measuringimprovementsinthemovementof.docVIP

MEASURING IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOVEMENT OF HIGHWAY AND INTERMODAL FREIGHT Final Report Prepared for: Federal Highway Administration 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20590 Prepared by: Hagler Bailly Services, Inc. 1530 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22209 703-351-0300 Under Contract: DTFH61-97-C-00010, BAT 99-021 March 20, 2000  Measuring Improvements in the Movement of Highway and Intermodal Freight Executive Summary The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 established a requirement for Federal agencies to identify goals and measurable outcomes to gauge performance in meeting program objectives. In response to this requirement and in seeking to advance its own performance, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has developed a National Strategic Plan. In order to measure performance under the plan, FHWA has sought to develop performance measures for productivity and efficiency improvements in relation to the highway system. Productivity is one of the five strategic goals in the plan: to “continuously improve the economic efficiency of the Nations transportation system to enhance Americas position in the global economy.” In this regard, it is important that FHWA develop measures of the performance of the highway system in carrying freight and supporting the intermodal freight system. FHWA contracted with Hagler Bailly Services to provide a limited, introductory review of what indicators may be available for use by FHWA to detect and assess, on an annual basis, productivity and efficiency in the movement of commercial goods by motor vehicles. The work began with a review of the results of a number of recent studies and conferences where various groups and individuals made efforts to identify performance measures for freight. These results were summarized, evaluated, and passed through a preliminary screening process to identify measures potentially valuable enough to warrant further analysis and developmen