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Transportation Commissioners urge broader outreach, highlight state freight investments
Summary
Commissioners discussed the California Freight Mobility Plan, encouraged wider partner engagement and earlier distribution of materials, and debated whether to prepare a legislative letter. No formal action was taken.
Commissioner Fran Inman and other Transportation Commission members discussed the California Freight Mobility Plan during the commission meeting, praising Caltrans staff and urging expanded outreach to ports, trucking and rail partners.
Commissioner Fran Inman, a member of the Transportation Commission, said the draft plan’s many appendices “clearly points out how complex the whole supply chain” is and urged Caltrans to “do as much due diligence as you possibly can” as the department refines the plan. Inman also asked staff to share relevant Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) resources, noting FHWA’s ‘‘Talking Freight’’ webinar series.
The discussion emphasized two recurring points: (1) the plan’s technical scope is broad and evolving, and (2) earlier circulation of materials would allow local freight advisory committees and regional partners more time to review proposals. Commissioners noted existing state leadership on emissions reductions at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and asked the plan to better document past investments.
Commissioner Inman said California should “really communicate how many resources we’ve already invested,” calling out the state’s port truck program and the Clean Air Action Plan that helped reduce emissions associated with port trucking. Commissioners agreed that highlighting prior public and private investments in freight infrastructure could strengthen the state’s case when coordinating with federal partners or when responding to future federal freight policy changes (referred to in the discussion as the ‘‘son of MAP‑21’’).
Chair and other commissioners raised the idea of directing staff to draft a letter to the legislature but concluded there was not enough consensus to send a letter at this time. The chair summarized: “So it sounds like perhaps we don’t even need a letter for now because I’m not hearing that.”
The item closed with a general request that staff continue outreach and hold workshops that include port partners, trucking and short‑line rail stakeholders, beneficial cargo owners and regional freight experts so that the plan reflects operational realities across California’s freight system.
