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OUR MISSION

Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies logo

About ITTS

The Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies (ITTS) is a non-profit state corporation.

As a multi-state coalition and pooled fund, the ITTS is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and ITTS member state Departments

of Transportation. The current ITTS state membership consists of the State DOTs from the following States: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri,

South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.

The ITTS fosters regional collaboration among its Members and leads freight planning in the Southeast by: providing research and information concerning freight trends and freight planning; developing effective freight planning tools and procedures; and partnering with

and nurturing collaborative relationships with relevant organizations and stakeholders.

ITTS Strategic Plan

Vision

To become a national leader in freight movement analyses and planning for the public sector, so
member states may facilitate the development of a transportation freight network that helps businesses and industries thrive.

Mission

To support member states in developing their competitive advantages to capture trade opportunities and economic benefits through improved transportation planning, investments, collaboration, and operations.

Values

To guide the organization and decision making, ITTS will:

  • Be collaborative, to develop and implement best practices for freight planning.

  • Be respectful, to each other and our partners. 

  • Be innovative, to seek out new ideas and practices to help each member grow in knowledge and expertise.

  • Be inclusive, to leverage partnering opportunities with agencies or multi-state coalitions addressing similarly-themed issues.

  • Be bold, to lead with one voice for freight planning in the Southeast.

Goals

To accomplish its Vision, ITTS will:

  • Provide a platform for regional collaboration

  • Inform members of current and anticipated freight trends

  • Develop effective freight planning tools for member states

  • Identify and nurture close and collaborative working relationships with relevant federal and
    state agencies, associations, academic institutions, and private sector firms, to keep abreast of developments in freight planning and trade, and to enhance the outcomes of work on common interests

  • Assist member state DOTs to integrate freight planning into their core business procedures

  • Partner with other organizations, including, but not limited to, public agencies, private firms,
    multi-state coalitions, and industry associations, to advance freight planning through research and collaboration

ITTS Governing Structure

The ITTS governing structure consists of the following:

  • A Board of Directors comprised of CEOs of the state transportation departments of the member states, or his/her designated representative;

  • A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprised of staff from member departments and
    Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The TAC will be responsible for developing an annual work plan for the Institute.

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