DOT Brings Freight Leaders Together to Reduce Cargo Delays

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) brought together more than 100 representatives from the logistics industry to advance new tools designed to anticipate congestion, reduce delays, and improve freight movement nationwide.

Every day, more than 54 million tons of goods valued at $68 billion move through America’s freight network. Behind those figures are millions of operations that depend on precise coordination among ports, railroads, distribution centers, and trucks. When one part of that system experiences delays, the consequences can ripple throughout the entire supply chain.

The gathering took place on October 21 during the 2026 annual meeting of Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW), an initiative that uses shared data to anticipate congestion, improve freight movement, and reduce operating costs.

Participants included ocean carriers, railroad operators, trucking companies, container chassis providers, and major shippers moving goods across the country and internationally.

The central objective is to identify potential problems before they turn into delays affecting carriers, businesses, and consumers.

Why Freight Delays Hit Truck Drivers Especially Hard

Trucking plays a critical role in the U.S. economy. Trucks move more than 70% of the nation’s freight tonnage, connecting major ports, rail terminals, factories, warehouses, and distribution centers.

However, a significant portion of the industry’s operating costs is not directly related to miles traveled, but rather to the time vehicles spend sitting idle.

A truck driver arriving at a port terminal to pick up a container may encounter congested access roads, equipment that is not yet available, or delays in chassis assignments. These situations create unproductive hours, increase fuel consumption, and make it harder to plan subsequent trips.

The problem also affects trucking companies that must coordinate drivers, equipment, delivery schedules, and vehicle availability.

In this environment, having advance information about incoming freight and terminal operating capacity could become a valuable tool for reducing waiting times.

FLOW: How the Platform Works to Anticipate Supply Chain Problems

FLOW is a public-private collaboration that allows companies and government agencies to securely share logistics information.

Its main difference from traditional systems is that it aims to provide a broader view of the supply chain rather than relying solely on the information available to individual companies.

For example, a trucking company may know when a particular container is expected to arrive but may not have enough information about cargo backlogs at other ports or upcoming changes in freight demand.

FLOW aims to bring together indicators that help identify these trends and support earlier, better-informed operational decisions.

The variables it can analyze include purchase orders from major importers, future container demand, intermodal equipment availability, and cargo dwell times at terminals.

The platform operates through information sharing between participating companies and the DOT, with safeguards designed to protect the confidentiality of commercially sensitive data.

Access to consolidated information allows participating businesses to identify trends that would be difficult to detect using only their internal records.

What Could Change for Trucking Companies?

Although FLOW is not a navigation app designed for individual drivers, the information it generates could help trucking companies make better decisions when planning freight operations.

If a terminal anticipates a significant increase in incoming containers, logistics operators can prepare for higher demand for trucks and equipment.

Similarly, if delays are identified along certain freight corridors, companies can consider adjusting pickup schedules, delivery appointments, or equipment distribution.

For fleets, improved coordination could mean fewer unproductive trips, better vehicle utilization, and more efficient driver scheduling.

It could also improve coordination between railroads and trucking companies, particularly in intermodal operations where containers move from one mode of transportation to another.

However, these potential benefits will depend on industry participation, the quality of the information being shared, and how effectively companies use that information in their daily operations.

A Freight Network Spanning Nearly Seven Million Miles

The initiative is part of a broader federal strategy to modernize the nation’s freight transportation infrastructure.

The United States has a multimodal freight network spanning nearly seven million miles, or approximately 11.2 million kilometers, connecting highways, railroads, ports, and other logistics facilities.

During the meeting, Michael Rutherford, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy at the DOT, emphasized the importance of keeping every component of the transportation system connected.

He explained that freight transportation serves as the backbone of American commerce, linking farms to factories, ports to communities, and producers to markets.

He also warned that when one link in the network fails, the consequences can spread across other transportation modes and sectors of the economy.

The meeting also aligns with the American Supply Chain Sovereignty Initiative, launched by the Trump administration, and the 2026 National Freight Strategic Plan, introduced by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.

Both initiatives seek to strengthen America’s logistics capabilities and modernize the freight transportation system.

The Cost of Waiting: A Problem for the Entire Supply Chain

Congestion does more than inconvenience truck drivers. It also creates additional expenses that can accumulate throughout the supply chain.

When a container remains at a terminal longer than expected, companies may face additional charges known as demurrage and detention.

Those expenses come on top of lost working hours, fuel consumed while waiting, and reduced vehicle availability for additional loads.

For a trucking company, even a relatively short delay can disrupt the scheduling of multiple deliveries throughout the day.

In intermodal operations, the impact can multiply when delays simultaneously affect the availability of containers, chassis, railcars, and trucks.

That is why one of FLOW’s biggest challenges is turning large volumes of logistics data into practical tools that allow companies to make decisions before problems reach the highways.

Less Uncertainty in Freight Transportation

The annual FLOW meeting highlighted a key priority for the U.S. logistics industry: improving coordination among companies that operate independently but rely on one another to keep freight moving.

The initiative cannot eliminate traffic jams, infrastructure limitations, or capacity shortages on its own. Nor does it guarantee that terminal waiting times will disappear.

Its potential value lies in providing advance information so operators can better prepare for changes in demand and possible disruptions.

For truck drivers and trucking companies, the most important outcome will not be the amount of data available, but whether that information translates into more predictable operations, fewer hours spent waiting, and more efficient equipment utilization.

In a transportation network that moves $68 billion worth of goods every day, even small improvements in coordination could make a significant difference for the trucking industry.