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Transportation Leaders Discuss Present, Future Issues of Industry

3 min read

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said one of the biggest issues faced by the transportation industry is funding.

Slater, part of a panel discussion Tuesday at Philander Smith College on transportation, technology and logistics, said the debate is centered on fuel, which traditionally has been the driving force in funding transportation needs through gas taxes.

“With greater efficiencies [in vehicles and fuel mileage], we have fewer dollars,” he said. “The system is falling behind because of that.”

Slater said there is a fear and concern in raising the fuel tax, which has not been done since 1993.

“This is a big ticket item,” Slater said. “Getting this right is important and not taxing the American people too much is also important.”

Sandy Otto of the Arkansas Division of the Federal Highway Administration, said that while funding from the fuel and diesel taxes has remained stable, construction costs have increased dramatically. 

“With a widening gap, we have less and less to maintain highways,” Otto said. “It’s been said you can’t build your way out of congestion, and that’s true, but we still need construction and rehabilitation of our existing roads and bridges. Increasingly, we have not been able to depend on the fuel tax to do that.”

The panel, which also included Ronald Mathieu, executive director of the Clinton National Airport; Antoine Ajarrista, senior vice president and general manager of Dassault Falcon Jet; Kristi Crum, president of the South Central Region for Verizon Wireless; and Bryan Day, executive director of the Little Rock Port Authority, discussed various issues of the transportation industry, including fuel prices and how the terror threats affect daily operations.

The group also looked toward the future of the industry, including the rise of unmanned aerial aircraft, or dones.

Crum highlighted the role technology and communication can play in the transportation industry, citing the development of sensor technology that can detect congestion and reroute traffic, as well as the continued development of the autonomous vehicle.

“Where we’re going [in the industry] could change the way we get around,” Crum said.

The panel was mixed on the future of unmanned aerial aircraft and their place in the transportation industry.

Mathieu said he thought it was possible for drones to become widely-used, citing the possible digital creation of flight paths for the unmanned aircrafts to follow in the sky.

“It’s a fascinating concept and begins to show we don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring,” Mathieu said.

Ajarrista said the biggest challenge regarding drones would be the complexity of dealing with a high number of drones in the air at the same time.

Day also brought up the role of the government concerning drones and other evolving transportation technologies like Uber and Lyft.

“The challenge is the federal, state and local governments don’t know what to do with them,” Day said. “I don’t know what the answer is, but as we move forward, I hope all levels of government will approach the conversation with an open mind and not stop it before it gets off the ground.”

The panel discussion was moderated by Terry Esper, a transportation professor at the Sam Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. The panel discussion was part of the annual President’s Luncheon fundraiser.

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