Every day, freight and goods move up and down the Northeast Corridor on their way to manufacturers, stores and consumers.

The shared recognition of the economic importance of the freight and goods that originate from, pass through or end up in Delaware brought 40 representatives from trucking and logistics companies, academia, agribusiness, and state and local government to Dover on Dec. 13.

“Freight and the global economy are tightly coupled,” James Corbett, professor of marine science and policy in the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, told the audience.

UD’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA) partnered with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), the Salisbury/Wicomico Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), and the Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO) to plan the Delmarva Winter Freight Meeting, which was hosted by the Dover/Kent County MPO.

These organizations comprise the Delmarva Freight Working Group, which coordinates freight planning and research activities across the region.

“Estimated conservatively, freight and goods movement is a billion dollar industry in Delaware, and that’s before accounting for the critical role it plays in supporting other economic sectors such as Delaware’s multi-billion dollar agriculture and poultry processing industry,” said Troy Mix, IPA policy scientist and the moderator of the meeting. “The Freight Working Group plays a key role in encouraging public-private partnerships to support Delaware’s freight and good movements industry.”

Public and private industry players present

Corbett, the keynote speaker, presented research suggesting that the post-recession period has been characterized by experimentation in freight delivery models, prompting renewed considerations of where to locate manufacturing and distribution facilities, how to route, time and bundle shipments, and whether to ship by land, sea or air.

Corbett stressed the ripple effects of freight and logistics investments, citing one potential scenario that would see the recent Panama Canal expansion stress ports and roadways along the U.S. East Coast with more traffic, leaving harmful emissions in its wake.

Rich Clair, chief operating officer at Trinity Logistics, a $370 million freight shipping and logistics solutions provider based in Seaford, spoke about the rapid growth of his company and plans for continued growth. In particular, Trinity Logistics is aiming to more than triple its revenue from less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping in the coming years, while providing customers of all sizes with access to cloud-based, technology solutions that afford them with more information about and control over their supply chains.

The Federal Highway Administration’s Lindsay Donnellon outlined the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, also known as the FAST Act, and its implications for state’s freight plans and funding opportunities.

Stephanie Johnson of DelDOT spoke about human trafficking awareness, with DelDOT’s Tim Snow reporting on a study of supply chains serving Delmarva’s agriculture industry.

During a networking and poster session, participants learned about potential freight planning projects and studies in Delaware and voted on which projects the state should prioritize.

Opportunities for Delmarva freight

“We are bridging the gap between the providers of the freight transportation system and the users of the system,” said Daniel Blevins, principal planner at WILMAPCO, emphasizing the opportunity that the meeting provided for networking between public and private sector representatives.

DelDOT’s Mike DuRoss agreed, saying, “This forum is vital to continuing and enhancing our partnerships with the freight transportation communities.”

Blevins also noted that the geography of the Delmarva Peninsula necessitates strong coordination between Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia freight communities.

Future freight meetings

The Delmarva Freight Working Group has organized events annually since 2013, with information on the most recent and previous meetings available on WILMAPCO’s website. 

UD’s IPA began coordinating the activities of the working group in 2016 as part of an ongoing planning and research partnership funded by DelDOT.

IPA and the working group have begun planning for the 2017 Delmarva Freight Summit.