Implementable Regional Truck Freight Planning Practices: Quick Ways to Get Started

Abstract

To support the elevation of truck freight within the regional planning process, this study identified seven practices regional planners can initiate: coordinating land planning and truck freight planning; using freight advisory committees; monetizing reliability in project prioritization; quantifying truck parking deficiencies; using engineering strategies; incorporating truck freight into scenario planning; and obtaining freight data from public sources. A review of the literature and agency actions was conducted to identify these practices. Although these practices benefit from regional support, they cannot be fully implemented at the regional level. Some require municipal or county authority: reservation of street space for truck parking, modification of local zoning ordinances to mandate truck parking, and allowance of trucks in lanes reserved for transit in select cities. Some require state authority: allowing trucks to use park and ride lots at night, supporting private sector participation financially in regional freight advisory committees, or using the value of travel time reliability to evaluate freight project benefits. Some require either local or state support: notably, expansion or modification of truck routes based, in part, on examination of truck patterns. All practices carry some type of financial or political cost: one interviewee noted that increased zoning requirements might reduce a locality’s ability to compete for industrial businesses. However, regional staff can start the analysis required to support these practices by identifying the benefits, costs, and feasibility of these initiatives through the regional planning process.