Freight movement is a critical part of our transportation system, impacting everything from the economy and environment to the supply chain and deliveries. At CTS’s annual all-councils meeting, three presentations showcased projects that align with the Center’s 2025 theme, “Unpacking Freight: From Producers to Front Doors.” From high-level strategy to ground-level innovation, speakers shared how technology and planning are reshaping transportation—and improving freight movement across the country.
Google for Transportation and public-sector partnerships
In an early preview of Google for Transportation, launching later this year, Kristin White shared how artificial intelligence (AI) and Google technology could help agencies solve new and longstanding mobility and infrastructure challenges. White, transportation industry executive and head of transportation strategy and partnerships at Google Public Sector, described Google’s goal of partnering with federal, state, and local agencies to tackle their biggest problems, including freight.
White’s presentation centered on four key areas in which Google for Transportation hopes to make an impact: safety, resiliency, operations, and planning. Potential applications include reducing emergency response times, predictive crash analytics, dynamic rerouting, weather forecasting, infrastructure inspection, and workforce development. White provided a key example: Since UPS began using a new Google for Transportation product in late 2024, the company has saved $400 million in the first quarter of 2025 with real-time rerouting, in addition to realizing safer and more efficient freight movement.
“Public and multimodal transportation is the pinnacle of how we help solve the world’s largest problems and get people to where they need to go,” White said—which only happens by putting people first. “If we are not placing people at the heart of our problem solving and our problem statements, we are wrong,” she said.
Toward reduced VMT: Freight electrification and innovative last-mile technologies
Alireza Khani, CTS scholar and associate professor with the U of M’s Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, began his presentation with a surprising statistic—since 1950, the US population has nearly doubled, but vehicle miles traveled (VMT) have increased sevenfold. Since transportation is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, Khani’s work is exploring strategies to reduce VMT and emissions from freight and last-mile delivery.
One strategy he discussed was electrifying medium- and heavy-duty trucks. While this might increase VMT in the short term because of limited charging access and longer detours, it could potentially reduce transportation costs and environmental impacts over time. Smart planning around access, proximity to power, and existing truck stop stations would be key for siting charging stations.
Khani also highlighted creative last-mile delivery methods such as shared lockers, cargo bikes, public transit, and even multi-step delivery systems that combine buses and bikes. Although much planning, coordination, and optimization would be needed, these solutions could make delivery more efficient and sustainable.
An open-data approach to curbside management
Dillon Fried, mobility and curbside access manager for the City of Minneapolis, described the city’s work to make curb access more efficient, equitable, and accessible—particularly for freight and delivery vehicles. Supported by the federal Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant Program, Stage 1 of the project is focused on reducing congestion, improving safety, promoting data-driven curb management, and sharing information with curb users.
Using lidar, smart cameras, and sensors, the team has built—and is continuously optimizing—a digital twin of the curb along a one-mile stretch of Nicollet Avenue packed with shops and restaurants. The smart map provides real-time monitoring and historical data of curb use, such as parking activity, types of vehicles, and curb availability. By using a standard called the Curb Data Specification, the city can easily share its data with others—and is already working with groups that include the University of Washington Urban Freight Lab to use this data for real-world applications.
Community and stakeholder engagement—including outreach to businesses and delivery drivers—has been key to understanding freight parking needs and challenges. With this feedback and data, Minneapolis is now testing new ways to manage curb space to better support all types of drivers. Based on its success, Minneapolis was selected as one of eight projects in the country to receive Stage 2 SMART grant funding. This next phase will allow the team to expand, improve, and scale its work even further.
Watch a video of the all-councils meeting presentations and discussion.
—Krysta Rzeszutek, CTS digital editor
