Although efforts to improve freight transportation efficiency and reliability have been successful, the U.S. transportation system is now facing challenges that, unless addressed, may jeopardize its reliability. Allowing transportation system reliability to erode would add additional pressure to U.S. companies operating in an increasingly competitive international market and place more burdens on communities seeking to sustain their economic base and quality of life. Improved logistics has thus far been able to address the corrosive effects of the loss of system reliability. Unfortunately, the ability of logistics to provide additional offsetting savings appears to be nearing its limit, as are the savings attributable to deregulation. Unless these challenges are addressed, more discretionary income will be devoted to moving materials and products, businesses will be constrained in their adoption of innovative strategies to maintain global competitiveness, quality of life-as measured by congestion-will suffer, and safety and security could be jeopardized.

Although efforts to improve freight transportation efficiency & reliability have been successful, the U.S. transportation system is now facing challenges that, unless addressed, may jeopardize its reliability. This report discusses the development of the Freight Analysis Framework, a nat. database & policy analysis tool, & extensive outreach to freight stakeholders. Several key challenges have been identified that face freight transportation: (1) congestion & expanding capacity; (2) improving systems operations; (3) planning & financing freight project; (4) safety; (5) nat. security; (6) the environmental effects of freight transport; & (7) building freight professional capacity. Discusses several strategies to meet these challenges. Illustrations.

In simple, powerful words and vibrant illustrations, Donald Crews evokes the rolling wheels of that childhood favorite: a train. This Caldecott Honor Book features bright colors and bold shapes. Even a child not lucky enough to have counted freight cars will feel he or she has watched a freight train passing after reading Freight Train. Donald Crews used childhood memories of trains seen during his travels to his grandparents' farm in the American South as the inspiration for this timeless favorite. New York magazine's The Strategist chose Freight Train as one of the "Best (Nonobvious) Baby Books to Bring to a Shower." As The Strategist stated: "The Caldecott Honor Book is spare and minimal in both art and text and follows the journey of a freight train and all its cars until it rolls off the page and into the distance. It’s a good way to learn all the different names of train cars, too." Red caboose at the back, orange tank car, green cattle car, purple box car, black tender and a black steam engine . . . freight train.

As the freight train rolls passed him, a young boy delights in looking at all the cars, such as the refrigerator cars, tank cars, and boxcars, being pulled by the strong engine leading the way to its far-off destination. Original.

Describes how an efficient and reliable freight transportation system helps to generate improvements in economic productivity.