The N.C. Department of Transportation is updating the Statewide Multimodal Freight Plan and would like your help identifying issues and future opportunities with freight movement in North Carolina. Your input will help guide the Freight Plan Update and identify ways that NCDOT can support efficient and effective movement of freight. Please take a moment and respond to the following questions. The survey will be available through Friday, June 17, 2022. 

 

1. What is your ZIP Code?

2. What region do you represent?

Central
30%
Eastern
28%
Western
20%
Statewide
18%
Neighboring State
4%
Closed to responses | 83 Responses

3. Which of the following best describes your role with the freight/logistics industry?

Freight carrier: long haul
40%
Public sector/government
37%
Manufacturing/agricultural
10%
Other (please specify)
7%
Freight carrier: local
3%
Intermodal
3%
Retail/warehousing
1%
Closed to responses | 73 Responses

4. Which modes of freight do you use? [Choose all that apply]

Trucking
77%
Rail/train
23%
Airports/air
23%
Ports/maritime
20%
None
15%
Hazardous materials
14%
Military
6%
Pipeline
5%
Closed to responses | 65 Responses

5. Which modes of freight do you use the most? [Choose one]

Trucking
74%
None
16%
Airports/air
4%
Ports/maritime
3%
Rail/train
1%
Pipeline
1%
Hazardous materials
0%
Military
0%
Closed to responses | 70 Responses

6. How would you rate the whole multimodal freight transportation system in North Carolina?

Satisfactory; not as bad as other regions, but experience issues during certain times
58%
Poor; many aspects need improvement
15%
Good; very few problems
13%
Inadequate; I constantly know of, or experience, transportation issues related to freight movement and safety
9%
Very good; no problems
4%
Closed to responses | 67 Responses

7. How would you rate the air freight transportation system in North Carolina?

Satisfactory; not as bad as other regions, but experience issues during certain times
65%
Good; very few problems
22%
Poor; many aspects need improvement
7%
Inadequate; I constantly know of, or experience, transportation issues related to freight movement and safety
4%
Very good; no problems
2%
Closed to responses | 55 Responses

8. How would you rate the port freight transportation system in North Carolina?

Satisfactory; not as bad as other regions, but experience issues during certain times
60%
Good; very few problems
17%
Poor; many aspects need improvement
13%
Inadequate; I constantly know of, or experience, transportation issues related to freight movement and safety
8%
Very good; no problems
2%
Closed to responses | 53 Responses

9. How would you rate the rail freight transportation system in North Carolina?

Satisfactory; not as bad as other regions, but experience issues during certain times
64%
Poor; many aspects need improvement
18%
Good; very few problems
11%
Inadequate; I constantly know of, or experience, transportation issues related to freight movement and safety
7%
Very good; no problems
0%
Closed to responses | 55 Responses

10. What do you believe are the top three features of freight movement in North Carolina?

Adequate transportation system (highways, ports, railroads and intermodal connectivity)
67%
Favorable business climate
37%
Travel time reliability
33%
Access to markets/supplier/customer base/ international access
32%
Availability or strength of labor/workforce
25%
Multimodal/intermodal connections
23%
Availability of land for transport facility development
16%
Energy/utility costs
14%
Public/private coordination
12%
Availability of rail infrastructure
9%
Other (please specify)
7%
Closed to responses | 57 Responses

11. What specific areas of North Carolina's freight/logistics system need the most work? [Select top three]

Roads and highways
59%
Trucking/truck parking
55%
Workforce
31%
Regulations
22%
Ports/maritime
19%
Urban delivery/last mile delivery
19%
Rail
14%
Intermodal facilities
14%
Safety/security
14%
Pipeline
7%
Airports/air
2%
Other (please specifiy)
2%
Closed to responses | 58 Responses

12. Please select your top three freight highway challenges in North Carolina.

Congestion (significant reduced travel speeds from posted conditions)
69%
Truck parking (adequate safe and convenient parking for truck drivers)
58%
First and last mile connections (The beginning and end of the supply chain. These connections are often the most challenging for freight shippers.)
38%
Rural connectivity (ability to provide freight mobility and connectivity in less populated parts of the state)​
33%
Reliability (ability to plan for a travel trip)
25%
Safety (vehicle crashes)
22%
Freight network design (geometrics, pavement design, bridge heights, etc.)
18%
Asset preservation (ability to maintain the freight infrastructure)
15%
Redundant routes (having different ways to enter or leave communities)
9%
Closed to responses | 55 Responses

