Tag Archive for ‘infrastructure’

Increasing Truck Productivity — The Time to Act is Now

The long-awaited federal Highway Reauthorization legislation is set to move forward this fall giving Congress the opportunity to modernize American truck weight limits and facilitate economic growth just when we need it most. Lawmakers are expected to begin drafting the Reauthorization proposal, which will fund our transportation network for the next few years. In this [...]

The Silver Bullet

Last month, President Obama, while discussing his concerns regarding the record high cost of gasoline, stated there was no “silver bullet” to solve the U.S. addiction to oil. Further, he said the process will be long and his goal is to cut oil imports by one third by 2025 through a strategy that relies on [...]

Fix Our Crumbling Infrastructure First!

The Obama Administration’s latest proposal to spend $53 billion on an intercity high-speed passenger rail network over the next six years is surprising given the Administration’s previously announced (and unfunded) plans to invest in the nation’s current infrastructure. So, when Vice President Joe Biden unveiled the high-speed passenger rail plan last month, it was met [...]

Obama’s Infrastructure Investment Proposal – Good Vision, But Where’s the Money?

Since President Obama introduced his new — and massive — infrastructure investment proposal last month, the initiative has been making headlines nationwide. Though we welcome his attention to the issue, it’s difficult not to wonder: Why now and why wasn’t this more of a priority in the stimulus package? Though there are many strong opinions [...]

Accelerating Truck Safety through Technology — A Congressman’s View

Throughout 2010, while Congress and the transportation industry debated how to improve our transportation infrastructure, data from an important research study was being analyzed to help accelerate progress in another promising area for truck safety — the adoption of advanced “detect, alert and respond” safety technologies for commercial trucks. Con-way Freight joined with the University [...]

It’s Time to Create Sustainable Funding for Transportation Infrastructure

As those of us in the transportation industry are all too aware, America’s infrastructure of roads and bridges is crumbling, and cash-strapped states are digging deep to find funds to take on the problem. It won’t be cheap and it won’t be easy — a recent Transportation Funding Study found that more than $3 billion [...]

Several Truths About Modal Competition in the United States

Truth #1: Truckers and railroaders do not get along.  I sometimes like to pose provocative questions to groups of truckers or railroaders (but not both together) to watch the impassioned discussion that ensues. Truth #2: Demand for transportation was rising steadily before the recent recession.  Although much of the increase is attributed to rising GDP, [...]

The Tragic Cost of Wasteful Tax Policy on Michigan’s Highways

According to a national transportation research group, poor road conditions cost Michigan motorists over $2 billion annually. These costs harm Michigan families and damage the competitiveness of Michigan businesses. Instead of directing funds to this important need, federal policies are diverting taxpayer dollars to wasteful purposes and Michigan citizens and businesses are paying more in [...]

Game Plan

With major league spring training just around the corner, many armchair fantasy baseball fanatics are evaluating their favorite players and starting to draft their rosters. But rather than fantasize about who will have the lowest ERA, hit the most homeruns or have the best on-base percentage, let’s think about a different game: America’s economic recovery [...]

Taking Smart Highways from the Lab to the Asphalt

I recently attended the Intellidrive USA Working Group meeting, which was held October 29th – 30th in Detroit.  It was an opportunity for IntelliDrive partners and stakeholders to discuss future plans, as well as ways to increase stakeholder involvement. IntelliDriveSM is a U.S. Department of Transportation initiative focused on advancing connectivity between vehicles and road [...]