By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOTAs two leading transportation associations prepare to meet Nov. 9-14 in Atlanta, the presidents of the groups are focusing on the related issues of sufficient intermodal capacity and the impacts of heightened security demands. John B. Ficker, president and chief executive officer of the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), and Joni Casey, who has a like dual title at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), cited similar priorities in separate interviews with the American Journal of Transportation. Thus, the more than 3,000 industry leaders expected for the NITL’s 100th Annual Meeting and 25th TransComp Exhibition and IANA’s 25th Intermodal Expo, collocated this year at the Georgia World Congress Center, are likely to hear plenty about capacity and security concerns. “There are two major issues facing the transportation industry – capacity and security – and, frankly, I’m don’t know which one’s first, as they are intertwined,” NITL’s Ficker said. “Capacity has two major components,” Ficker continued. “We tend to think of capacity strictly from the standpoint of iron and steel and asphalt, but the other concern we face is human capacity.” Not only are there well-publicized shortages of truck drivers, but there also are not enough workers to fill jobs at railroads and on docks, Ficker noted. Existing workforces are getting older, while younger potential transportation industry workers are tending to shy away from the unusual hours and other demands of such labor. They must pass drug screenings and go through training in order to obtain this good-paying work. IANA’s Casey said she is concerned that federal implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program may well exacerbate such shortages. “The security piece clearly will add some costs to the system,” Casey said, “but, more importantly, it could stand to reduce the capacity, particularly with the truck drivers.” Casey said she has seen projections that TWIC requirements could reduce the number of truck drivers in the key Los Angeles-Long Beach gateway area by between 20%-25%. (It is believed that many of the drivers in Southern California are Mexican nationals as opposed to US residents.) Even if labor is sufficient to handle demands of burgeoning commerce, she said, physical infrastructure may not be, especially if the US government does not make available sufficient funding, as well as advance initiatives to encourage facility investments by private industry. Casey pointed to the removal of funding for critical intermodal connectors from the Safe, Acccountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, commonly referred to as SAFETEA-LU. “We’re still smarting from SAFETEA-LU,” Casey said. “The overarching task is that we do a much better job of educating legislators as to our needs for this next authorization cycle.” Casey noted that the federal Highway Trust Fund is projected to run out of money in 2009, while highway funding needs are estimated at $140 billion a year. IANA and NITL are among organizations that are supportive of tax credit bills and other incentives for private industry to fill a portion of the funding shortfall. “The private sector recognizes they have to step up,” Casey said. She said she believes cooperation between organizations representing all modes of transport and a full range of shippers, can help enhance legislative awareness of infrastructure funding needs. She cited such combined efforts as that of the Freight Stakeholders Coalition, which counts among its 17 organizational members both IANA and NITL, as well as such entities as the American Trucking Associations, the American Association of Port Authorities, the Association of American Railroads, the National Association of Manufacturers and the World Shipping Council. IANA’s roster of more than 700 corporate members covers all sectors of transportation, while NITL’s more than 600 members incl