The Federal Highway Administration will hold its monthly Talking Freight webinar on Wednesday, April 15, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Eastern. The webinar will focus on the topic Freight Beyond the City: Approaches to Improving Freight Mobility in the Suburban Context.

Freight transportation demand has increased in recent years, in many cases due to the continued growth in e-commerce. There has been extensive examination of the impact of those increased movements in high-density areas.  However, relatively little research has examined freight transportation demand in suburban areas.  Suburban areas make up a significant percentage of many regions’ total population, but their moderate density environment–higher than urban areas but lower than rural areas–creates different challenges.  Individual and business customers are usually more spread out than they are in more densely developed locations.  At the same time, suburban areas are often target locations for e-commerce distribution facilities, due to their proximity to urban areas, larger and cheaper amount of land available compared to nearby urban areas, and relatively easy access for labor working at those facilities compared to rural areas. 

The webinar presentations will cover freight cluster plans, freight and community planning, and the use of drone deliveries in suburbs. Although not specific to rural transportation issues, the webinar may provide food for thought for examining rural and small metro freight issues. Learn more and register here.