Congress needs to pay more attention to the nation’s highway infrastructure and improving the productivity of the trucking industry, including the possibility of truck-only highways that would accommodate longer, heavier trucks.
That was the message of Michael Wickham, Roadway chairman and CEO,
testifying Monday before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine and Environment and Public Works Transportation, Infrastructure, and Nuclear Safety subcommittees.
The testimony comes as Congress starts thinking about reauthorizing highway funding next year and emphasizes the American Trucking Associations’ recommendations for reauthorization priorities.
“While the intermodal movement of freight can and does play an important role and should be encouraged, the potential for rail intermodal transportation to slow the growth of truck traffic is limited,” he said. “Today, just 1.2 percent of freight moves in a rail intermodal shipment. Despite anticipated growth in this sector that will exceed trucking growth, by 2014 rail intermodal shipments will capture just 1.5 percent of the freight market, while trucking’s market share, as measured by tonnage, will expand to 69 percent.”
Because of the importance of trucks to the nation, Wickham said, Congress should focus its attention and resources where they are needed most and will pay the greatest dividends for our country – on improving the efficiency of the highway system and the productivity of the trucking industry.
“Efficient highways have allowed trucks to deliver freight on time. This has allowed manufacturers to substantially reduce their inventories through the use of just-in-time logistics, saving the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars and creating thousands of jobs.
“Unfortunately, congested and unreliable highways threaten to reverse these gains. Congress should not allow the performance of critical highway corridors to continue to deteriorate. Nor should highway money be further diverted under the false notion that investing in other modes will negate the need for highway investments.”
Wickham urged Congress to make improving the National Highway System its highest priority during highway reauthorization, through significantly higher, dedicated funding. Congress should also consider innovative ideas such as the construction of voluntary truck-only highways, he said.
“Congress can take a significant step by granting states the authority they need to reform their truck size and weight regulations. Using fewer trucks to move goods would reduce congestion significantly, and would produce important safety, air quality, and economic benefits, and lower pavement costs. Congress and the states could achieve for free what they would otherwise have to invest billions of dollars in expanded transportation capacity to accomplish.”
“Next year, Congress will have the opportunity to decide whether the American people will share the road with safer, more productive trucks or with a lot more trucks. That is a critical choice.”