U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg recently announced the launch of an initiative to oversee the maintenance and improvement of the nation’s freight network and supply chains as part of the inaugural meeting of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience. This initiative comes in response to increasing concerns over supply chain issues, aiming to streamline operations and lower costs for American consumers.
Delving deeper into this latest announcement, the measure is being spearheaded in a joint effort with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which is tasked with advancing the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program aimed at getting products on store shelves faster while cutting costs for consumers, according to a news release.
Moving beyond interdepartmental collaborations, Congress has given the green light on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will be led by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy Allison Dane Camden, according to the DOT. Moreover, the office will oversee the development of the National Multimodal Freight Network, review State Freight Plans and provide technical assistance to municipal and state governments.
Reflecting on recent history and ongoing commitments, "Since President Biden took office, we have focused on supply chain improvements, not just to recover from pandemic-driven disruptions but also to make lasting improvements for a stronger and more resilient future," said Buttigieg in the news release. "Our new Multimodal Freight Office will lead coordination of our work to strengthen supply chains – including the FLOW data initiative helping companies and ports make better-informed decisions — so that they can move goods more efficiently and keep costs down for Americans."
Towards understanding how these efforts will concretely materialize, according to the news release, FLOW, which provides greater transparency across supply chain networks, includes the five largest U.S. container ports, seven of the largest ocean carriers and four of the five largest retailers by imports to establish a supply chain network meant to consistently deliver goods to consumers. Information from the program will help establish protocol when it comes to making decisions on how to enhance the supply chain.
