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GoMDOT > About MDOT > Divisions > Office of Intermodal Planning > Intermodal Planning Resources > Programs > ITTS-LATTS

Study History, Premise, Purpose, Membership and Management

The Southeastern Transportation Alliance was formed in 1996 for the purpose of undertaking the Latin America Trade and Transportation Study (LATTS). Members of the Alliance included Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the FHWA. On August 1, 1997, Wilbur Smith Associates, as the lead consultant, was authorized by the Alliance to proceed with the approved LATTS work scope.

The premise of the study was the recognition that Latin America is poised for growth and that the recent boom in exports is a sign of things to come. Trade liberalization, which includes lowering and eliminating tariffs, combined with economic restructuring and privatization in Latin America presents huge trade potential. Therefore, the purpose of LATTS was to identify trade opportunities with Latin America, evaluate infrastructure investments needed to support growth in international trade, and develop strategies to guide infrastructure investments. The overall goal is to help the Southeastern Transportation Alliance states develop their competitive advantages to maximize production and wealth at home while, at the same time, broadening their global market opportunities.

Following the completion of LATTS (Phase I) in March 2001, the Study was taken to the next level under the name of LATTS II. Throughout LATTS II, interim products consisting of presentations and technical memoranda will be produced and submitted to the Alliance Members for review. Please, click on the LATTS link below for more information on this phase of the Study.

Where are We Now

To continue the original study initiatives, the member states decided to form an independent entity called ITTS (Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies.) The Institute, owned by the region states, will perform specialized analysis and research that individual states would need and could not undertake singularly. Please, click on the ITTS button in the upper left corner of this page for more information on this final phase of the Study.

LATTS, LATTS II, and ITTS are elements of a FHWA Pool Fund study, TPF-5(025), with the Mississippi Department of Transportation as the lead state.

ITTS - Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies

The Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies (ITTS) is a not-for-profit organization established jointly by the transportation agencies of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The purpose of the Institute is to assist its member states on freight-related transportation issues through research and specialized studies deemed necessary by individual or by member states as a group. Particularly, the Institute will identify member states with similar needs and will initiate regionally based studies to address those needs in a collaborative and cost effective manner. It will be governed by a Board of Directors (BOD) comprised of CEOs from member states’ DOTs and an ex-officio member appointed by the secretary of the US Department of Transportation.

History

Over the past two decades many states have faced dramatic increases in the volume of freight. This tremendous growth is being experienced in all modes of freight transportation thus producing radical changes in the operation of the nation’s transportation system. The future promises more of the same. This rapid growth is creating a huge challenge for state departments of transportation to understand and manage the resulting issues. The state DOTs are facing not only a severe shortage of financial resources, but also lack appropriate knowledge and expertise to deal with the problem. Consequently, many states, in regional and corridor combinations, are pooling their resources to maximize their effectiveness in addressing their common problems. A by-product of such alliances is the benefits of each others knowledge and experiences.

The southeastern states (SASHTO) undertook the Latin American Trade and Transportation Study (LATTS) in an attempt to plan for their future freight transportation challenges. To continue the initiative originated by LATTS, the member states decided to form an independent entity called the Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies (ITTS) that will continue LATTS’ efforts in assisting the member states on freight related transportation issues. The Institute, owned by the region states, will perform specialized analysis and research that individual states would need and could not undertake singularly. The Institute’s effectiveness will be in its ability to identify member states with similar needs and to address those needs regionally in a collaborative and cost effective manner.

At a recent AASHTO meeting in Nashville, TN., the ITTS Board and its Bylaws were approved. Johnny Bradberry, Executive Director of the Louisiana DOT was elected President, Lindo Tippett, Executive Director, North Carolina DOT was elected Vice President, and Butch Brown, Executive Director of the Mississippi DOT was elected Secretary/Treasurer, and Harold Linnenkohl, Executive Director of the Georgia DOT was appointed as a member of the newly formed ITTS Executive Committee.

