National transportation legislation is increasingly moving into the area of freight movement. The alternative reauthorization bills currently under consideration deal with the issue in different ways. This element of phase two efforts would facilitate the development of a regional freight agenda.

The objectives of the study are to develop a regional freight agenda, facilitate the beginning of a regional approach to deploying commercial vehicle-related intelligent transportation systems, and to maintain and improve the regional information system on freight.

The scope of work includes the following tasks: - Research and document national freight programs - Review and document the impact of participation in those programs on the funding received by states in the region. - Prepare whitepapers on policy options that the region could consider for freight - Facilitate a regional dialog. - Draft a regional freight agenda. - Prepare outreach materials to explain the importance of freight for the region and the agenda adopted by the region. - Make presentations on regional freight, as requested by the states. - Develop and maintain communication links with key national organizations on freight, including TRB, AASHTO, FHWA, FRA, etc. - Prepare a white paper outlining the current state of CVO-related ITS in the region. - Prepare white papers outlining the probable benefits of ITS implementation. - Facilitate a dialog within the region on ITS - Draft a conceptual regional deployment plan. - Improve the documentation of the existing information - Develop inquiry routines to answer frequently asked questions. - Begin a dialog with regional freight analysts on regional freight information needs. - Review and summarize national efforts to improve freight data sources. - Begin a dialog with state information managers to determine what information is available related to freight.

A minimum contribution of $20,000 is requested from each participating agency.