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NCFRP
NATIONAL
COOPERATIVE
FREIGHT
RESEARCH
PROGRAM
REPORT 7
Sponsored by the
Research and
Innovative Technology
Identifying and Using Low-Cost Administration
and Quickly Implementable
Ways to Address Freight-System
Mobility Constraints
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2010 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Michael R. Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Arlington
VICE CHAIR: Neil J. Pedersen, Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
MEMBERS
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EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
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*Membership as of July 2010.
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NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM
NCFRP REPORT 7
Identifying and Using Low-Cost
and Quickly Implementable
Ways to Address Freight-System
Mobility Constraints
Battelle
Columbus, OH
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Jeffrey Short, Todd Trego, and Dan Murray
AMERICAN TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Arlington, VA
Joan Yim and Timothy Neuman
CH2M HILL
Bellevue, WA
Gordon Proctor
GORDON PROCTOR AND ASSOCIATES
Dublin, OH
Robert Gallamore
THE GALLAMORE GROUP
Rehoboth Beach, DE
Shobna Varma
STARISIS CORPORATION
Lewis Center, OH
Subscriber Categories
Construction · Design · Economics · Freight Transportation · Highways · Marine Transportation ·
Motor Carriers · Operations and Traffic Management · Planning and Forecasting · Railroads · Terminals and Facilities
Research sponsored by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2010
www.TRB.org
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NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT NCFRP REPORT 7
RESEARCH PROGRAM
America's freight transportation system makes critical contributions Project NCFRP-04
to the nation's economy, security, and quality of life. The freight ISSN 1947-5659
transportation system in the United States is a complex, decentralized, ISBN 978-0-309-15508-3
and dynamic network of private and public entities, involving all Library of Congress Control Number 2010937481
modes of transportation--trucking, rail, waterways, air, and pipelines. © 2010 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
In recent years, the demand for freight transportation service has
been increasing fueled by growth in international trade; however,
bottlenecks or congestion points in the system are exposing the COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
inadequacies of current infrastructure and operations to meet the
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining
growing demand for freight. Strategic operational and investment written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously
decisions by governments at all levels will be necessary to maintain published or copyrighted material used herein.
freight system performance, and will in turn require sound technical Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this
guidance based on research. publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the
understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA,
The National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) is
FMCSA, FTA, RITA, or PHMSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice.
a cooperative research program sponsored by the Research and It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-
Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) under Grant No. for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or
reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
DTOS59-06-G-00039 and administered by the Transportation Research
Board (TRB). The program was authorized in 2005 with the passage of
the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). On September 6, 2006, a contract to NOTICE
begin work was executed between RITA and The National Academies. The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Freight
The NCFRP will carry out applied research on problems facing the Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of
the Governing Board of the National Research Council.
freight industry that are not being adequately addressed by existing
The members of the technical panel selected to monitor this project and to review this
research programs.
report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.
Program guidance is provided by an Oversight Committee comprised The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to
of a representative cross section of freight stakeholders appointed by procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved
by the Governing Board of the National Research Council.
the National Research Council of The National Academies. The NCFRP
Oversight Committee meets annually to formulate the research The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the
researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation
program by identifying the highest priority projects and defining Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors.
funding levels and expected products. Research problem statements
The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research
recommending research needs for consideration by the Oversight Council, and the sponsors of the National Cooperative Freight Research Program do not
Committee are solicited annually, but may be submitted to TRB at any endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear herein solely
time. Each selected project is assigned to a panel, appointed by TRB, because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
which provides technical guidance and counsel throughout the life
of the project. Heavy emphasis is placed on including members
representing the intended users of the research products.
The NCFRP will produce a series of research reports and other
products such as guidebooks for practitioners. Primary emphasis will
be placed on disseminating NCFRP results to the intended end-users of
the research: freight shippers and carriers, service providers, suppliers,
and public officials.
