RECORD OF MEETING

FREIGHT TASK FORCE

DATE/TIME/PLACE: Monday, April 15, 1996; 2 PM; CDTC Offices, Colonie

ATTENDANCE: Dick Corp (NYSTA), Pat McLaughlin and Mark Denney (UPS), Carol Yupco (Conrail), Steve Iachetta (Albany County Airport), John Newman, Ted Thompson and Ray Gagnon (NYSDOT), Kristina Younger (CDTC)

DISCUSSION SUMMARY: Welcome and introductions started the meeting.

Status Reports: ALBANY COUNTY AIRPORT: Air cargo facility on schedule -- construction will take six months after contract award. Tom Samuels of AFCO is the contact. A wetlands mitigation back has been established, and the clearance project (can be seen from Route 7) is progressing. The Albany Shaker Road relocation project has a public scoping meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 17. Chungchin Chen brought up the idea of designating the Albany County Airport as a Foreign Trade Zone -- a way to allow foreign goods to avoid paying duty. It was agreed that this idea should be further pursued.

CP RAIL SYSTEMS: Intermodal service from Albany to the west has been discontinued. No abandonment papers have been filed. Negotiations with short line railroad(s) are "progressing". Output from the CP Rail World Wide Web site (http\\www\cprailway.com) were circulated.

CONRAIL: Clearance project in Massachusetts is going forward. In one or two years, there will be double-stack clearance from Albany to Boston, which will impact Selkirk operations.

UPS: Business Review list of package carriers appears the way it does because UPS will not release local market information. UPS changed its pricing strategy in mid-February to distance-based zones. They have also purchased Sonic Air.

PORT: Showed a profit last year.

NYSDOT: CP Rail/GE Clearance project is essentially functional and several large turbines have shipped through. Ted floated the idea of some additional rail sidings to accommodate SuperSteel at the Scotia-Glenville Industrial Park. An update on the Glenridge Road/Balltown Road/Route 50 projects was given.

RAIL GRADE CROSSING SAFETY: Use of reflective tape on freight cars was not dismissed as crazy. Some trucking firms have done this and it has made a difference. Carol Yupco noted that Bill Dwyer, the NYSDOT Attorney that has handled all crossing closure legal matters is retiring and no replacement is being trained -- a matter of some concern if closures are considered to be important.

DRI/McGRAW HILL FORECASTS: The fact that the forecast does not discuss the impact of the driver shortage was discussed, and the trucking firms present indicated that the issue is one of retaining qualified drivers, really. It was agreed that there currently is not a shortage of intermodal equipment, in general.

Obtaining Information on Upcoming Highway Construction: Memo should include Highway Advisory Radio frequencies (1610 AM) and the 1-800-THRUWAY number.

Fall Roundtable: Needs a catchier title -- try "Toward Tomorrow" or "Blueprint for Progress" -- perhaps related to a theme that is more of a "grabber". Discussion on the goal of the Roundtable (what's needed in the system, structuring of priorities, ongoing dialogue) led to a general consensus that a 2-panel structure was appropriate. The idea of adding a keynote speaker/lunch was also proposed as a way to increase interest/attendance. Ideas included Ambassador Gargano, the NYSDOT Commissioner, someone from outside with a freight perspective (SeaLand or someone), another success story from somewhere, DMV Reinvention, a Championship Driver, an award-winning truck inspector (Ray Gagnon) or the Governor's office. The downside of adding a lunch/speaker is the cost -- it may discourage attendance, unless of course the co-sponsors underwrite it, or the draw was great. It was decided that it was worthwhile to pursue both angles -- with guest speaker and without -- and see where the interest is. On the co-sponsorship issue - "the more the merrier" was the general sentiment. Ted Thompson, John Newman, and Carol Yupco volunteered to work on a Steering Committee with Kristina.

Presentations: THRUWAY COMMERCIAL EZPASS: Dick Corp presented EZPass and answered many questions about its operation. The linkage between Albany and NYC will be open May 30, and system-wide by the end of 1996. The presentation included an explanation of the technology, a description of the benefits of using it, the types of billing available (credit or business (if <$50/month) and the linkages with the systems in neighboring states. Questions ranged from "How do I get mine?", to "Can we explore a linkage to Airport Parking?" to "What will the impact on the Thruway work force be?" Applications, the Thruway Annual Report, and the April edition of "Thruway Traveller" were distributed as handouts.

ROADSIDE TRUCK INSPECTION PROGRAM: Ray Gagnon, an award-winning truck/school bus inspector presented the basics of the NYSDOT Roadside Inspection Program, including what they look for in an inspection (priority system focused on ensuring safety), common problems encountered (as well as some "war stories" of some thankfully non-so-common occurrences), and other aspects of the program. NYS does not use the State Police to conduct inspections -- the civil service job description requires a minimum of 10 years experience as a mechanic. In addition to roadside inspections, post-accident inspections, audits/checkups, education, and safety seminars are all part of the program. Nation-wide there is movement towards uniform inspection standards, and a large push from the federal government for enforcement of the hours of labor rules. These rules regarding the number of continuous hours and cumulative hours a driver can work were explained, as well as the technology (PCMiler) used to check driver log books. The inspectors do have the power to take drivers off the road, and NYS has BIG FINES ($1000 plus three points on license -- $2500 if hazardous materials are involved) if these citations are ignored.

ACTION ITEMS:

* NEXT MEETING: Monday, July 15, 1996, 2 - 4 PM, CDTC Offices. Agenda to include: Roundtable Planning, member updates, new business.

* Subcommittee to further develop the Roundtable plans, contact co-sponsors and potential guest speakers to report back to the task force in July.

* Task Force Experience Evaluations forms are still desired from ALL task force members.

* New Visions Response Worksheets due by June 1.