Proposed Project No. 2010-13

NCHRP 08-36 Proposed Project No. 2010-13

PROPOSED PROBLEM TITLE Freight Advisory Boards – National Best Practices Survey

RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMENT and BACKGROUND ISTEA mandated freight planning requirements in 1991; nearly two decades later only a small number of states have fully implemented Freight Advisory Boards (FABs) or Committees as part of their transportation plans. In the meantime, the national importance of freight flows has increased dramatically and is expected to continue to do so, with rail and highway facilities experiencing capacity issues across the country. There is not a great deal of literature on this topic. A brief search of the TRIS and RiP databases as well as FHWA’s web site turned up national best practice surveys for planning (general and freight), and in fact the importance of Freight Advisory Boards is mentioned in several papers, but there were no papers found surveying best practices for Freight Advisory Boards.

The utility and intent of a national best practices survey of Freight Advisory Boards would be to offer ideas and support to various entities in their efforts to set up effective advisory boards. These entities might include state transportation agencies, local jurisdictions, Councils of Government and Metropolitan Planning Organizations, as well as private sector partners. FHWA offers freight planning assistance, including the creation of advisory committees, as part of their Resource Center; however, additional guidance may be useful to states as they set up their boards.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE The research will produce a report that documents the literature and best practices for the formation and operation of state Freight Advisory Boards nationwide. The audience for the report would include public officials and other community leaders, state transportation officials and other transportation professionals, private sector freight and commercial interests, port and aviation authorities, and others.

Questions to consider might include: 1) Who should be part of a Freight Advisory Board? What proportion of membership should be from the private sector, and what proportion from the public sector?

2) How and where are roles, responsibilities and authority levels of board members defined? Is Board membership a paid or voluntary role?

3) What is the most efficient and effective structure for a Freight Advisory Board or Committee?

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4) Who does the Freight Advisory Board or Committee report to?

5) Do Freight Advisory Boards have goals and/or performance measurements? How is success measured, and by whom?

6) How is the Corporation Commission (or its equivalent in any given state) involved with Freight Advisory Boards?

7) What is or has been preventing a state from implementing a Freight Advisory Board?

8) What has worked in the past with respect to Freight Advisory Boards? What has not worked?

9) What public policy changes, if any, have resulted from Freight Advisory Board efforts?

ESTIMATE OF PROBLEM FUNDING AND RESEARCH PERIOD Nine to twelve months including report preparation, at a total estimated cost of $100,000

SUBMITTED BY Arizona Department of Transportation Multimodal Planning Division Arizona Transportation Research Center Anne Ellis, Ph.D., Director (602) 712-6910 [email protected]