The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) recently released a new technical report, Transportation Services Index and the Economy—Revisited, that confirms that the Transportation Services Indexes (TSIs) both lead the economy, though in different ways. BTS extended the TSI back to 1979, examining five recessions and numerous growth cycles. “When the accelerations and decelerations of the freight […]
Category: Research
The US Census Bureau has released the results of the 2012 Commodity Flow Survey. The Commodity Flow Survey is conducted every five years as part of the Census Bureau’s economic census. The survey, a partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, is the primary source of national, state and selected metropolitan areas statistics […]
An award-winning paper authored by CFIRE researchers was recently published in Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2410. Critical Rural Freight Corridors Designation: Implications of Truck Percentage Calculation by Alex J. Marach, Teresa M. Adams, and Ernest J. Perry… …proposes mileage-based, segment-based, and weighted average approaches to determine whether a corridor meets one […]
CFIRE/MAFC researchers recently released a brief on the use of Equivalent Single Axle Loads (ESALs) for understanding and communicating the impact of truck traffic on our nation’s roads and highways. This brief is available here.
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has released a report that summarizes the volume and value of freight flows; the physical network for freight; the economic conditions that generate freight movements; the industry that carries freight; and the safety, energy, and environmental implications of freight transportation. For more information, download the Freight Facts and Figures 2012 […]
Researchers have recently completed the Performance Measures for Evaluating Multi-state Projects (MAFC 11) project and issued a final report. This project outlines a method, using the Chicago CREATE project as a case study, that considers the impacts of geographic and industry distribution of project benefits, intermodal impacts, and reliability, as well as the traditional benefits of […]
Researchers recently completed the Transportation Profiles for MAFC Commodities (MAFC 10) project and issued a final report. This project developed information on the flow of commodities through the MAFC region. Part one developed two commodities in depth with narratives and illustrations to demonstrate the importance of efficient transportation to the industry along with some of the […]
National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI CFIRE is seeking to hire a researcher with significant experience in freight policy, planning, and engineering research to conduct research, education, and outreach projects for CFIRE and the Mid-America Freight Coalition. Applications are due July 6, 2011. For more information […]
On the last day of the 2011 MAFC Annual Meeting, a small group of state, academic, and MPO representatives attended a workshop conducted by the MAFC communications staff. This workshop was designed to gather ideas about what sorts of communications materials and published products would most usefully communicate the results of the MAFC regional freight […]
Another element of the regional freight study is identifying major industries that will be the source of economic growth in the 21st century. These industries will be studied to better understand how transportation can be made a source of support for their growth. Participants in this breakout session at the 2011 MAFC Annual Meeting began […]