FEATURES
Identifying Technology Applications to Address Freight Transportation Challenges and Needs in Texas
Caroline Mays Director, Freight, Trade, and Connectivity Section, Texas Department of Transportation, United States of America
Casey Wells Freight Planner, Texas Department of Transportation, United States of America
Mark Jensen Principal, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., United States of America
The 2018 Texas Freight Mobility Plan (TFMP) provided Texas with a blueprint for facilitating continued economic growth through a comprehensive, multimodal strategy for addressing freight transportation. One major recommendation from the TFMP is for the State to develop and implement a statewide, technology-based freight safety and operations program. This recommendation recognizes that roadway infrastructure investments alone will not be able to meet the freight system’s stakeholder needs related to safety, economic competitiveness, asset preservation and utilization, mobility and reliability, and multimodal connectivity. Based on this recommendation, Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Freight, Trade, and Connectivity Section recently completed an intensive 1.5-year effort to develop the Texas Freight Network Technology and Operations Plan (FNTOP).