NASCO Conference
2010 NASCO Conference Highlights
Our three-day 2010 NASCO Conference in Des Moines, Iowa drew public and private sector leaders from across North America to focus on the dramatic challenges the continent’s infrastructure faces. The conference hosted by Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, Polk County Board of Supervisor Robert Brownell and Director of the Iowa DOT, Nancy Richardson featured a keynote by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.
Many thanks to our terrific leading sponsors -- Bridgestone Americas, Polk County, Prairie Meadows, Principal Financial Group, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Ruan Transport Corp., Wells Fargo, Trinity Industries, C.H. Robinson Worldwide and BNSF Railway.
The sixth annual NASCO Conference is over, but we hope you’ll join us next year as the NASCO Conference coincides with an international business development event –
Futurallia KC 2011 -- May 18-20, 2011 -- Kansas City, Missouri
Leaders from across North America hear transport field updates from top officials, industry
Des Moines, Iowa -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined other top government and transport industry leaders here June 15 for the tri-national NASCO 2010 Conference and called on NASCO members and allies to support his department’s efforts “for a new era of partnership and cooperation among” between the three nations of North America, the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
LaHood spoke to more than 200 people from the U.S., Canada and Mexico at the North America's SuperCorridor Coalition's 2010 annual conference and cited President Barack Obama as saying, “we have an opportunity to rebuild the North American transportation system” as the foundation for a shared progress and prosperity. “No three nations are more closely tied together than the U.S., Canada and Mexico.”
Earlier, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver noted “government’s top role in helping the economy is infrastructure,’ and touted his $800 million capital investments in transport infrastructure in over 500 projects in Iowa. He noted that Iowa in 2009 racked up $9 billion in exports, a leading portion shipped over Iowa’s road net on its way to Canada.
Culver told the officials from multiple Canada provinces from Alberta to Quebec and U.S. and Mexico that his spending on road, bridge and flood recovery projects had immediate benefits and would produce long-term gains.
Meanwhile, NASCO attendees heard from numerous companies, shippers and freight carrier firms that even with the modest North American economic recovery underway, sharp improvements in domestic and international trade are turning up shortages in freight trucks, freight truck drivers, freight rail capacity, and cargo containers, all factors which are driving up transport costs.
Harry Haney, associate director of transportation planning for Kraft Foods, a speaker on a NASCO conference panel, said Kraft and 145 firms, including Deere & Co., the Nestle and Campbell’s Soup and the American Soybean Association are backing legislation to raise truck weights and configurations for greater energy efficiency, reduced emissions and better use of limited transport capacity.
He said truckers have lived with an 80,000-pound weight limit on U.S. interstates for almost four decades. The bill in Congress could raise U.S. standards to 97,000 pounds for six-axle vehicles.
Haney said the group argues that with the sixth axle, the truck can ship greater volumes of freight with the same amount of fuel and without undue harm to highways. State highway engineers and the nation's railroads oppose the move. "Canada allows 95,000 pounds and Mexico has a 105,000-pound limit," Haney said.
###
|