Name - The official name for ITTS is the Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies. ITTS will be located in New Orleans, LA. Temporarily, ITTS will be housed at World Trade Center, 2 Canal Street, Suite 2900, New Orleans, LA 70130-1507.
Membership - The current membership list includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Governing Structure- The ITTS governing structure will consist of the following:
1. A Board of Directors made of CEOs of the state transportation departments of the member states and an ex-officio member appointed by the secretary of the US Department of Transportation;
2. An Executive Committee of the Board made of 4 members of the Board appointed to conduct routine business;
3. An Executive Director appointed by the board;
4. An Advisory Council consisting of staff from member departments, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Transportation Research Board (TRB), industry and others. The Advisory council will be responsible for suggesting an annual work plan for the Institute.
The Institute will:
1. Assist member states in developing public policy with regard to trade and freight transportation. This service could include organizing and conducting “visioning” sessions for one or more member states to formulate policies. Additional products could be position papers and letters for member states to use in educating their respective Congressional delegations and state legislatures;
2. Prepare presentation materials including supporting data, analysis and speaker notes to be used by transportation officials from member states to convey trade and freight transportation in an informed manner;
3. Provide expert testimony in support of trade/freight initiatives of member states with their respective Governors, state legislators and/or congressmen. Having an outside, quasi-independent source often lends additional credibility to the statements of transportation officials;
4. Monitor trade flows, trends and forecasts by reputable organizations and keeping member states abreast of these trends and their potential impacts on member states. One possible medium includes an annual report consisting of a succinct overview;
5. Monitor federal legislation and free trade agreements and provide member states with an analysis of the implications on the transportation systems of member states;
6. Provide coordination of planning efforts of member states to ensure critical corridors are developed from a logistics perspective. A specific product would be a synopsis of the statewide plans of Border States with implications for member states. For example, which facilities will be upgraded or how will traffic flows be change at the border due to planned actions or inaction by the border states;
7. Assist member states in conducting specialized studies or in implementing specific plans by providing expertise and information through Institute resources or contracted resources;
8. Serve as a liaison with FHWA, AASHTO, the ENO Transportation Foundation, the Hudson Institute, etc on issues of importance to member states;
9. Provide training opportunities either directly by developing and delivering courses or indirectly by supporting the attendance of member states’ staff at alternative training opportunities such as NHI sponsored training; and
10. Convene annual trade and freight transportation forums for member states and other interested parties, perhaps in conjunction with regional or national meetings such as SASHTO or TRB.
Restrictions - The Institute would be restricted from engaging in activities wherein the interests of one or more member state(s) are jeopardized in favor of another member state or states. This would not preclude the Institute from offering advice or services to any member state regarding how best to accommodate/facilitate international trade and commodity flows; however, the Institute would be prohibited from advising one member state on how to gain an advantage over another member state. In other words, it is not the purpose of the Institute to promote policies that simply redistribute the opportunities among member states but rather its purpose is to promote policies that result in a win-win situation for all.
Funding - The member state are to fund the Institute though annual allocation and by employing the Institute to conduct specific projects. Additionally, the institute will generate funds from a variety other public and private sources for specialized services.
Fiduciary responsibilities - This section will be developed by the Board of Directors & the Executive Committee.
Alliances - The Institute is to make every effort to establish a meaningful and cooperative relationship with related public and private entities and may include:
1. USDOT - FHWA, FRA, FAA, FTA
2. AASHTO
3. TRB
4. MARAD
5. University Transportation Centers
6. Other Institutes
7. Freight Associations and Other Stakeholders

LATTS - Latin America Trade and Transportation Study

The first phase of the LATTS undertaking has been completed and all reports have been submitted. We would like to share what we have learned and have made copies of all the reports available for online viewing and downloading. Descriptions and links to the reports are below.

Executive Summary - This is a brief summary of the LATTS findings. It is available in high resolution (300 dpi) and low resolution (72 dpi) formats.

The Executive Summary is presented here in Adobe Acrobat format. To view the Executive Summary, you need to have a working copy of the Adobe Acrobat reader.

The Executive Summary is presented below in 4 different formats. The 72 DPI formats are slightly smaller and faster to download, while the 300 DPI formats will result in better hard copy print quality. To download a file to your hard disk, right click on the link and select "Save Target As" from the pop-up menu which appears. To view onscreen in your browser, in PDF format, just click on the link.

Spanish - Executive Summary in Spanish

Alliance Report - This is the complete report for the entire Alliance region. It consists of multiple sections which are saved as separate files.

The Alliance Report is presented here in Adobe Acrobat format. To view them you need a current version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system.

To view the Alliance Report, click on the section below which you would like to view. To download the file, right click on the section you would like to download and select "Save Target As" on the pop-up menu which appears.