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This publication is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information.Contact Information: Operations Feedback at OperationsFeedback@dot.gov. Building Freight Professional Capacity in the 21st Century![]() PDF Version 3.2MB You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDFs on this page. Freight Professional Development Program Learning OpportunitiesEfficient freight movement is a fundamental underpinning of our nation's economic strength. Enabling transportation professionals to improve their skills and knowledge to fully integrate freight movement into our transportation system's development and operations is the objective of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Freight Professional Development (FPD) Program. The FPD Program offers a broad range of professional capacity building opportunities including courses, workshops, seminars, and peer-to-peer exchanges. It provides access to information, resources, and tools that improve the understanding of how freight moves across our transportation network and how best to enable that movement while minimizing its impacts. This brochure describes many of the options available in the FPD Program. Visit the FPD Web site at ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpd and begin to take advantage of the opportunities the FPD Program provides. ![]() National Highway Institute (NHI) Training CoursesThe FPD Program partners with the NHI to develop and deliver freight-related courses. Both instructor-led and Web-based training are available. Visit the NHI Web site at www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov for a complete list of course offerings and dates. Integrating Freight in the Transportation Planning ProcessNHI-139006 (Web based) Target Audience Outcomes
Advanced Freight PlanningNHI-139003 (instructor led) Target Audience Outcomes
Prerequisite Uses of Multimodal Freight Forecasting in Transportation PlanningNHI-139002 (instructor led) Forecasting freight traffic is a complex task. It requires an understanding of many factors, including economic trends, the distribution of traffic, decisions made by freight shippers, and the operational characteristics of freight carriers. Freight forecasting uses different data sources and analytical tools than those used in forecasting passenger travel. Target Audience Outcomes
Linking Freight with Planning and the EnvironmentNHI-139005 (instructor led) Target Audience Outcomes
Principles of Effective Commercial Vehicle Size and Weight EnforcementNHI-139004 (instructor led) Outcomes
Contacts for All NHI Courses FHWA Workshops (scheduled by request)Engaging the Private Sector in Freight PlanningThis one-day workshop focuses on establishing and sustaining relationships with key private-sector stakeholders. It reviews strategies and techniques to initiate private-public sector cooperation, identifies key private-sector stakeholders, and suggests ways to improve and sustain communication. Successful approaches employed at several State DOTs and MPOs are discussed. Private-sector stakeholders are a valuable resource in statewide and metropolitan planning. Their involvement can help identify regional, statewide, and multijurisdictional challenges and inform transportation programming and investment decisions by local and state decision-makers. Target Audience Contact Financing Freight ImprovementsThis twelve-hour workshop provides information on funding and financing multimodal freight improvement projects. It also presents examples of successful freight project financing by state DOTs, MPOs, local agencies, and the private sector. The workshop uses the FHWA handbook, Financing Freight Improvements, as a teaching tool. Target Audience Contact Other Learning OpportunitiesTalking Freight SeminarsThese monthly seminars provide a convenient and no-cost way for transportation professionals to learn about the latest trends, issues, tools, and noteworthy practices in freight transportation. Through the use of Web conferencing, participants can view the speaker's presentation on their personal computer and hear the audio portion of the presentation by dialing into the assigned teleconference number. This format allows for extensive participation by freight stakeholders from across the country. Each seminar lasts 90 minutes, with 60 minutes allocated for presentations and 30 minutes for audience Q&As. Visit the Talking Freight Web site at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpd/talking_freight.htm to register for a seminar, get details about upcoming topics, or listen to past seminars. Contact Freight Transportation Industry Internship ProgramThis program helps public-sector transportation professionals gain a better understanding of issues facing local businesses and industries, opens up lines of communication, and builds relationships with the private sector. Through the program, participants work with their counterparts in several industries for one to two months. This experience enables participants to improve their knowledge of local freight transportation needs, challenges, and factors that influence private-sector decision making. Contact ![]() Freight Peer-to-Peer (P2P) ProgramFreight P2P facilitates information sharing between public-sector freight transportation professionals and provides customized technical assistance, on an as-needed basis, on a wide variety of freight issues related to planning and operations. P2P Web site visitors may request peer work sessions and roundtable discussions. The peer work sessions are "roll-up-your-sleeves" workshops that offer State DOTs, MPOs, or individuals an opportunity to work with a technical expert one-on-one to develop specific skills or to address particular challenges. Peer roundtables are panel discussions composed of peers who promote and support innovative solutions to freight challenges and issues of regional and/or national interest rather than specific agency needs. Visit the P2P Program Web site at ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpd/p2p for more information. Contact Freight Planning LISTSERVThe Freight Planning LISTSERV provides a venue for public- and private-sector freight transportation professionals to exchange information on innovative and best-case practices in freight planning in metropolitan areas and states. The LISTSERV has more than 700 subscribers from State DOTs, MPOs, professional associations, businesses, the academic community, and other organizations. Visit the Freight Planning LISTSERV at http://listserv.utk.edu/archives/fhwafp.html. Contact Technical AssistanceHighway Freight Logistics Reorganization Benefits Estimation ToolFHWA's Estimation Tool enables transportation planners and others to more accurately measure the long-term benefits of proposed highway projects. Long-term benefits typically are associated with business reorganization that takes place because of improved transportation. These include serving a larger market area with existing distribution facilities or holding less inventory. Through the use of a spreadsheet model, users can input specific project information, such as estimated truck volumes and the characteristics of freight shipments, and the model will calculate the freight reorganization benefits associated with a highway improvement. The Tool is available at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/econ_methods.htm. National Transportation Library (NTL)NTL provides online access to documents and databases that cover all aspects of transportation. These materials support transportation policy, research, operations, and technology transfer activities and decision making. Visit the NTL Web site at www.ntl.bts.gov for more information or to contact reference staff for assistance via "Ask-A-Librarian." Freight Analysis Framework (FAF)FAF estimates the tonnage and value of goods shipped by type of commodity and mode of transportation among states, regions, and international trade gateways. These data are available for 2002 (base year), with provisional estimates for last year and forecasts for 2010 and 2035. FAF is based primarily on Economic Census data that are collected every five years. Visit the FAF Web site at ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf for more information. Quick Response Freight Manual IIThe updated Manual provides background information on freight transportation, helps planners locate available data, and shows them how to apply this information to develop forecasts for specific facilities. The Manual also provides simple techniques and transferable parameters that can be used to create freight-vehicle trip tables. Visit www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/publications/qrfm2/index.htm to view this resource. Eisenhower Freight and Transportation Logistics ScholarshipFHWA offers tuition assistance for transportation logistics courses and seminars at accredited U.S. institutions of higher education. The program objective is to improve knowledge and advance transportation professional capacity across all modes. Applicants must be employed by a state or local public-sector entity in the transportation field. Visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/tpp/ugp.htm for more information. Contact Office of Freight Management and Operations Phone: 202-366-9210 April 2009 |
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United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration |