Gil Carmichael is senior chairman, Intermodal Transportation Institute, University of Denver gil@missouth.com • 601-483-9712
VIEWPOINT
by Gil Carmichael
Getting Government to Understand The New Science of Transportation
A freight transportation revolu- tion has taken place in the past 25 years. Consumer demand, technology, expanding population cen- ters, and vast global enterprises have combined to make intermodal the inter- national standard for moving goods. Unfortunately, when it comes to U.S. government policy-making, ignorance of intermodal freight transportation is almost universal. The nation’s gov- ernment agencies have not kept pace with intermodal’s revolution; have not addressed the nation’s capacity con- cerns; have not dealt effectively with the current energy crisis; and have not been willing to address the need for intermodal education that will meet the transportation demands of the 21st century. Private industry understands why intermodalism succeeds. Its inter- connections, containerization, speed, safety, reliable scheduling, economic feasibility, and fuel efficiency mar- shal the strengths of each individual transport mode, while avoiding modal weaknesses. Most of all, intermodal is customer-driven–not held hostage by outdated transportation agency thinking. Continuing ignorance on the part
of our public officials leads to bad deci- sion-making and missed opportunities. And this has consequences. It leads, for instance, to one-dimen- sional thinking. Federal and state governments still concentrate on infra- structure, but don’t pay much attention to how it is actually used–or where the most promising opportunities exist. This “old infrastructure mentality” causes government agencies to view the modes in isolation, much as they did in the 1950s when the Interstate Highway System–a vertical transporta- tion system–was inaugurated. SITTING ON THE SIDELINES Congress continues to manage a wide range of transportation issues as if it were still 1950. Members talk intermodal but vote for traditional highway projects. I hold out little hope for leadership from Capitol Hill. During the intermodal revolution, Congress sat on the sidelines and still does. Yet our interconnected intermodal system prospers by efficiently unifying modes horizontally. Intermodal works because it moves a ton of freight for every passenger on our transportation network. And, intermodal has suc- ceeded because it is customer-driven
and responsive to economic demands. Nearly all these freight gains, unfor- tunately, are attributable to private sector action and investment – not government. Simply put, government must realize the need for an improved understanding of the “new science of transportation” if we are to meet the economic demands of a 21st-century infrastructure. The most important step in advanc- ing freight and passenger intermodal transportation is taking a fresh look at the structure and priorities of govern- ment agencies. I propose that the chief executive of each state transportation department have two principal depu- ties–one to oversee policies and programs associated with freight transportation, the other to do the same in passenger transportation. They would soon learn they have to listen to customers. Executives of these agencies should have a good working knowledge of intermodal principles because a major- ity of policy decisions and projects need to be carried out with priority given to intermodal improvements – both freight and passenger. Department of Transportation executives should gain this knowledge either through profes-
60 Inbound Logistics • July 2007
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