NEWS\\\


Port of VA secures federal transportation grant to expand NIT’s capacity to handle more rail cargo


The Port of Virginia® is preparing to expand its rail capacity and will be using a $20 million federal grant to reconfigure and double the size of the on-dock rail yard at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT). The project’s total cost is $44 million, and the federal funding was awarded through the 2020 Port Infrastructure Development


Discretionary


Grants Program at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Virginia


Department of


Rail and Public Transportation is committing $16.7 million to the project through its Rail Enhancement Fund and the port will be responsible for the $7.4 million balance. “This project demonstrates


the collaboration between The Port of Virginia, DRPT, and


USDOT, to leverage investments that will double rail capacity, drive performance, and increase efficiency,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “The Commonwealth is grateful to Virginia’s Congressional delegation


for its ongoing


leadership as we more fully integrate Virginia’s multimodal network to expand and promote The Port of Virginia as a global gateway for world trade.” The project was supported


by U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, U.S. Reps. Rob Wittman and Elaine Luria, and the entire Virginia Congressional delegation. “Expanding NIT’s Central Rail Yard is the logical next step to optimizing the investment we


are making there,” said John F. Reinhart,


CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “The amount of cargo we move by rail, mainly to the Midwest, is growing and is important to the users of this port and our overall success, so it must keep pace with the other improvements we’re making at NIT. We have created additional capacity at the truck gate, new cranes will give us more capacity at the berth, and this investment will increase our rail capabilities. The benefits to our customers and cargo owners will be significant.” The bulk of the work will focus


on construction of 10,700 feet of new track inside the terminal: two bundles of four tracks each. The project will double the existing capacity of the current rail operation, which can handle 368,000 containers annually.


The demand for moving


cargo by rail is growing, Reinhart said. Within the next decade, the port will need the capacity to process an additional 200,000 containers for export. At present, 34 percent of the port’s total volume moves to market via double-stack rail service. Expanding the terminal’s rail


capabilities will allow the port to fully capitalize on the $450 million capacity expansion project at NIT; the project’s construction phase closes later this month. The investment made at NIT expands the terminal’s annual throughput capacity by 400,000 containers through a completely- reconfigured container stacking area, greater use of technology, and new cargo handling equipment that includes two


According to a study by the American Transportation Research Institute, the share of younger truck drivers has been decreasing, leaving the industry more reliant than ever on the 45- to 54-year-old age group. John Kearney, CEO of


Advanced Training Systems, notes this trend is exactly the opposite of what is needed. “It is urgent that we reverse the pattern and start attracting large numbers of capable, career-minded young people to one of the most important industries in the country. To help make that happen, our company is a founding sponsor of the Next Generation in Trucking Association whose mission is to bring awareness to an emerging career choice and to place advanced simulation training hands


of


technology young


most is in the driving


students around the country,” he says. In


states, 18. the


minimum age for obtaining a commercial driver’s license


Kearney, whose company is a leading


designer and manufacturer of


virtual simulators for


driver training, among other applications, notes that federal law currently prohibits drivers under 21 to drive in conjunction with interstate commerce, which means they cannot take a truckload across a state line. This, says Kearney, creates a major barrier to recruiting younger


drivers. The two-


thirds of Americans who do not have a college degree tend to launch their careers straight out of high school, usually at age 18. By the time they reach 21, many of them— including, Kearney points out, the steadiest and most career- minded—are increasingly unlikely to enter a new field. In response to this problem, in 2018, US Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and US Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., co-sponsored the DRIVE-Safe Act, which would lower the interstate commercial trucking age to 18 nationally. Meanwhile, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced a pilot program to allow drivers between 18


and 20 years old to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. FMCSA has requested comments from the public on the training, qualifications, driving limitations, and vehicle safety systems that FMCSA should consider in developing options or approaches for the program. Essential


to the proper


training of these new drivers, says Kearney, is virtual-reality simulation. Studies show a crash reduction rate of up to 35% for simulator-trained truck drivers; they also show that simulator training lowers overall training cost by accelerating students’ progress. Judging from the comments


received by FMCSA, public support for the pilot program appears to be strong. Of those opposed to it, notes Kearney, the majority tend to focus on the supposed immaturity and undependability of people 18 to 20 years old.(6) ATS, along with industry colleagues such as Women in Trucking, agrees that the solution to this potential problem is to


vet prospects closely. The US military, Kearney notes, selects from exactly this age group—and turns down 80% of those who apply.(7) They look for attitude and aptitude, he points out, and the trucking industry should do so as well. This, says Kearney, is a


crucial moment for trucking, and for the next generation of truckers. It is also a time when the industry needs help. He advises young adults—and parents of young adults— looking for a career to take a look at trucking. Likewise, he notes, trucking companies looking for new workers should be reaching out to young people, including women. It is estimated that there are 50,000 fewer long- and short-haul truckers than are needed now, a total that, if nothing changes, could reach 160,000 by 2028. “The trucking industry,”


says Kearney, “is essential to the US economy in the same way that the military is essential to its defense. To flourish, it needs a young generation of workers with the


attitude, aptitude, and


training to keep the supply chain flowing and the highways safe. At ATS, we’re proud of our role in preparing the


next generation American truckers.” of


Issue 8 2020 - FBJNA


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massive ship-to-shore container cranes set to arrive in early November and go into service in early 2021. “As other areas of NIT are


modernized, the terminal’s current rail operation cannot keep up with forecasted rail growth,” Reinhart said. “Our goal


is to have 40 percent of our total container volume move by rail. This is an important investment to help meet that goal, to expand capacity, and maintain the expected level of service to cargo owners in the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and other inland markets.”


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