment schedule be structured? 

Let me offer a few recommendations:

Increase efforts to get varied stakeholders to the table…  Quickly!
In a room full of people, I was the lone representative from trucking.  The potential issues, experiences and perspectives offered by trucking -- including carriers, shippers, vendors and truck manufacturers, are too important to neglect.  IntelliDrive will advance most quickly if it is directed by the collective input of a consortium of parties – government, technology, highway construction, and fleet operators - each of whom have clear potential to benefit from its progress.

Consider funding prior to the creation of detailed implementation plans
Funding sources – public and private -- should be identified as soon as possible.  This will help to define realistic constraints and will enable near-term implementation of the IntelliDrive services that have the fewest barriers and highest benefits.

Derive an overarching ROI
It is imperative that discrete and quantifiable user needs, services and related benefits be identified early on to justify the large investment that IntelliDrive will require.  Each stakeholder should have a clear and compelling case for support.  Lastly, if the objective is truly to improve safety and mobility for users, then the IntelliDrive program should not be spearheaded by for-profit vehicle OEMs and technology vendors.

And lastly, approach implementation in a phased manner by identifying “quick wins” that can be rapidly deployed, demonstrating and validating future benefits.  We certainly need an overarching vision. But with the rapid advancements typical of technology and software as user experience is gained and capabilities evolve, smaller investments with direct ROI enable quick receipt of benefits . . . a measured and controlled “learn as we pay, improve as we learn” approach. 

In this way, we can accelerate the promise of smart vehicles and smart highways to the benefit of those who use and pay for our nation’s highways, thus bringing to reality those returns in safety, better mobility, less congestion and less impact on the environment sooner rather than later.

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Dave Miller, a 34-year veteran of the freight trucking industry, is a frequent contributor to the discussion on transportation and infrastructure issues.  He is Senior Vice President, Global Policy and Economic Sustainability for Con-way Inc. responsible for directing Con-way’s strategies and programs related to legislative, regulatory, public policy and corporate sustainability affairs at local, state, national and international levels.  Previously, Mr. Miller was Chief Operating Officer of LTL carrier Con-way Freight, the largest operating unit of Con-way Inc.



Core Team Spotlight:  R. Leo Penne

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Mr. Penne attended the TIMTC annual meeting in Las Vegas, NV, and graciously agreed to provide a summary of AASHTO’s current prioritizations in regard to surface transportation reauthorization. 

Can you tell us more about AASHTO?
AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.  It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water.  Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.

Where does freight fit into AASHTO’s strategic goals and vision?
In AASHTO’s strategic plan for 2009-2013, freight was identified by a strategic planning task force of 16 CEOs as a critical strategic issue currently facing AASHTO.  Freight was therefore incorporated into AASHTO’s strategic goals in several ways.  One of AASHTO’s strategic goals is to re-establish transportation as a national priority.  A significant component of that goal is the need to improve the national freight network to keep America competitive in the global economy.  We also aim to provide world-class technical services.  To that end, we are planning to develop Centers of Excellence in Safety, Operations, and Freight.  Centers for Excellence would exist as fully funded programs that aim to provide: professional education, research services, technical assistance, and information dissemination related to the referenced topic areas.

(Information on AASHTO’s freight committees and their activities may be found at freight.transportation.org.)

What are AASHTO’s priorities in reauthorization?
In regards to freight, perhaps the most pressing need is for the development of a National Multimodal Freight Strategic Plan.  The next surface transportation authorization should mandate the development of such a plan.  The development of this plan should be led by the U.S. Department of Transportation, in partnership with state DOTs, cities, counties, MPOS and regional planning.  At AASHTO, we hope to build a consensus for new and integrated national freight policies and priorities and help improve state DOT capabilities to deal with freight transportation issues, promote increased investment in freight infrastructure and operations, and increase AASHTO's competency in analyzing freight system performance.

Previously, Penne held the following positions: Director, State of Nevada Washington, D.C. Office; Program Director for Housing, Community and Economic Development, Public Technology Inc.; Director, Office of Policy Analysis and Development, Economic Development Administration, US Department of Commerce; Senior Legislative Counsel and Assistant Director of the Office of Policy Analysis, National League of Cities; and, President, R. Leo Penne Associates, Inc.

Penne has developed and carried out programs for advocacy, policy development and research in areas such as transportation, economic development, urban development, environmental protection, public finance, training and tourism and has written and edited books, reports and articles on these subjects.  Penne holds degrees in political science from Seattle University and the University of Washington and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.  He is the AASHTO representative on the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council, a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, on the Board of the Transportation Research Forum, and serves on several project panels for the National Freight Cooperative Research Program.  He has participated in study tours to investigate intermodal/multimodal freight transportation in Europe, South America, and China.  He currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife Carol and his sons Daniel and Marco.

The State of The Nation’s Economy Eclipses Other Concerns In Annual Trucking Industry Survey

The state of the nation’s economy tops the list in ATRI’s survey of more than 5,000 trucking industry executives. The complete results were released at the 2009 Management Conference and Exhibition of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) meeting in Las Vegas, the nation’s largest gathering of motor carrier executives. The ATRI Top Industry Issues report also solicited and tabulated specific strategies for addressing each issue.

Government regulation, which has been on a steady climb since the inaugural survey in 2005, came in as the second most pressing issue this year. In addition to the economy and government regulation, other “Top Ten” issues include fuel, congestion, Hours-of-Service and the environment, among others. Truck size and weight appeared for the first time in the 2009 survey as a key productivity issue that many industry stakeholders feel must be addressed. The ATA-commissioned survey results and proposed strategies will be utilized by the ATA Federation to better focus its advocacy role on behalf of the U.S. trucking industry and ATA Federation stakeholders.

“On every legislative and regulatory topic, issues come and go so quickly today,” said Bill Graves, ATA President and CEO. “If we’re not at the table with sound, science-based information and a common sense plan of action, then we’re going to get left behind, and saddled with solutions that have no bearing on moving America’s freight safely and efficiently.”

A copy of the survey results is available from ATRI at www.atri-online.org.

The TRB 89th Annual Meeting, January 10-14, 2010, in Washington, D.C., covers all transportation modes, with more than 3,000 presentations in nearly 600 sessions addressing topics of interest to all attendees—policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions.

The Annual Meeting, which draws attendees from throughout the United States and from more than 65 countries, is perhaps the single largest gathering of transportation practitioners and researchers in the world. Information on how to register for the meeting and how to obtain hotel reservations through the TRB Housing Bureau is currently available on the Annual Meeting website.