It’s been a few weeks since the official victory of Joe Biden in the US presidential elections. While the win of a Democratic party representative over the Republican Donald Trump has resulted in lots of discussions, many now try to forecast how it will change the US economy. Experts anticipate changes in many industries, and we are particularly interested in how Biden’s presidency will affect logistics and transportation. Here are some key things to know.
How Biden’s presidency will affect transportation?
New FMCSA and DOT executives
Firstly, a new president will appoint the new head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the new leader of the Department of Transportation (DOT). For the DOT role, there are two executives being considered at the moment: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and L.A. Metro chief Phillip Washington, who is considered to be the leader of Biden’s transportation team.
Infrastructure
It is also highly expected that Biden will make mask usage mandatory for drivers, carriers, warehouse workers, public transit, airlines, and other industry branches and employees. According to his program, Biden has many plans for infrastructure as well. House Transportation Chair Peter DeFazio has stated that he is looking forward to working with the new president to deliver results, and admitted they have shared goals on creating “a robust national rail network and transportation that is clean, efficient, reliable and resilient to extreme weather events.”
Rail
Rail industry representatives are excited about Biden’s presidency and some positive changes are anticipated in rail transportation, both passenger and freight.
Air
Airports Council International (ACI) has recently released a statement to highlight Biden’s support for their initiative of increasing the Passenger Facility Charge “so that airports across the country can make the long-term investments they need to modernize our entire aviation infrastructure.” Also, the new president-elect proposed redirecting routes from capacity-constrained airports to smaller hubs and setting a mask mandate for the airline industry workers.
