News / US DoT under fire for failure to communicate with air cargo stakeholders

© Giovanni Gagliardi

The US Department of Transportation (DoT) has failed to properly communicate with air cargo stakeholders, and not fully assessed the reliability of its data – making planning harder, according to the US government.

In a thorough report published yesterday, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessed air cargo operations across the US, and recommended new action for the DoT to take. 

“We found that DoT hasn’t communicated with air cargo stakeholders to identify challenges. DoT also hasn’t fully assessed the reliability of some of its air cargo data—which states use for freight planning,” it said. 

“The DoT is responsible for ensuring the safe and efficient movement of goods, including air cargo. DoT is also responsible for collecting data on air cargo movements and infrastructure locations.

“While GAO found that some DoT air cargo data were sufficient to describe changes in volume, DoT has not assessed or communicated the reliability of other air cargo data.  

“For example, GAO found that DoT’s Freight Analysis Framework air cargo estimates were not sufficient to describe changes in air cargo value and commodities. In addition, DoT has not fully assessed the reliability or communicated the limitations of these estimates. Without doing so, stakeholders may not use the data appropriately for important purposes such as infrastructure planning and incident response.” 

The report found that the air cargo industry had reported common challenges with ground-based infrastructure and operations, particularly with warehousing, truck areas and roadways across 11 selected airports. 

“Stakeholders most frequently reported challenges associated with older warehouses, which slowed operations. GAO visited warehouses that were at least 40 years old at four of the nine airports GAO visited, and observed narrow or obstructed space, blocked doors, and low ceilings. Many stakeholders also reported that a lack of truck areas and poorly configured roadways slowed operations and led to safety hazards.” 

It added that the recently set up Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy, which is “statutorily required to identify infrastructure improvements and policies to reduce freight congestion”, had not taken steps to identify and address air cargo challenges. 

“Specifically, the Multimodal Freight Office has not used existing information, such as the freight plans states share with DoT, to identify challenges.  

“Additionally, the office has not communicated with air cargo stakeholders to understand challenges they face. Doing so would help DoT determine whether it needs to act to help address challenges. Multimodal Freight Office officials said they intended to reach out to freight stakeholders, including for air cargo, within the next year as part of other ongoing efforts.” 

The recommendations have been heartily welcomed by the US Airforwarders Association (AfA), which has campaigned for years on the subject of ground infrastructure. 

Brandon Fried, executive director, told The Loadstar he was “extremely satisfied with its findings and recommendations”.  

“This report is not only timely but absolutely critical. For years, we’ve been advocating for a comprehensive, government-backed assessment of our nation’s air cargo infrastructure, and this report delivers precisely that. 

“We wholeheartedly agree with the recommendations. The GAO’s call for the DoT to assess and communicate data limitations, and crucially, to evaluate existing information and routinely communicate with air cargo stakeholders, is exactly what we’ve been pushing for.  

“The report clearly highlights DOT’s insufficient engagement with our sector, and we believe closer dialogue is essential for identifying and effectively addressing the challenges we face on the ground. 

“It’s a pivotal moment that provides the irrefutable evidence needed to drive federal investment and policy changes that will benefit the entire supply chain and US commerce.  

“Hopefully, this report will provide the foundation for us to request needed cargo area infrastructure funding for critical projects focused on reducing cargo-area waiting times and excessive costs for freight forwarders and their customers.” 

The report’s two recommendations, in full, are: “The secretary of transportation should ensure that the director of BTS fully assesses the reliability of air cargo data in the Freight Analysis Framework and National Transportation Atlas Database and communicates the limitations of the data.” 

And: “The secretary of transportation should ensure that the assistant secretary for multimodal freight infrastructure and policy evaluates existing sources of information and routinely communicates with air cargo stakeholders, to identify challenges to the efficient movement of air cargo and determine whether the agency needs to take steps to help address the challenges.”