Friends, Georgia’s transportation infrastructure continues to be a focal point for those of us in the legislature, along with supporting the businesses connected to transportation, from car dealerships to freight and logistics companies. This year, we passed several pieces of legislation that involve transportation that will improve many Georgians’ lives and businesses. House Bill 808 re-defines “loaner vehicles” in the state of Georgia. Previously, car dealerships were only allowed to lend vehicles for thirty or fewer days without paying ad valorem tax, a significant cost to Georgia dealership…

Amazon announced plans Monday to hire more than 4,000 workers in metro Atlanta, increasing its workforce in Georgia by nearly half, part of a rising tide of jobs among online, logistics and shipping companies. The local hiring spurt by the e-commerce giant — part of 100,000 new positions it plans to fill nationally — is a welcome injection into a Georgia economy that has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and is struggling to regain its footing. It also underscores one part of the U.S. economy that is…

The Georgia Ports Authority is on track to exceed 4.6 million twenty-foot equivalent container units for the first time in a calendar year. That level of trade would be a 14 percent increase over volumes moved through Savannah just three years ago, or an additional 550,000 TEUs. Over the same period, the Authority has increased the annual capacity at the Port of Savannah from 5 million to 5.5 million TEUs. “Through incredible teamwork from the GPA and the ILA on the docks, to the motor carriers and Class I railroads, and to our partners…

A new report released recently by TRIP, a national transportation nonprofit that researches, evaluates and distributes economic and technical data on surface transportation issues, indicates that the ability of the nation’s freight transportation system to efficiently and safely accommodate the growing demand for freight movement could be hampered by inadequate transportation capacity, institutional barriers to enhancing the nation’s freight facilities and a lack of adequate funding. TRIP’s report found that freight delivery is expected to increase rapidly as a result of economic…

A glance out the window is all you need to know the Atlanta region is growing fast. Cranes are busy throwing up the next high rise, businesses are expanding, and moving trucks are frequent sights on the roads. And according to the region’s latest long-range forecast, the growth will continue, in a big way. By 2050, we’ll have 2.9 million new neighbors, and a total population of 8.6 million. To put the growth in perspective, it’s as if all of metro Denver will move to the Atlanta region over the next 30 years. Well, minus…

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – The Georgia Commission on Freight and Logistics is meeting in Savannah this week to study Georgia’s freight and logistics network. Their goal is to find ways to move freight more efficiently throughout the state while spurring economic growth and job creation. State and local leaders understand that in order for the record-setting growth at the ports to continue, certain things have to be in order, like the rail system. Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch highlighted some items from the recent State of the Port address, which included progress…