Solutions that put people first.

Freight & Goods Movement

Freight is essential, but also increasingly complex. The demand for faster deliveries is rising. So are the impacts: more congestion, emissions, and wear on local roads. Pairing national trade trends with local knowledge, we help agencies, planners, and communities navigate this shifting landscape with solutions that balance efficiency, equity, and livability.

Our Expertise

From big-picture forecasting to curbside details, our work helps freight flow better for everyone. Clients come to us to:

• Plan and Design:
  • Statewide and regional freight mobility.
  • Routes that are compliant with state and federal regulations (e.g., California’s AB 98).
  • Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) for commercial vehicles.
  • Site access and circulation plans, including turning templates, staging areas, loading areas, on-site fueling/charging, and passenger vehicle/freight circulation.
  • Truck access for driveways, haul routes, roundabouts, and ESAL calculations with careful consideration of other users, such as bicyclists and pedestrians.
  • Truck parking and staging facilities for industrial, commercial, residential and other uses.
• Drive Economic Value: Conduct cost/benefit analyses and develop dynamic pricing models for new and existing freight infrastructure.
• Assess Facility Siting: Identify the optimal location for distribution centers, truck parking, fleet fueling/charging, and transload facilities by considering land use regulations, equity considerations, origin/destination patterns, traffic congestion, customer locations, and local politics.
• Support Grant Applications: Prepare and advise on regional, state, and federal funding applications to take advantage of all available freight infrastructure funds.
• Conduct Studies and Analyses: Provide sustainability assessments, energy and greenhouse gas emissions evaluations for freight corridors, trip generation and origin-destination studies for major hubs, truck safety and efficiency studies, and truck electrification studies.
• Forecast Freight Flows: Use commodity-based and tour-based models to predict and manage freight movement.
• Manage Congestion: Implement policies, pricing strategies, and modeling to reduce congestion in curb lanes, loading zones and major freight routes.
• Engage Stakeholders: Collaborate with community members and stakeholders to inform curb management, weight restrictions, time-of-day policies, first/last-mile provisions, and truck route planning.

Why We’re Trusted

Here are some ways we’re making a difference:

• Freight Forecasting: We developed freight forecasting models for multiple states and MPOs, including California, Utah, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
• Electrification Planning Leadership: We’ve supported freight electrification planning for C40 cities, including a zero-emissions zone case study for the City of Seattle.
• National Research Leaders: We lead national research on truck parking regulations, dynamic curbside management, low- and zero-emission truck fueling, zero-emissions delivery zones, and automated freight systems.
• Statewide Comprehensive Plan: With partners, we developed the California Freight Mobility Plan 2020 to provide a vision for the state’s freight future, including immediate and long-range planning activities and capital investments.

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