Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
	HOME \ Meeting Calendar \ Announcement

Freight For A Day

Powerpoint Summary of Freight For A Day. [ 3.8M |.pdf]

Did you ever wonder what a day in the life of the Delaware Valley's freight network was like? Would you like a big-picture overview that unveils a wondrous, symphonic display of freight operations? Is there a way to clearly communicate the full range of freight services that make our daily lives possible?

In response to all of these questions, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) organized a one-day, region-wide freight scan called, Freight For A Day. The first of its kind, the event serves as a public education tool that complements DVRPC's comprehensive commodity flow analysis using data from the Federal Highway Administration's Freight Analysis Framework (FAF2).

Freight For A Day, which may be repeated in subsequent years, occurred for one continuous 24-hour period on Wednesday, September 20, 2006. This date was selected to capture a typical day during the pre-Holiday season build-up of consumer goods, and to coincide with a time of year typically free of severe weather.

On Freight For A Day, DVRPC mobilized key companies and agencies in an effort to collect information about the various modes of freight transportation (air, water, rail, and highway). DVRPC closely coordinated efforts with facility owners and operators (with special emphasis on those facilities coinciding with the Delaware Valley Freight Corridors), while carefully observing the proprietary and sensitive nature of all shared information.

Information collected and received on Freight For A Day led to a descriptive regional freight profile regarding including salient points such as:

• magnitude and types of transportation equipment in operation
• commodity types
• shipment origins and destinations

During the 24-hour period of Freight For A Day, DVRPC staff and others performed field views of truck parking facilities, operations centers, and National Highway System connectors. Documentation and analysis of the exercise is summarized in a PowerPoint presentation posted on the freight page of the DVRPC website.

Freight For A Day was conceived of and planned with the active participation of the Data Subcommittee (Rick Crawford, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Chair) of DVRPC's freight advisory committee, the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force.

If you are interested in learning more about Freight For A Day, please contact Ted Dahlburg or Walker Allen of DVRPC (phone: 215.592.1800).