NYMTC Regional Freight Plan 2018-2045

Cheng Solutions evaluated the impact of increased e-commerce sales on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Planning Council's (NYMTC) 2020-2050 regional freight plan. The objective was to develop a projection for e-commerce sales through 2030 to gauge their potential impact on NYMTC-area transportation facilities including rail, road, and distribution assets. We used US Census data documenting e-commerce sales as a share of quarterly national retail sales since 1999 to generate a baseline trend; subjecting the outcome to qualitative adjustments accounting for intensity of internet usage by household, consumer habits and demographics. The findings clearly revealed the significant impact of e-commerce on freight transport and distribution facilities that needed to be incorporated into the regional plan. We also researched LTL trucking, autonomous vehicles and multi-story warehouse development trends and automation as they affect commodity flow patterns and trucking volumes in the NYMTC region, for years 2018-2019.