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Freight Policies and Strategies

The freight policies and strategies MnDOT and freight partners will use to implement the State Freight Plan Goals cover a wide range of focus areas and activities. These strategies link to both the National Multimodal Freight Policy goals as well as the Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan goals and objectives. Strategies come in the various forms of policies, programs and projects and will be prioritized predicated on how soon the strategy is needed and the resources allotted to the implement the strategy. Successful implementation of these goals will require a joint effort by many different stakeholders and partners.

Minnesota’s Freight Action Agenda

The Freight Action Agenda is a set of actions created by MnDOT in partnership with the Minnesota Freight Advisory Committee (MFAC) to implement the State Freight Plan. The Action Agenda provides guidance in how to improve the freight network statewide in Minnesota along with opportunities to collaborate on how to better maximize the health of the economy, people and environment.

The Role of the Minnesota Freight Advisory Committee

Partnerships were key to developing this plan, and they will also be key to implementing and maintaining it. The Freight Action Agenda is not intended to be a static document, but modified as stakeholder needs change. As such, continuous outreach and communication with public and private sector freight stakeholders will be critical to implementation. The MFAC will monitor and report on the implementation and development of the Freight Action Agenda. The MFAC will work with MnDOT to ensure the Agenda is continuously revised and updated on regular and timely basis. MnDOT, the MFAC, and other public and private partners will collaborate towards fulfilling the Freight Action Agenda, helping ensure the well- being and success of Minnesota’s freight network, and its economy, environment and communities.

