New Careers In Transportation Based on Transportation Technology

ATLANTA, GA, July 13, 2012

According to Mr. Milton Collier because transportation is so important to commerce, literally and figuratively so much is riding on it, it has been the focus of an enormous amount of inventive activity. Corporations have invested billions of dollars in improved technology. Individuals have sought their fortunes in breakthroughs big and small.

Despite the wealth of information on transportation's contribution to the economy, debate continues on the linkages between transportation improvements and economic performance and the relative strength of these links.

The volume of freight has grown significantly over the past few decades. Between 1975 and 1997, domestic intercity tons of freight grew by about 60 percent, with the air and trucking modes experiencing the fastest growth (Eno 2002). In 1998, the transportation network moved 15 billion tons of goods valued at more than $9 trillion (1998 dollars). Freight volumes are expected to increase by another 70 percent by 2020 according to the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF), a comprehensive database and policy analysis tool. Likewise, the value of goods moved is expected to increase from $9 trillion in 1998 to nearly $30 trillion (1998 dollars) in 2020. Moreover, international trade is forecast to grow faster than domestic trade (USDOT FHWA 2002a). In 2001, U.S. international merchandise trade accounted for 22 percent of GDP (USDOT BTS 2003).

According to Mr. Milton Collier the way in which goods are moved has evolved as well. Businesses and individuals now demand more flexible and timely service, increasing the importance of an efficient and reliable freight transportation system. Research on trucking has shown that shippers and carriers value transit time in the range of $25 to $200 per hour, depending on the product being carried. The value of reliability (i.e., the cost of unexpected delay) for trucks is another 50 percent to 250 percent higher. (USDOT FHWA 2002c). Another trend is the increasing use of intermodal transportation to move freight. The rise in intermodalism emphasizes the importance of infrastructure that connects different modes, especially at international gateways or where modes converge at transfer points. Consequently, not only is the condition and performance of each modal network important, but so too is how different modes fit together to provide a continuous transportation system.

The growth in freight movement is placing enormous pressure on an already congested highway system. Between 1980 and 2002, truck travel grew by more than 90 percent while lane-miles of public roads increased by only 5 percent. No slowdown in freight transportation growth is in sight. FAF estimates that the percentage of urban Interstates carrying 10,000 or more trucks will increase from 27 percent in 1998 to 69 percent in 2020 (USDOT FHWA 2002a).

TranZcenter, LLC is a Transportation Management company.