PRESS RELEASE: AMT Coalition Welcomes Dialogue On Increasing The Efficiency And Safety Of Our Transportation System

WASHINGTON – Ahead of today’s Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security hearing, “Moving America: Stakeholder Perspectives On Our Multimodal Transportation System,” the Americans for Modern Transportation coalition released the following statement from spokesperson Melissa Manson:

“We applaud Chairman Fischer and her colleagues for prioritizing this important conversation with industry leaders representing our nation’s entire multimodal system. This year offers a significant opportunity for Congress and the business community to work together towards creating a modern, safe, and efficient transportation system, and we are hopeful that the Committee finds these inclusive dialogues helpful to building additional momentum in 2017.

“The private sector has long pursued innovative transportation solutions and invested in ensuring the safest and most efficient fleets are operating on our nation’s roads. We must continue to work in close partnership with policymakers to build on these successes and create a truly modern infrastructure network for the future.”

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Cargill CEO Says To Maintain American Competitiveness, America Must Make Long-Term Infrastructure Investments. “For much of our history, America’s infrastructure has been the envy of the world. It has allowed our country to become the economic powerhouse it is today. Certainly for agriculture, moving product for trade and export is crucial. But while many other countries are building the roads, ports and railways of the future, we are falling behind. If the U.S. is to remain competitive and American companies are to thrive, we must maintain and upgrade our infrastructure. We must commit to making the investments that will keep America competitive in decades to come. The dollars we spend now will pay off tenfold. Infrastructure investments will allow American companies to compete effectively with their counterparts abroad and create long-term growth that will benefit all Americans.” (David W. MacLennan, “Testimony Of David W. MacLennan Chairman And Chief Executive Officer, ‘Building A 21st Century Infrastructure For America,'” House Transportation And Infrastructure Committee, 2/1/17)

Widespread Adoption Of Twin 33 Trailers Would Allow The LTL / Small Package Trucking Industry To Absorb 18 Percent Of Future Freight Growth With No Additional Weight Or Increase In Miles Traveled. “It is important to note that this solution [Twin 33 Trailers] does not require any change to gross vehicle weight and, in fact, could reduce the burden on our nation’s highways by significantly slashing the number of trips and miles required to move freight. Based on data supplied by FedEx and six other carriers, including ABF, Con-way, Estes, Old Dominion, UPS, and YRC Worldwide, the use of 33-foot twin trailers would provide a carrier the potential, on any given lane, to absorb up to 18% of future growth, without traveling any additional miles or worsening wear and tear on our roadways. Industry-wide, that equals up to 1.8 billion fewer miles driven, more than 300 million gallons of gasoline saved and $2.6 billion in reduced costs annually. Importantly, a reduction in truck trips would be environmentally friendly, saving fuel and emissions from trucking.” (Henry J. Maier, “Improving The Nation’s Highway Freight Network, Testimony Of Henry J. Maier, President And Chief Executive Officer FedEx Ground Package System, Inc.,” United States House Committee On Transportation And Infrastructure, Subcommittee On Highways And Transit, 2/27/14)

If Widely Adopted, Connected Vehicle And Platooning Technologies Would Improve Truck Safety And Sustainability. “Connected vehicles and platooning are two of the major technological developments coming soon to trucking, and manufacturers, fleets, regulators and academics are wrestling with the details now. Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure systems, also known as V2V and V2I, are moving toward the nation’s highways because of a recent proposed federal rule for cars and light trucks and some guidance that is expected, panelists said here Jan. 10 during the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting. The same group also looked at developments in platooning. Both technologies use active safety systems from suppliers such as Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems and Meritor Wabco as a basis. There was a consensus among speakers that driverless trucks on U.S. highways are not likely soon… Platooning, which uses dedicated, short-range communications — also a part of V2V — will start with two-truck teams and a driver operating each one. Peloton’s current system offers only distance control, not steering, and it is designed for large highways, Boyd said. In the future, though, there could be three- or four-truck platoons with a driver in the lead truck only, which would add steering control, and they might run through cities as well as highways.” (Jonathan S. Reiskin, “Connected Vehicles, Platooning Coming Into Focus,” Transport Topics, 2/10/17)