Engaging freight stakeholders in Texas freight planning : needs, strategies, and performance measures

Efficient, reliable, and safe freight transportation is critical to the economic prosperity of any region. In the U.S., the dramatic increase in freight volumes has resulted in the growing disparity between demand and capacity. Thus, freight planning is needed to ensure a seamless and effective Texas's transportation system. A clear understanding on the performance of Texas's transportation system, as perceived by the private sector is a critical component in the development of such planning efforts. Against this background, the objective of this research study was to start engaging Texas's shippers and freight stakeholders in a dialogue to provide insight into the adequacy of Texas's transportation system in serving business needs, and any improvements deemed necessary to better serve Texas businesses. The emphases of this study were on the freight concerns and needs, freight policies and strategies, and freight performance measures as expressed by Texas freight stakeholders.