13. Please select your top three air cargo needs or challenges in North Carolina.

Multimodal connectivity between the airport and rail, ports or highways
65%
Availability of air cargo service
51%
Improving air cargo infrastructure
51%
Cost of air cargo service
49%
Timeliness of air cargo service
37%
Other (please specify)
9%
Closed to responses | 43 Responses

14. Please select your top three port needs or challenges in North Carolina.

Port roadway or highway connectors
76%
Cargo distribution
42%
Port waterway related projects
38%
Port railroad related connection or projects
36%
Freight related technologies
31%
Funding and grant programs
20%
Other (please specify)
16%
Closed to responses | 45 Responses

15. Please select your top three pipeline cargo needs in North Carolina.

Permitting processes
63%
Regulatory
55%
Federal government support
55%
State government support
45%
Funding programs
24%
Other (please specify)
16%
Closed to responses | 38 Responses

16. Please select your top three rail needs or challenges in North Carolina.

Availability of direct rail service
69%
Infrastructure needs
62%
Cost of rairoad service
40%
Multimodal public and private partnerships
38%
Intermodal bulk and container transfer facilities
36%
Other (please specify)
7%
Closed to responses | 45 Responses

17. Overall what are the top three current challenges or barriers to freight/logistics movement in North Carolina?

Travel time reliability due to congestion
61%
Inadequate transportation system (highway, ports railroads and intermodal connectivity)
59%
Cost of doing business
35%
Regulations
27%
Availability or strength of labor/workforce
24%
Access to markets/supplier/customer base/international markets
20%
Availability of rail infrastructure
12%
Public/private coordination
12%
Long term energy/utility costs
10%
Availability of land
8%
Inadequate technology
6%
Other (please specify)
6%
Favorable business climate
2%
Availability for drone delivery
2%
Closed to responses | 51 Responses

18. What do you believe will be the top three current challenges or barriers to freight/logistics movement in North Carolina in 10 years?

Inadequate transportation system (highway, ports railroads and intermodal connectivity)
76%
Travel time reliability due to congestion
60%
Cost of doing business
32%
Availability or strength of labor/workforce
28%
Long term energy/utility costs
16%
Regulations
16%
Availability of rail infrastructure
14%
Access to markets/supplier/customer base/international markets
12%
Favorable business climate
8%
Public/private coordination
8%
Inadequate technology
8%
Availability of land
6%
Other (please specify)
6%
Availability for drone delivery
2%
Closed to responses | 50 Responses

19. Please select the top three issues you believe will most impact the near-term (the next five years) success of the freight/logistics economy in North Carolina.

Government investment in hard infrastructure improvements (roads, bridges, ports, rail, pipeline, etc.)
73%
Current national/state/local policies related to trade and transportation
59%
Workforce availability and development
59%
Availability/performance of soft infrastructure (customs, legal, forwarders, warehousing, etc.)
31%
Availability of capital
18%
Technological innovation (i.e. Autonomous/Connected Vehicles)
16%
Other (please specifiy)
12%
Knowledge transfer/data availability
6%
Closed to responses | 49 Responses

20. Please select your top three performance measures for evaluating freight movement in North Carolina.

On-time reliability
77%
Congestion/bottlenecks
69%
Economic Impact
42%
Movement of freight by volume
31%
Security
25%
Community impacts
21%
Other (please specify)
8%
Global markets
4%
Closed to responses | 48 Responses

21. Please drag and drop the designated pin on the map to identify the needs and challenges for trucking and freight movement.

22. What innovations in technology do you see having the biggest impact on freight movement in North Carolina over the next 10-15 years? Choose all that apply.

Electrification of vehicles
Autonomous truck/connected trucks
Drones/package delivery
Automation in ports
Automation in intermodal facilities
Automation in rail
Other (please specify)
Closed to responses

23. Are there other freight/logistics issues or opportunities that you would like to comment about?

Closed for Comments

24. What other things could NCDOT do to better support or facilitate freight movement?

Closed for Comments