Published reports of the
NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM
are available from:
Transportation Research Board
Business Office
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
and can be ordered through the Internet at:
http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore
Printed in the United States of America
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR NCFRP REPORT 7
Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
William C. Rogers, Senior Program Officer
Charlotte Thomas, Senior Program Assistant
Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications
Natalie Barnes, Editor
NCFRP PROJECT 04 PANEL
C. Randal Mullett, Con-way, Inc., Washington, DC (Chair)
Teresa M. Adams, University of WisconsinMadison, Madison, WI
John Isbell, Starboard Alliance, LLC, Manzanita, OR
H. Thomas Kornegay, Houston, TX
Janice Susie Lahsene, Port of Portland, OR
James W. McClellan, Woodside Consulting, Virginia Beach, VA
Craig Philip, Ingram Barge Company, Nashville, TN
Peter F. Swan, Pennsylvania State UniversityHarrisburg, Middletown, PA
Ronald J. Duych, RITA Liaison
Caesar Singh, RITA Liaison
Joedy W. Cambridge, TRB Liaison
Richard A. Cunard, TRB Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research reported herein was performed under the NCFRP Project 04, "Identifying and Using Low-
Cost and Quickly Implementable Ways to Address Freight-System Mobility Constraints," by Battelle,
Columbus, Ohio, with subcontract support from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI),
CH2M HILL, Gordon Proctor and Associates, The Gallamore Group, and StarIsis Corporation.
Dr. Edward Fekpe, a Research Leader with Battelle, was the principal investigator for the project and
the lead author of this report. Other contributing authors are Dr. Robert Gallamore of The Gallamore
Group, Jeffrey Short and Todd Trego of ATRI, Joan Yim and Timothy Neuman of CH2M HILL, Gordon
Proctor of Gordon Proctor and Associates, and Shobna Varma of StarIsis Corporation. Other project team
members that contributed to the development of this report are Mohammed Majed and Garnell Sowell of
Battelle, Dan Murray of ATRI, and Brian Painley of CH2M HILL.
The project team acknowledges the guidance and support of the NCFRP Project 04 panel members.
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FOREWORD
By William C. Rogers
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
NCFRP Report 7: Identifying and Using Low-Cost and Quickly Implementable Ways to Address
Freight-System Mobility Constraints develops standardized descriptions of the dimensions of the
freight transportation system, defines freight mobility constraints in a multimodal context, pro-
vides criteria for low-cost and quickly implementable improvements to address the constraints,
and provides a software tool to help decision makers in evaluating constraints and selecting
appropriate improvements. The report will enable both the public and private sectors to ben-
efit from operational improvements, organizational changes, and other low-cost ways to
address freight-system mobility constraints.
The nation's freight infrastructure is well established and mature but overburdened.
Increasing congestion inflicts costs on shippers, consumers, and the environment. Evolv-
ing technologies, growing demand, changing business practices, shifting patterns of com-
merce, and government policies designed to address environmental and other public con-
cerns have impacts, sometimes unintended, on freight system performance. Because
expansions to the freight transportation system are often complicated and expensive, both
private-sector firms and public policymakers often try to find operational improvements,
organizational changes, or other low-cost and quickly implementable ways to address
mobility constraints.
Under NCFRP Project 4, Battelle was asked to (1) develop a standardized description of
the dimensions of the freight system by mode; (2) analyze explicitly the business practices
and institutional factors that influence freight-system decision makers and stakeholders as
they respond to freight-system mobility constraints and regulatory and other public policy
initiatives; (3) develop a methodology that both the public and private sectors can use to
identify, categorize, and evaluate quickly implementable, low-cost capital, operational, and
public policy actions that can enhance freight mobility by addressing system constraints;
and (4) apply that methodology in a generic way to create a catalog of actions that may be
most useful in addressing the nation's freight-system mobility constraints.
To accomplish the project objectives, the research team (1) developed definitions of
freight mobility constraint; (2) developed criteria for low-cost and quickly implementable
improvement by mode; (3) characterized the improvements by physical improvements,
operational improvements, and regulatory improvements; and (4) developed a computer-
based application analysis tool for users to identify constraints based on selectable criteria
and then to review possible improvements based on documentation of the experiences of
departments of transportation and others.
