November 2008 |
TSRT Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 4 |
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 Committee Needs to Hear Your Company's Transportation Outlook |
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2030 Committee Seeks Public Testimony, Report in December
Many
of our members and newsletter recipients are large Texas employers and
count on a safe and reliable transportation system. Across all
industries, the ability to move goods and provide services with minimal
delays due to an efficient transportation system helps
businesses avoid greater costs provide better customer service.
Texas
employers and "consumers" of our state's roadway system have the unique
opportunity to share their transportation needs and impact the planning
process in Texas through the Texas Department of Transportation's
newly-formed 2030 Committee. The Committee was created to identify
transportation infrastructure needs of the state for the next 20 years.
In recent years there has been a growing, misguided movement to halt or
delay vital road construction projects in Texas.
"This
process is extremely important for businesses and citizens to
weigh-in," said Bill Noble, executive director for Texans for Safe
Reliable Transportation. "Having these needs clearly defined will help
to keep the lawmakers focused on specific problems and on finding
meaningful solutions in the coming legislative session."
The
Committee has conducted six regional public hearings to solicit verbal
and written testimony from state and local leaders, employers,
community activists and citizens. As the Committee fleshes out their
December report they are asking for additional input from all Texans.
The
Committee's mission is focused on needs and not on the financial
solutions to meeting these needs. As a result, submissions should focus
on anticipated needs. Some areas employers might consider addressing in
a letter to the extent possible given proprietary and competitive
constraints include:
- The impact your business has on the Texas economy (e.g. annual Texas income, number of Texas employees, etc.);
- How you use Texas' transportation infrastructure in your business;
- Your outlook on mobility needs to meet your strategic goals and keep your business prosperous;
- Specific improvements, if any (e.g. roads, bridges, etc.) that would improve your anticipated mobility needs; and,
- More generally, the need to focus on increasing transportation
infrastructure capacity to facilitate the movement of goods, services,
employees, customers, and to attract other business to Texas.
As
you compose your thoughts on your business' future transportation
needs, please try to be as specific as possible in your description of
how your business is affected by the state's infrastructure system.
Testimony should be submitted by email to 2030Committee@ttimail.tamu.edu
or by fax (979) 845-9356. If you or your organization would like more
information or assistance in submitting information to the 2030
Committee, please contact TSRT at (512) 782-2402 or email Lauren
Kennedy at lkennedy@bettertexasroads.org. |
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Texas Lyceum Conference on Transportation Moved to December 3 |
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The
Texas Lyceum, a prestigious group of business leaders, elected
officials and community activists, will soon host their 23rd annual
public policy conference. The conference, originally scheduled for
October, but delayed due to recovery efforts following Hurricane Ike,
will be held December 3 in Houston at the Houston Reliant Center. This
year's focus will be "Transportation Infrastructure: Establishing
Public Policy Priorities."
Among those scheduled to speak
at the conference are Texas Senators Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville)
and Kirk Watson (D-Austin), Houston Mayor Bill White, Harris County
Judge Ed Emmett, and TSRT Chairman Joe Krier, along with other
prominent transportation industry and business community leaders.
Topics
covered at the conference include freight, sustainability, financing
priorities and options, and delivering Texas infrastructure projects.
The conference will feature an innovative facilitation technique that
calls for speakers in each session to face each other to engage in
dialogue and will be moderated by a neutral party while conference
attendees surround the speakers to observe the conversation. A Q&A
session will follow and then conference participants will break into
facilitation groups of about 30 people to identify and prioritize
solutions or answers to the questions posed to them.
"Discussion
about our transportation infrastructure problems is abundant, but
common-sense transportation solutions are often not readily available,"
said Tim Belton, Chairman of the 2008 Texas Lyceum Public Conference -
Transportation Infrastructure: Establishing Public Policy Priorities.
"We have assembled an impressive list of speakers, but the real impact
will come from our innovative conference format that will engage all of
the participants in establishing those priorities, which we will in
turn publish in our annual Lyceum Journal. This conference is the last
major gathering of policy makers and thought leaders before the 2009
legislative session and will continue the Lyceum's 28 year history of
leadership."
Registration for the Conference is still open. You
can find more information and register online at
www.TexasLyceum.org or by phone at (214) 891-0001.
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TSRT Chairman Joe Krier Keynote Speaker at Ports-to-Plains |
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 Attendees
of the 11th annual Ports-to-Plains Corridor Conference in Del Rio and
Ciudad AcuŅa received more than reading material and nice views of
southwest Texas. The focus of the three day conference was to show the
over 200 attendees the benefits of doing business in communities along
the proposed Ports-to-Plains Corridor and in Mexico.
