The USDOT released the 2026 National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP), a multi-year strategy to modernize the nation’s nearly seven-million-mile freight network. This roadmap will enhance the safety, security, and efficiency of the multimodal network that moves more than 54 million tons of goods valued at more than $68 billion across America every single day.

"While national policy sets our destination, data and real-world execution are what get us there. As DOT's first Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight, I'm looking forward to implementing the strategies identified in this plan to meet our vision of a safe, secure, efficient, and resilient multimodal freight system that serves as the foundation for the United States to compete in the global economy," says Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight Infrastructure & Policy Michael Rutherford.

One of the goals of the plan is to modernize freight infrastructure and foster game changing technologies, in four ways:

- Support safe testing and deployment of advanced freight technologies

- Promote interoperable digital standards for freight data and operations

- Direct Federal research and pilots toward high-impact freight use cases

- Lower adoption barriers of proven innovations across the freight network