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CONTENTS
1 Summary
5 Chapter 1 Introduction and Research Approach
5 1.1 Problem Statement
6 1.2 Research Objectives
6 1.3 Research Approach
6 1.3.1 Overview
6 1.3.2 Data Collection
8 1.3.3 Data Analysis
9 Chapter 2 Literature Review
9 2.1 Introduction
9 2.2 Highways/Trucking
9 2.2.1 Defining the Freight Mobility Problem on Highways and Roadways
9 2.2.2 Definition of Low-Cost Highway Improvements
10 2.2.3 Examples of Physical Low-Cost Improvements
10 2.2.4 Low-Cost Operational/Technology Improvements
11 2.2.5 Examples of Low-Cost Operational Improvements
12 2.2.6 Low-Cost Regulatory/Public Policy Improvements
13 2.2.7 Examples of Low-Cost Regulatory Improvements
13 2.3 Railroads
13 2.3.1 Freight Capacity
14 2.3.2 Freight Mobility Constraints
14 2.3.3 Low-Cost Improvements
15 2.3.4 Examples of Low-Cost Rail Improvements
15 2.4 Water Ports and Inland Waterways
15 2.4.1 Marine Transportation System
15 2.4.2 System Capacity
15 2.4.3 Performance Indicators
16 2.4.4 Mobility Constraints
16 2.4.5 Low-Cost Improvements
16 2.4.6 Examples of Low-Cost Improvements
18 Chapter 3 Dimensions and Characteristics
of the Freight System
18 3.1 Introduction
18 3.2 Networks and System Characteristics
18 3.3 System Performance
21 3.4 Highways
25 3.5 Railroads
29 3.6 Intermodal
30 3.7 Deepwater Ports
35 3.8 Inland Waterways
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35 3.8.1 Coastal and Intracoastal Waterways
35 3.8.2 Great Lakes System
35 3.8.3 Inland Rivers and Waterways
36 3.8.4 Locks and Dams
40 Chapter 4 Freight Mobility Constraints
40 4.1 Defining and Characterizing Freight Mobility Constraints
41 4.2 Causes and Locations of Mobility Constraints
41 4.2.1 Highways
42 4.2.2 Railroads
43 4.2.3 Deepwater Ports and Inland Waterways
44 4.2.4 Labor Unions
45 4.2.5 Summary
47 4.3 Measures or Indicators of Mobility Constraint
47 4.3.1 Highways
49 4.3.2 Railroads
49 4.3.3 Deepwater Ports and Inland Waterways
49 4.3.4 Summary
53 Chapter 5 Low-Cost, Quickly Implementable Improvements
53 5.1 Definition of Low-Cost, Quickly Implementable Improvements
53 5.1.1 Highways
54 5.1.2 Railroads
54 5.1.3 Deepwater Ports and Inland Waterways
55 5.2 Criteria for Low-Cost Improvements
56 5.3 Characterization of Improvements
56 5.3.1 Physical Improvements
56 5.3.2 Operational Improvements
56 5.3.3 Regulatory Improvements
56 5.4 Low-Cost Strategies for Addressing Mobility Constraints
56 5.4.1 Highways Improvement Strategies
61 5.4.2 Railroads Improvement Strategies
62 5.4.3 Deepwater and Inland Waterways Improvement Strategies
64 5.5 Summary of Improvements
68 Chapter 6 Methodology for Identifying
and Evaluating Improvements
68 6.1 Introduction
68 6.2 Framework of Methodology
68 6.2.1 Characterization of Constraint
69 6.2.2 Selection of Improvements
71 6.2.3 Evaluation of Improvement Options
72 6.2.4 Query Database
72 6.3 Software Application
72 6.4 Feedback and Continuous Update of Database
72 6.5 Integration into Planning Process
73 6.5.1 Transportation Planning Process
74 6.5.2 Project Development Process
75 6.6 Evaluation of Beta Version of Tool
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76 Chapter 7 Catalog of Improvements
76 7.1 Introduction
76 7.2 Approach to Developing Catalog of Strategies
77 7.2.1 Highways
78 7.2.2 Railroads
82 7.2.3 Deepwater Ports and Inland Waterways
87 Chapter 8 Conclusions and Suggested Research
87 8.1 Conclusions
88 8.2 Recommendations for Further Research
90 References
93 Acronyms
A-1 Appendix A Methodology User Guide
B-1 Appendix B Annotated Bibliography
C-1 Appendix C Interview Guide
D-1 Appendix D Internet Survey Instrument
E-1 Appendix E Low-Cost Improvement Analysis Tool (LCIAT)
Evaluation Form
Note: Many of the photographs, figures, and tables in this report have been converted from color to grayscale
for printing. The electronic version of the report (posted on the web at www.trb.org) retains the color versions.