Conference
participants attended a networking reception, toured manufacturing
facilities in AcuŅa to get a view of the industry and opportunity for
new business in Mexico, and viewed a presentation on the cooperation
with and funds available from the Texas Department of Transportation.
TSRT
Chairman Joe Krier addressed the conference attendees at Thursday's
lunch, speaking on the history of prosperity surrounding Texas's
interstate highway system and the dire need for continued growth
throughout Texas.
"Texas is moving in a direction no one
could have anticipated 50 years ago," said Krier. "But now it's our job
to try and keep up. Texas has so many tools at hand to keep
infrastructure innovation moving and we must continue to be
forward-thinking. The Ports-to-Plains Corridor is a vital pathway to
prosperity for Texas and many other Western states."
The
Corridor has been identified by the U.S. Department of Transportation
as a high-priority corridor through West Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma
and Colorado, enabling faster and more efficient transport of goods and
services throughout the western states from Mexico to Canada. |
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Members Perspective: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. |
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 Mike Hansen is the Director of Transportation for
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
TSRT: How important is transportation to the daily operation of Wal-Mart's Texas stores?
Mike Hansen: Since the early days of our
company, the ability to move product from place to place quickly and
efficiently has been the cutting edge in Wal-Mart's success. Today,
technology, innovation and commitment from our associates continues to
fulfill our mission of providing our Wal-Mart customers and Sam's Club
members with an outstanding shopping experience that is uniquely
tailored to their community. Currently we maintain a 99.8% level of
service to our Stores and Clubs. Our logistics network is an integral
part of saving customers money so they can live better.
TSRT: Wal-Mart
is a global company with ever-changing transportation needs. What are
some of the transportation needs you are currently experiencing in
Texas?
MH: We
need roads that are well-maintained and multi-year plans that provide
for increasing capacity to accommodate traffic growth. In Texas,
we have 16 distribution centers, 5 transportation offices, 875
tractors, 6500 trailers and 1000 drivers servicing 444 stores
(including Sam's Clubs) each day. That's a significant amount of
movement on Texas roads and highways. Our #1 priority is to
safely drive on well-maintained roads with adequate access to our
facilities.
TSRT: Do you anticipate those needs changing in the next 20 years and if so, how?
MH: Wal-Mart's
overall impact on the retail industry has changed the way business is
conducted globally and increased consumer benefits, regardless of where
those consumers shop. Our trucks and buildings are already integrating
new practices and innovations which are helping us reduce waste and
become more energy efficient. Our goals include doubling fleet
efficiency by 2015, achieving a 20% carbon reduction in all of our
existing buildings in our division by 2012 and a 30% carbon reduction
in all of our new facilities by next year. We have already
improved our fleet efficiency by 15% (over the 2005 baseline) and have
identified technologies which will increase our efficiency by an
additional 10-13%. We will continue to advance our logistics
capabilities to save our customers money so they can live better.
One thing is certain: today and 20 years from today, we will need
roads that will support our transportation needs and allow us to serve
customers. |
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Upcoming Meetings and Events |
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Nov. 13, 2008: TxDOT Regional Town Hall Meeting
-University of Texas Permian Basin, Midland, TX
Dec. 3, 2008: Texas Lyceum Transportation Summit
-Reliant Center, Houston, TX
Dec. 15 & 16, 2008: Sunset Commission Decisions on TxDOT
-Austin, TX
Jan. 5-7, 2009: 4th Annual TxDOT Transportation Forum
-Hilton Hotel Downtown, Austin, TX
Jan. 5, 2009: TSRT Member Roundtable Discussion
-Hilton Hotel Downtown, Austin, TX
Jan. 7, 2009: 1st Quarter TSRT Executive Board Meeting
-Austin, TX
Jan. 13, 2009: 81st Legislative Session Begins
-Austin, TX
Feb. 2009: TSRT Women in Transportation Roundtable
Apr. 2009: 2nd Quarter TSRT Executive Board Meeting
June 2009: 3rd Quarter TSRT Executive Board Meeting and Annual Meeting, Topic: 81st Legislative Session Wrap-up |
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TSRT
is a coalition of Texas drivers, civic leaders and employers dedicated
to improving transportation in Texas. Our goal is to improve our
state's hurricane and disaster response, job creation and quality of
life by getting needed roads, rail, public transportation and other
infrastructure built and operating years sooner than expected. | |
