International Conference on
Efficient, Safe, and Sustainable
Truck Transportation Systems
for the Future
Building the Policy Options Roadmap
Mark Your Calendar:
June 15, 16, & 17, 2009
Michigan League Ballroom
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Legislators and transportation policy experts around the world are challenged by rising energy costs, an increasing freight demand and growing concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions. For example, within the next 12-18 months, U.S. legislators will craft a new surface transportation authorization bill and these issues will likely play a role in the shape, scope and direction of this bill. Similarly Europe's transport ministers are exploring the possibility of widening the scope of the 'Eurovignette' Directive from the initial focus of harmonizing road user charges, to the much broader issues of societal impact and external costs such as environmental damage and congestion.
Balancing freight transportation policies that support a vibrant economy while protecting environmental and public interests will be an integral and significant part of these processes.
What these decision makers need are options supported by research and facts. Over the past 25 years extensive policy and technical research has been conducted, both here in North America and around the world, on ways to significantly improve highway freight efficiency and productivity, reduce emissions and petroleum use, improve safety, and responsibly use and manage highway infrastructure assets. This conference will bring together leading highway freight transportation policy and technical experts, shippers, transportation company officials, manufacturers, suppliers and academics from around the world to review and synthesize the existing, and ongoing body of work into options that can substantively inform the discussions of policy makers as they seek to balance economic productivity, the environment, safety, and infrastructure preservation.
About the Conference
Coincident with U.S. developments, the Joint Transport Research Centre of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Transport Forum is currently conducting a co-operative international policy study of freight vehicle transportation safety, efficiency and policy, entitled Heavy Vehicles: Regulatory, Operational and Productivity Improvements. The study - conducted by a group of 40 experts from 22 countries - aims to respond to community demand for improved road safety, amenity and environmental outcomes as well as society and industry needs for increased productivity, in the context of projected demand for freight transport and the expectation that road transport will continue to carry a major part of this demand. The project is assessing how the needs of society and industry for increased road transport productivity can be achieved under conditions that will provide for significantly better safety and meet target reductions of emissions and noise and have manageable impacts and demands on the relevant road networks.
This study can help inform U.S. policy decision makers since it is focusing on the sustainable and responsible operation of highly productive trucks on nations' highway infrastructure, and the creation of societal value from the use of these vehicles. The study uses international benchmarking to provide a unique perspective on the acceptability, practicality, and value of using different types of highway freight vehicles in appropriate settings.
The OECD/ITF study, due for completion in late 2009, will be discussed and compared with previous research work, and the implementation of that work into viable public policies, in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Operational programs based on these research findings will be highlighted and discussed in terms of their appropriateness and applicability to expanded use in the U.S.
The Conference Will Include
- Opening plenary sessions on the extent and future direction of both domestic and international freight transportation in the U.S.; benchmarking U.S. international competitiveness relative to other regions around the world; challenges to using and expanding U.S. infrastructure assets to support freight movement, and; the highway freight industry's response to the imperatives of energy security, climate change, and safety.
- Executive sessions featuring speakers from around the world, who will present the key findings of research completed over the past 25 years, including an update and comparison with the OECD/ITF international benchmarking of heavy truck productivity and safety.
- Technical sessions on: advances in technologies and operational practices that reduce petroleum use and criteria pollutant emissions; advances in heavy truck safety technologies and safety-related operational practices; performance based standards and innovations in operational compliance, and; interaction of productive vehicles with the infrastructure and traffic.
- Closing sessions in which attendees will synthesize the Conference discussions into options for consideration by policy makers as they seek to balance economic productivity, the environment, safety, and infrastructure preservation.
Who Should Attend
Stakeholders in the highway freight transport system, including legislators and their staff, federal and state transport and highway infrastructure officials, shippers, carriers, commercial drivers' representatives, motorists, insurance industry officials, manufacturers, suppliers and researchers.
For Further Information
Contact Karen Szemak
Tel: (734) 734-647-8633
Conference Organizer: John Woodrooffe
Tel: (734) 734-764-0248