SEVEN KEY FACTORS
This toolkit organizes resources into Key Factors, each of which corresponds to a fundamental process within the freight transportation planning process on which States and other public agencies focus most of their time and effort. The Key Elements apply to all freight plans, regardless of the plan’s strategic programming, goals, or strategies.
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About the Key Factors
The Key Factors describe approaches, strategies, and actions that planners and other practitioners can consider when developing freight plans or other freight planning documents. Though they align closely with the federal transportation planning process, the Key Factors do not imply any new requirements. Instead, they can be used to group freight transportation planning related resources by topic in terms that align with the overall freight transportation process seen on the ground today.
The Key Factors were compiled through a review of freight planning documents, including State Freight Plans. Approaches and strategies were identified that recurred across multiple documents and among different States. Success factors for developing, implementing, and managing these strategies were also documented. Each Key Factor page provides a description of the Key Factor and contains links to useful resources to support practitioners in further consideration of the factor.
Resources in this toolkit are provided as examples to help States and other public agencies update and maintain their freight plans and other freight planning documents. Toolkit materials should not be interpreted as Federal Guidance, but rather a collection of resources and information that stakeholders may find useful as they conduct their own freight planning activities.
Alignment with the Transportation Planning Process and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) State Freight Planning Requirements*
The Key Factors support States and other public agencies in meeting BIL freight planning requirements (note that application of the Key Factors is not a BIL requirement). The table below shows the alignment between the Key Factors and each of the BIL freight planning requirements. Note that multiple Key Factors can assist stakeholders in responding to BIL freight planning requirements. The table displays only the primary alignment between these factors and the BIL freight planning requirements; there may be secondary (less direct) alignment between some of the factors and the planning requirements not shown in the table. When responding to specific BIL freight planning requirements, stakeholders may find it useful to consider additional factors beyond those listed in the table.
* The statutory reference for these requirements is Bipartisan Infrastructure Law/Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (BIL/IIJA), Section 21104 (49 USC 70202).
| BIL State Freight Planning Requirement (Summary) | Key Factor | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empower Advisory Committees | Leverage All Data | Coordinate and Collaborate | Connect to Other Plans and Programs | Identify and Fund Freight Projects | Market Freight Plans | Measure, Monitor, Evaluate | |
| Identification of significant freight system trends, needs, and issues | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| Description of freight policies, strategies, and performance measures | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| Listing of critical rural freight facilities/corridors and critical urban freight corridors | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | |||
| Description of how the State Freight Plan will improve the ability of the State to meet the national multimodal freight policy goals | ⬤ | ⬤ | |||||
| Description of consideration of innovative technologies and operational strategies | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| For routes on which travel by heavy vehicles will occur, a description of improvements required to reduce or impede deterioration of roadway condition expected from heavy vehicles | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| Inventory of facilities with freight mobility issues | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | |||
| Consideration of significant congestion or delay caused by freight movements and mitigation strategies | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | |||
| A freight investment plan that includes a list of priority projects | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| The most recent commercial motor vehicle parking facilities assessment | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||||
| The most recent supply chain cargo flows in the State, expressed by mode of transportation | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| An inventory of commercial ports in the State | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | |||
| Consideration of the findings or recommendations made by any multi-State freight compact to which the State is a party | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
| The impacts of e-commerce on freight infrastructure in the State | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||||
| Considerations of military freight | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | |||
| Strategies and goals to decrease the severity of impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters on freight movement, the impacts of freight movement on local air pollution, the impacts of freight movement on local air pollution, and the impacts of freight movement on wildlife habitat loss | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
| Consultation with the State freight advisory committee | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | |
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE
WASHINGTON, DC 20590
202-366-0408
Staff Contact
Tiffany Julien, Transportation Specialist
FHWA Office of Freight Management and Operations
Tiffany.Julien@dot.gov
(202) 366-9241