Simply shifting freight from truck to rail won't result in a greener transportation system, transportation analyst Noël Perry said, arguing sustainability efforts should focus on entire supply chains, the Journal of Commerce reports.
In the final section of a four-part report, the former trucking and rail executive suggests government and industry should focus more on intermodal exchanges than a modal shift from road to rail.
"Existing market forces have already done an excellent job of maximizing fuel efficiency by allowing rail and truck to do what they do best," Perry said in Transportation Fundamentals.
The report, published by FTR Associates, says that by focusing on encouraging greater use of freight rail, the federal government is only looking at part of the energy equation.
Perry -- who has worked for trucking company Schneider National, railroad CSX and Cummins Engine -- recommends improved access to intermodal terminals, equalization of rail and truck emissions standards and allowing the use of heavier trucks.
His report comes as the Obama administration and Congress consider legislation and policy that encourages not only high-speed rail but incentives for railroads to move more freight.
The trucking and rail industries are also engaged in a bitter battle over which mode of transportation is more fuel-efficient and does less damage to the environment.
(The preceding article by William B. Cassidy appeared on the Web site www.joc.com on December 17, 2009.)