ID	Action Description	Roles	Timeframe	Objective(s)
GOAL 1: FREIGHT SYSTEM STEWARDSHIP
1	Encourage and Support Partnerships: Engage and partner with Minnesota’s public agencies and with producers, shippers/receivers, carriers, and other private sector freight stakeholders to address Minnesota’s freight issues together. This includes convening an ongoing freight forum. Engage and partner with neighboring states to address regional freight issues together.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: The Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota and members of the MFAC, REV Midwest Coalition	Short- term	Support and Grow Minnesota’s Freight Industries Fair & Transparent Freight Planning and Funding Decisions
2	Freight Education and Advocacy: Public and private freight stakeholders advocate together for a safe, equitable and sustainable freight transportation by advancing critical freight partnerships, strategies, investments, and continued funding for freight investments, and educate the public on the critical role freight plays in the economy and everyday life of Minnesotans.	Lead: MnDOT Partners:Public and private sector freight stakeholders	Short- term	Preserve and Improve Minnesota’s Freight Infrastructure Fair & Transparent Freight Planning and Funding Decisions
3	Improved Data Collection: Improve freight-related data collection (e.g., truck counts) and use innovative sources to help make data-driven decisions. Increase public visibility of freight data.	Lead: MnDOT	Short- term	Preserve and Improve Minnesota’s Freight Infrastructure Fair & Transparent Freight Planning and Funding Decisions
4	Freight Investment Plan: Develop a freight investment plan that aligns key freight projects and available sources of funding so they can be implemented.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: Public and private freight stakeholders, system owners and operators	Short- term	Preserve and Improve Minnesota’s Freight Infrastructure Strategically Invest in New Freight Infrastructure Fair & Transparent Freight Planning and Funding Decisions Consider All Freight Modes in Planning and Design
5	Prioritize Maintenance of the National Multimodal Freight Network: Prioritize bridge/pavement maintenance on these shared routes to ensure ability to handle freight rail, truck and passenger traffic.	Lead: MnDOT	Short- term	Preserve and Improve Minnesota’s Freight Infrastructure
6	Integrate Freight into All Planning Projects: Consider freight in overall project planning across modes (highway, rail, water, and air). Regularly engage the private sector and communities impacted by freight to consider their perspectives during freight system planning.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: State, regional and local planning agencies	Short- term	Preserve and Improve Minnesota’s Freight Infrastructure Consider All Freight Modes in Planning and Design
7	Preserve Key Rail Corridors: Preserve and maintain key railroad corridors by actively managing the State Rail Bank and coordinating with railroad partners on future connections across the state.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: State, regional and local planning agencies	Short- term	Preserve and Improve Minnesota’s Freight Infrastructure Increase Freight System Resiliency
8	Maintain MnDOT Superload Corridors: Maintain critical oversize and overweight routes to ensure access across the state for key freight movements and work with peer state partners to identify ways to harmonize size and weight limits.	Lead: MnDOT, state and local departments of public safety and enforcement Partners: Local permitting agencies	Short- term	Preserve and Improve Minnesota’s Freight Infrastructure
9	Targeted Freight System Investments: Utilize freight system performance measures to monitor and report system condition and identify investment needs.	Lead: MnDOT, public and private sector freight system owners and operator	Mid-term	Preserve and Improve Minnesota’s Freight Infrastructure Strategically Invest in New Freight Infrastructure
GOAL 2: IMPROVING FREIGHT SAFETY
10	Incident Management and Emergency Response Plans: Develop emergency plans to ensure critical supply chain connectivity and proactively route hazardous materials	Lead: Minnesota Office of Public Safety Partners: MnDOT, public and private sector freight stakeholders	Short- term	Improve Freight System Safety Improve Freight Mobility, Velocity, and Reliability in Minnesota
11	Design for Freight Safety: Design and implement geometric features that improve freight safety across modes including on roadways, across railroads, ports, and other facilities.	Lead: MnDOT	Short- term	Improve Freight System Safety
12	Address Truck Parking and Charging Needs: Address the statewide truck parking shortage and electric truck charging by working with public and private sector partners to identify truck parking needs, invest in new and existing sites and maintain truck parking availability information systems.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: Public and private sector freight stakeholders, neighboring states, REV Midwest	Short- term	Strategically Invest in New Freight Infrastructure
13	Improve Freight Rail System Safety: Building on the work of the State Rail Plan and the Railroad At Grade Crossing Safety Action Plan, implement the key findings from each focusing on rail safety improvement projects through the Minnesota Railroad Service Improvement Program, the At Grade Crossing Safety Program, the Antiquated Equipment Program, and others.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: Public and private sector freight stakeholders, Minnesota Department of Public Safety	Short- term	Improve Freight System Safety
14	Invest in New Freight Technology: Support the implementation and advancement of connected and automated electric vehicles, truck parking information management systems, work zone in cab safety messaging and others.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: FHWA	Short- term	Strategically Invest in New Freight Infrastructure
GOAL 3: CONNECT MINNESOTANS AND BUSINESSES
15	Improve First- and Last-Mile Connections: Encourage the development of first and last mile connecting infrastructure and operational programs, such as highway access and rail spurs to local businesses	Lead: MnDOT Partners: Various state, regional and local planning and economic development agencies	Mid-term	Improve Freight Mobility, Velocity, and Reliability in Minnesota Support and Grow Minnesota’s Freight Industries
16	Support Freight Modal Balance: Encourage modal balance and redundancy within key trade corridors so that businesses have access to a variety of cost-effective and competitive freight modes to ship their goods.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: Public and private sector freight stakeholders	Mid-term	Improve Freight Mobility, Velocity, and Reliability in Minnesota
17	Support Multimodal Freight Options and Expansions: Incentivize intermodal and multimodal facility development to allow goods to shift between modes to promote more competitive shipping rates, efficient use of vehicles, and minimize potential conflicts between freight and passenger modes.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: DEED, railroads in Minnesota, regional and local planning and economic development agencies where a new facility may be cited	Mid-term	Improve Freight Mobility, Velocity, and Reliability in Minnesota Reduce Freight’s Impact on the Environment Support and Grow Minnesota’s Freight Industries
GOAL 4: SAFEGUARD MINNESOTA’S HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
18	Explore Urban Goods Movement Programs: Research, identify and trial urban freight delivery programs and projects to improve delivery safety and timing, reduce truck congestion, consolidate parcel deliveries, reduce freight conflict with passenger modes, decrease vehicle miles traveled and promote traffic safety.	Lead: MnDOT, various state, regional and local planning agencies	Mid-term	Reduce Freight’s Impact on the Environment Minimize Disparate Freight Impacts to Underserved or Overburdened Communities Consider All Freight Modes in Planning and Design
19	Implement Sustainable Freight Efforts: Actively lead on transition to low and zero emission freight vehicles, incentives for fleet replacement and coordinate with key public and private sector partners on electric, hydrogen and other motive power systems.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: REV Midwest Coalition	Mid-term	Reduce Freight’s Impact on the Environment Minimize Disparate Freight Impacts to Underserved or Overburdened Communities
20	Mitigate Impacts on Environmental Justice Populations: Identify and mitigate freight impacts which relate to environmental justice issues such as air quality and flooding on underrepresented, underserved, and overburdened communities in future infrastructure projects.	Lead: MnDOT Partners: Various state, regional, and local planning agencies, freight stakeholders	Long-term	Minimize Disparate Freight Impacts to Underserved or Overburdened Communities
21	Integrate Freight into Land Use Planning and Policies: Implement land use planning and policies to ensure freight development areas are designated and preserved and that development occurs adjacent to existing infrastructure in ways that do not negatively impact vulnerable populations while improving first and last mile connections.	Lead: Various state, regional and local planning agencies Partners: MnDOT, DEED	Long-term	Minimize Disparate Freight Impacts to Underserved or Overburdened Communities Consider All Freight Modes in Planning and Design
22	Mitigate and reduce local air pollution, flooding, stormwater runoff and wildlife habitat loss impacts caused by the freight system in Minnesota: Support policies and programs that reduce freight transportation emissions, minimize the impacts of freight on the natural environment.	Lead: MnDOT	Long-term	Reduce Freight’s Impact on the Environment
GOAL 5: SUPPORT MINNESOTA’S ECONOMY
23	Improve and Expand Freight Industry Workforce Development: Develop programs in cooperation with community colleges and the private sector to ensure workforce is available for industry needs.	Lead: DEED, Minnesota Trucking Association	Mid-term	Support and Grow Minnesota’s Freight Industries