FMC Holds Series of Meetings on Maritime Transportation Data Initiative

On January 27, 2022, Commissioner Carl W. Bentzel updated his colleagues about the Maritime Transportation Data Initiative (MTDI) he is leading. This initiative has three key goals: cataloging the status quo in maritime data, storage, and access across the transportation chain; identifying key gaps in data definitions/classification; and developing recommendations for common data standards and access policies/protocols. The MTDI is examining the data generated by a container from its arrival at a US port to its destination. Commissioner Bentzel is hosting meetings to gather information from representatives of all sectors of the supply chain involved in moving a container. To date, he has heard from beneficial cargo owners, drayage truckers, chassis providers, and providers of warehousing, distribution, and third-party logistics services. Information about past and future meetings have been organized on a dedicated landing page on the Commission’s website where links to video recordings of meetings can also be found. The MTDI will culminate in a Data Summit tentatively scheduled for June of this year. The meeting with chassis providers was held January 25, 2022, with Ron Widdows – FlexiVan, President/CEO; Daniel Walsh – TRAC Intermodal, President/CEO; and Mike O’Malley – DCLI, SVP – Government & Public Relations, Human Resources, as the scheduled participants. The meeting with members of the railroad industry was held February 1, 2022, with Jim Bishop, Director International Sales—Union Pacific Railroad; Scott Hernandez, Assistant Vice President Intermodal Business Unit Operations, System—BNSF Railway; D’Andrae Larry, Group Vice President International Marketing & Sales—Norfolk Southern Corporation; Jay Strongosky, Director International Intermodal Sales—CSX Transportation, as scheduled participants. The meeting with Federal Agencies was held February 8, 2022, with Matthew Chambers, Senior Transportation Specialist, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation; James Swanson, Director, Cargo Security and Controls, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; April Taylor, Economist, Transportation Services Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and Olivia Volkoff, Policy Advisor, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, as scheduled participants. The meeting with Ocean Transportation Intermediaries was held February 15, 2022, with Alan Baer, President OL USA LLC; Butch Connor, Vice President, John S. Connor, Inc.; Michelle Fajardo, President, Cargo International Consolidators, Inc.; and Terry Maready, Chief Information Officer, Mallory Alexander, as scheduled participants.