How CFS Fits in the World of Freight Data

摘要

Irepresent a new agency, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, or RITA. RITA is the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) administration dedicated primarily to research, development, and technology coordination and management and was created last year in a bill proposed by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, passed by the House and Senate, and signed by President Bush. They are all on record supporting innovative solutions to transportation challenges, including the statistics program. RITA is the new home of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In addition to its research focus, RITA provides research and analytical support to the secretary. RITA helps the secretary understand major trends, anticipate future conditions, and analyze major issues. As a consequence, I can speak as both a provider and a user of transportation data High on the list of major issues today that we're focused on is freight. It is clear from both empirical and anecdotal data that not only are freight volumes increasing, the type of freight and the way it moves also are changing as our economy changes. Transportation moves the American economy. We have a strong economy—low unemployment at the same time new jobs are being created. But we must continue to look to the future and be prepared to face what President Bush calls "the challenges of a rapidly changing economy."