FY2025 Work Program

Promote freight considerations in the planning process to encourage the development and preservation of safe, efficient, multimodal transportation systems that maximize Greater Philadelphia’s position in the global economy.

Freight movement is a critical planning factor for the Greater Philadelphia region and the region’s economic competitiveness is closely tied to the freight network. Freight shipments and supply chains are highly dynamic, impacting nearly every transportation mode as well as land development patterns and employment. Planning for freight capitalizes on trends and opportunities while promoting and preserving quality of life, economic, safety, environmental, sustainability, and land use goals.

The Freight Planning Program seeks to improve the visibility and availability of freight data; educate planners and the public on key freight information; encourage a smart, multimodal transportation system; and inform transportation infrastructure investment. Evidence of the broad integration of freight considerations can be found in the DVRPC Long-Range Plan, the DVRPC TIPs, transportation modeling and travel monitoring, corridor studies, Congestion Management Process, Smart Growth, air quality planning, and in many other aspects of DVRPC’s work. The program achieves these objectives through three primary areas of work: engagement and advocacy, regional trends and performance tracking, and local technical studies and education.

The Freight Planning Program will undertake a region-wide study that evaluates where there is additional truck parking demand in the region and identifies opportunities to develop new facilities, both for overnight parking and staging, which can improve air quality by reducing drive time and idling. This work will build off of the FY24 work of designating a regional truck route network and update of the Greater Philadelphia Freight Centers, originally defined in 2017.

The Freight Planning Program will undertake additional freight planning work in support of key initiatives that reflect the growing interest of DVRPC member governments in freight transportation. These include support on regional urban freight initiatives, warehouse vacancy analysis, and truck access to major industrial facilities.

Finally, a major objective of the Freight Program is to initiate and sustain meaningful outreach to the local freight community and to build awareness and interest among planners and the general public. The Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force, the region's freight advisory committee, is the focal point of these efforts. Educational pieces on freight operations and issues are prepared each year, and many helpful resources are made available on the freight page of the DVRPC website, primarily through the PhillyFreightFinder web mapping application and data platform.

Completion of this project may require the purchase of data or services.

1. Engagement and advocacy for freight
   • Plan for, conduct, and document quarterly meetings of the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force and the Task Force’s Executive Committee and membership development efforts.
   • Facilitate committee input on the DVRPC Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) (e.g., PennDOT Connects requests), Long-Range Plan, Work Program, Congestion Management Process, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, transportation funding programs, and other DVRPC policies, programs, and technical studies.
   • Support public sector initiatives, freight advisory committees, freight plans, funding programs, multi-state efforts such as The Eastern Transportation Coalition (TETC), and DVRPC member governments, neighboring MPOs, the New Jersey and Pennsylvania DOTs, and FHWA.
   • Work with private sector partners, New Jersey and Pennsylvania DOTs, and DVRPC member governments to continue to seek solutions and advance strategies that address truck routing and parking issues.
   • Participate in industry associations, special events, and conferences that promote interest and awareness regarding DVRPC (including the PA and NJ Motor Truck Associations, and the Traffic Club of Philadelphia).
   • Monitor pertinent federal legislation, support the Transportation Research Board's Urban Freight Transportation Committee, and promote careers in the field of freight planning.
2. Regional Truck Parking Study
   • Identify existing truck parking conditions including truck parking inventory, utilization, and undesignated truck parking areas;
   • Document the national and regional trends that are impacting truck parking;
   • Identify the issues and challenges for truck parking in the region;
   • Recommend opportunities for policy changes and new parking locations that build upon efforts conducted at the state level; and 
   • Outline an implementation plan for addressing the needs of truck parking in the short, medium, and long term.
3. Other local technical studies and coordination
   • Support partners on Regional Freight Initiatives: Provide technical and analytical support to partners for various freight planning efforts and initiatives. This may include technical analysis of truck network components, support of supply chain resiliency work, and ongoing support on urban freight initiatives as requested. 
   • Collaboration and participation in warehouse vacancy analysis efforts.
   • Support other DVRPC offices in freight-related planning efforts including studies incorporating supply chain evaluation and planning.
   • Support regional planning partners through responses to inquiries, surveys, and requests regarding the region’s freight network and provide advisory support on key planning efforts regionally.
4. Regional data and visualization
   • Update and maintain an ongoing freight data, visualization, and mapping program highlighting facility capacity, freight infrastructure, and activity measures (i.e., vehicle counts by class) through the PhillyFreightFinder tool, leading to assessments of deficiencies and improvement opportunities.

1. Quarterly meetings of the Delaware Valley Goods Movement Task Force, meeting highlights, facilitated communication among the Task Force Executive Committee, and quarterly progress reports.
2. Technical reports and memos to include:
   • Process memo and analysis products for Regional Freight Initiatives, including a warehouse vacancy analysis.
   • Truck Parking Analysis and Identification report.
   • Memos and data reports as necessary in response to planning partner data requests.
3. Updated tools and information via the PhillyFreightFinder county profile tool and data platform.
   
4. Updated freight section for the Update: Connections 2050 Plan.

Freight business communities, member governments, local municipalities, general public, adjacent regions, and states.