Trucking executive presses for railroad assistance

Trucking executive presses for railroad assistance    More long-haul freight must be moved by rail to avoid having goods held up in traffic congestion that is expected to double in some high-volume corridors, said Tom Finkbiner, chairman and president of large tank truck carrier Quality Distribution Inc., at a Transportation Table luncheon in the National Press Club.
   But relieving pressure on the highway system will require more investment in railroad lines and road access to ports, he said.
   Finkbiner, who also is chairman of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver, also said the federal government should earmark money for intermodal projects rather than giving states and localities flexibility to use their share of the Highway Trust Fund because they tend to ignore freight requirements when developing transportation projects.
   'We need a mandate for change, not the occasional sop to intermodalism that characterizes decision-making at the present time,' he said.