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Apr 1, 2009 12:00 PM

Congress should shift the Federal Surface Transportation Program's mission to focus on freight mobility as a national goal, Randall J Clifford, chairman of Ventura Transfer Co of Long Beach CA, said during a congressional field hearing in Los Angeles recently.

“Addressing bottlenecks along major freight corridors is critical to the success of our nation's supply chain,” Clifford said during the hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; its Highways and Transit Subcommittee; and its Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee. The hearing addressed freight challenges in Southern California.

Speaking on behalf of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), Clifford outlined the creation of a new Freight Corridors Initiative (FCI) as a part of the new surface transportation bill. Potentially funded by an increase in the federal diesel fuel tax, the FCI would focus resources on congestion reduction projects on nationally significant highway freight corridors.

In addition, Clifford urged Congress to continue the SAFETEA-LU truck-parking pilot program to meet the growing demand for accessible, safe places for trucks to park, and to ensure that trucks with 53-foot trailers have access to interstate highways.