Cover Story Breakbulk & Project Cargo
With those efforts in question, heavy haulers with a stake in the multimodal network are forging ahead with their own push for processes, highway improvements and infrastructure specific to the transport of oversized and / or overweight( OS / OW) loads that carry breakbulk and project cargo over land.
“ The continuing message is: Don’ t forget the oversized-overweight segment. If a state is going to be looking at corridors for freight, remember that our industry is out there as well, and we’ re going to need some slightly different accommodations on those highway networks,” Chris Smith, transportation vice president for the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association( SC & RA), told the Journal of Commerce.
Creation of the network was scheduled to advance to the final stages this spring, although that timeline was set during the final days of the Biden administration.“ I think uncertainty is the word of the day,” Smith said.
After failed attempts by the Obama and previous Trump administrations to establish the network, the Biden administration revived those efforts in late 2023.
“ The continuing message is: Don’ t forget the oversizedoverweight segment.”
On Jan. 13, a week before US President Donald Trump took office, the US Department of Transportation( USDOT) published a draft version of its National Multimodal Freight Network map, informed by public comments the department solicited in April 2024.
The draft was signed Jan. 6 by Allison Dane Camden, then principal deputy assistant secretary for multimodal freight under the USDOT. Camden, who was tapped by the Biden administration to oversee the network’ s development, has since left the department. The USDOT did not provide responses to a Journal of Commerce inquiry in time for publication.
The draft network consists of 175,000 miles of highways, railways and waterways, along with 205 marine
Chris Smith Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association
John Welch Lone Star Transportation ports and airports designated as critical to freight movement and global and domestic supply chains.
The USDOT opened the draft to public comments for modifications to the draft through Feb. 27, with plans to designate the network in spring 2025. Once designated, the network could be used to inform decision-making and investment priorities at the federal, state and local levels.
When tying freight corridors to ports, industrial parks, and intermodal centers, Smith said both federal and state corridor mapping should factor in the needs of heavy-haul transport.
“ The economic impact of the things our segment carries far outpaces the volume. But there are some special needs that come with that,” he said.
Parking problems
Establishing a network of critical multimodal corridors could help remedy a perennial challenge for heavy-haul truckers: the need for more rest stops that can accommodate oversized loads, as some rest areas restrict them.
Smith cited a concerted effort by the USDOT to address the shortage of parking for cargo trucks, especially in urban and high-traffic areas. Finding enough space for container trucks and standard-size hauls presents a challenge in and of itself but factoring in heavy-haul vehicles and loads adds another layer of complexity.
“ Oversized, overweight permanent loads often run on local and state highways, not on the interstate, so if all the rest stations are on the interstate, that’ s a problem,” Smith said.
John Welch, general manager of heavy-haul and wind operations for Fort Worth-based Lone Star Transportation, told the Journal of Commerce that developing such a map could help governments pinpoint where to locate rest areas, while giving commercial developers insights into where to build truck stops.
“ I would hope that would encourage the Flying Js, the Pilots, the larger truck stops to start putting their facilities along those corridors,” he said.
Welch said federal mapping could also help government entities prioritize which corridors need improvements.“ I think this network would be great, especially if these roads were continually funded by federal grants so they’ re constantly being repaired and upgraded,” he said.
Preserving the existing corridors that heavy haulers rely on is another concern for OS / OW transporters. Craig McGraw, vice president of sales and marketing for New Jersey-based Trans American Trucking & Warehouse, told the Journal of Commerce that the addition of roundabouts makes it more difficult for oversized loads to maneuver.
“ All the heavy-haul routes are in place for a reason, so our big push was just to keep everything the way it is with that,” McGraw said.
Roundabouts can make things particularly challenging when transporting massive components like wind turbines, Welch said.
“ A route that would be good for a general 13-axle heavy load would not necessarily be good for the blades. We could not get most of our blades into and out of most of
8 Journal of Commerce | June 2025 www. joc. com