A new public-private partnership was established this week with the goal of advancing a more resilient, efficient, and interconnected freight system.
Advanced Freight Partners Group (AFPG) will include leaders from trucking, maritime, and rail, and will be charged with developing and implementing practical and scalable strategies (operational and policy-driven) "to accelerate the deployment of innovative technologies that modernize the future of freight movement and commercial delivery."
By value, more than four times as much freight moves by truck than by its nearest competitor (rail), but all modes are dependent on one another to some degree.
At its launch, the AFPG, led by the Electrification Coalition (EC), consists of 45 partner organizations representing freight stakeholders and industry, government, and non-governmental organizations. The American Trucking Associations, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), and Volvo Group North America are among the group's founding members.
“The AFPG is about improving goods movement, not just deploying technologies," said EC Executive Director Ben Prochazka. "It’s about how we come together across industry lines to build smarter infrastructure, ensure consistent access to energy and fuels, reduce the cost of innovative technology solutions, and support commercial success.”
The AFPG is a first-of-its-kind multimodal collaboration that Prochazka expects will increase the U.S. freight sector’s global competitiveness, drive operational efficiencies, align industry efforts in pursuit of national and economic security priorities, and rapidly deploy advanced freight technologies, "allowing the United States to take a leading role in the future of freight."
The group says its founding was "a response to what we’re hearing and seeing across the sector, including the need to break down silos between freight modes, sectors, and technologies; deploy solutions and advanced freight technologies that drive down costs, improve efficiency by utilizing advanced fuels and powertrains, and enhance reliability; hold strategic, business-led conversations focused on accelerating the deployment of advanced vehicle solutions and infrastructure in key areas across the country; and develop and amplify best practices across the freight ecosystem and elevate programs and projects across the country that demonstrate success."
