Waterways touted as part of solution to freight system congestion
Sean Connaughton, Maritime Administrator for the U.S. Department of Transportation, was featured at the recent Transplace 2008 Shipper Symposium. He presented the case for utilizing U.S. waterways to improve the flow of freight in a time of increasingly congested highways.
The Trucker News Services
5/1/2008
ROGERS, Ark. — Third party logistics provider Transplace has concluded its annual Shipper Symposium, which this year addressed sustainability in the transportation industry. A common theme among presenters was the focus on increasing intermodal shipping.
With the continuous rise in fuel costs and stricter air quality standards, the use of intermodal shipping allows companies to transport a larger amount of freight in a manner that is both cost effective and environmentally friendly. According to Sean Connaughton, Maritime Administrator for the U.S. Department of Transportation and presenter at the Shipper Symposium, utilizing U.S. waterways for maritime shipping is a solution companies can take advantage of for reducing fuel consumption and the growing congestion of interstate highway systems and railroads.
In his presentation, Connaughton noted that the total vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. has increased almost 90 percent between 1983 and 2003; in addition, highway congestion has escalated dramatically in both extent and duration. Congestion is costing the U.S. billions of dollars annually in lost time and fuel, and will only increase with the growth of international trade.
Landside infrastructure cannot support the growth, while roads and railroads are already near capacity. With about 25,000 miles of costal and inland waterways in the U.S. operating below capacity, maritime shipping is an underutilized form of transportation, Connaughton said.
The U.S. moves 2 percent of its domestic freight by water, compared to a much higher number overseas: Europe moves 44 percent domestic freight and China moves 62 percent. In addition to reducing congestion, maritime transportation costs less and is more fuel efficient than ground shipping, he continued.
However, the Maritime Administrator stressed that while there are many benefits to maritime shipping there is still a need for improvement to the overall infrastructure. Currently, U.S. ports are controlled locally. Connaughton emphasized the need for a national strategy to address infrastructure issues and work toward improvements as well as the opportunities for port development in major shipping areas such as Anchorage, Hawaii and Guam.
Funding for these improvements should not only come from the government, but also through a partnership of private dollars and public funds, he suggested.
Connaughton’s final thoughts for improving our nation’s transportation infrastructure included the development of a national, system-wide strategy to more fully utilize the nation’s network of ports and terminals, fleets of trucks, rail cars and barges and personnel — both ashore and afloat — in order to obtain efficient maritime transportation.
Connaughton and other industry leaders presented case studies to a record number of 315 attendees at this year’s Shipper Symposium. Attendees were encouraged to share best practices and gather insight on enhancing operational performance, increasing sustainability in the supply chain and improving infrastructure.
The 2009 Shipper Symposium is scheduled for May 5–7 in the Dallas area.
For additional coverage of this year’s Shipper Symposium, please read the May 15 print edition of The Trucker.