Key Freight Transportation Challenges

Professional Capacity Building

The efficient movement of goods is dependent on the people who build the network and operate the system, and those who use it. Educating and training a skilled and knowledgeable workforce are crucial to building and maintaining a productive and competitive freight transportation system. Yet, public sector transportation planners often do not have the necessary information and tools to make informed decisions about freight transportation needs and improvements. Moreover, transportation professionals in the private sector have little or no understanding of the public planning process, which may affect their decisions.

At the same time, skill levels and educational requirements of transportation jobs are shifting in response to changes in the organizational structure of transportation. These include a shift from building to managing and operating systems and more interaction with other systems, such as the environment. Other factors that influence skill level and education requirements include the introduction of advanced technologies, globalization of the economy, and recent events such as the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Developing professional capacity will require both immediate and longer-term efforts. Activities that will help in the short run are mechanisms for information exchange, such as sponsoring forums and other outreach events and publishing technical reports to foster ongoing learning. To further develop capacity, training courses focusing on policy, the costs/benefits of transportation investments, and forecasting growth will provide much needed information for states, MPOs, and the private sector. The development of freight-specific curriculum at universities and other academic institutions is another way to build professional capacity. Many universities are initiating and expanding business, logistics, and transportation curricula to address freight concerns. These curricula must be linked to maximize their utility, extended to embrace NAFTA, and enriched to address broader policy issues associated with freight movement, trade development, and the relationships between freight and other social objectives.

Education and training are the responsibilities of both the public and private sectors. Partnerships between government and business and educational institutions are important components of building professional capacity. For example, a six-month employee exchange program between government offices responsible for transportation and employees of freight businesses could provide valuable new and flexible learning opportunities. Likewise, nontraditional delivery methods, such as distance learning, provide additional opportunities for improving skills and learning.

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