American Road and Transportation Builders Association
 | |
| Trade Association | |
| Industry | Transportation |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Founder | Horatio Earle |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., USA |
Area served | United States |
Key people |
T. Peter Ruane (President & CEO) William Toohey (Executive Vice President & COO) Larry Tate (2010 Chairman) William Cox (2010 Senior Vice Chairman) |
| Website | http://www.artba.org |
Established in 1902, the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) advocates strong investment in transportation infrastructure to meet public demand for a safe and efficient business transportation network.
The association has more than 5,000 members from the public and private sectors. The U.S. transportation construction industry that ARTBA represents generates more than $200,000 million in annual economic activity and sustains 2.5 million American jobs. ARTBA membership divisions include: contractors, planning & design, transportation officials, traffic safety, materials & services, public-private partnerships, research & education, and equipment manufacturers. ARTBA’s members have extensive knowledge and experience in building the road, rail, air, port and waterway facilities of the United States. Since 1902, the association’s unique federation structure and outstanding track record have had no parallel in the U.S. construction industry.
With the next highway/transit investment bill in Congress, ARTBA is proposing a new vision and mission for the future of the nation’s federal surface transportation programs. The association’s “Critical Commerce Corridors” goods movement program—aimed at adding new intermodal capacity to handle the expected doubling of truck traffic over the next 20 years—offers the largest transportation construction market opportunity in a generation. The “Transportation Makes America Work!” campaign is helping build political support for ARTBA’s legislative proposals.
Mission
ARTBA is a federation whose primary goal is to aggressively grow and protect transportation infrastructure investment to meet the public and business demand for safe and efficient travel. In support of this mission, ARTBA also provides programs and services designed to give its members a global competitive edge.[1]
Legal & Regulatory Advocacy
ARTBA aggressively takes action to defend transportation construction industry market interests when threatened by dubious regulation or litigation. ARTBA’s legal advocacy has allowed nearly $50 billion in approved, yet challenged, U.S. transportation projects and plans to move forward. In 2009, the association expanded its market protection activities for the future with the creation of the Transportation Development Legal Advocacy & Education Center.
ARTBA also actively represents the industry’s views before federal regulatory agencies, regularly submitting comments on issues like clean air and water, wetlands, stormwater, greenhouse gas emissions and work zone safety.[2]
Economics and research
The U.S. transportation design and construction industry generates more than $200 billion in economic activity annually and sustains 2.5 million American jobs. As the money invested in transportation construction industry employment and purchases moves through the U.S. economy, it generates over $380 billion in total annual economic activity for the nation—nearly 3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product. It is a critically important industry at the core of the American economy. Most industries and services in the United States depend on the nation's transportation network, which is designed and built by ARTBA members.
Each year, firms in highway, bridge, transit, rail, airport, and waterway construction make billions of dollars in business and investment decisions. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, there are more than 1,316,974 individual business establishments and public agencies directly involved, at least partially, in transportation infrastructure design, construction or management activities in the United States.
Transportation construction in the United States supports the equivalent 3,383,000 full‐time jobs. This includes 1,685,000 direct jobs in transportation construction and related activities and 1,698,000 jobs induced, or sustained, by transportation construction industry employee, firm and agency spending throughout the U.S. economy. More than 78.6 million American jobs in just tourism, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, agriculture and forestry, general construction, mining, retailing and wholesaling alone are dependent on the work done by the U.S. transportation construction industry.
The ARTBA Economics and Research team, which has more than 50 years of combined experience, develops reports, analyses, and other products that are designed to give industry executives and market analysts the information they need to make certain those decision are intelligent and well-informed.
ARTBA's subscription-based intelligence reports provide monthly and quarterly information covering every angle of the transportation design and construction market. The association also produces other studies and reports, which are available to its members and news journalists, on industry employment, the cost of construction materials, state gasoline taxes, an annual highway construction market forecast and much more.[3]
Coalitions
ARTBA has been a long-time leader in developing coalitions that advance the industry’s agenda on Capitol Hill, including serving as founder, co-chair and managing day-to-day activities of the Transportation Construction Coalition, and vice chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-led Americans for Transportation Mobility. ARTBA also works with the Better Roads & Transportation Council of America, Small Business Legislative Council and The Road Information Program.[4]
Member services
The key to powerful business knowledge is keeping attuned to ever-changing developments in a fast-paced world. ARTBA offers a variety of information, tools, and services to help give its members a global competitive edge, including:
- Economics and research reports covering all angles of the transportation construction market;
- Safety training and products;
- Transportation Builder magazine, “Washington Newsline”, webinars, "Membership Directory", and annual "Transportation Officials and Engineers Directory”; and
- Numerous networking and business development opportunities at ARTBA’s national meetings and events.[5]
Transportation development foundation
In 2010, the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) celebrates 25 years of “promoting research, education and public awareness” on transportation development issues. The Foundation is one of the industry’s premier non-profit organizations, conducting a comprehensive multi-million dollar program of work aimed at advancing the interests of the U.S. transportation design and construction industry. Major ARTBA-TDF initiatives include:[6]
Transportation Builder Institute
Building transportation infrastructure—particularly projects financed by public agencies—demands complex leadership, management, specialized safety training and negotiation skills not required by general construction managers. That’s why the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) created the “Transportation Builder Institute” (TBI). This first-of-its-kind industry institute includes project management academies and training programs designed exclusively to meet the professional development needs of transportation design and construction professionals.[7]
TBI programs include:
- Transportation Construction Project Management Academy: This intensive four-and-a-half day program is ideal for new or prospective project leaders, and provides both substantive theory and practical application of project management principles for road and bridge building construction project managers. Topics covered: project planning, scheduling and management, effective client relations, job-site teamwork, safety and risk management, and ethics.
- Transportation Project P6 Scheduling Academy: Those who “graduate” from the P6 academy will know how to use schedules to manage and track all aspects of a transportation project—people, materials, key operational benchmarks and payment schedules. They also will have “hands-on” experience with the industry’s most widely used scheduling software, Primavera Project Planner (P6).
- Road & Bridge Construction Safety Accreditation Program: Under one umbrella, ARTBA provides the only Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Accreditation Program custom-designed for road and bridge construction safety directors and managers. ARTBA hosts a series of academies that provide beginning, intermediate and advanced training for company officials, safety managers, supervisors and foremen. Through our unique bundling of courses and interactive instruction, participants get a big “bang-for-the-buck” during a few days of intensive training. Using our partnership with the National Resource Center for OSHA Training, we are able to provide industry-specific accredited OSHA courses in conjunction with other critical topics.
Safety training
The ARTBA-TDF regularly hosts several national and international forums on roadway and construction zone safety, and conducts safety training for thousands of industry workers and managers through several federal government contracts.[8]
National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse
The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is the nation's most comprehensive information resource on roadway work zone safety. The Clearinghouse records are located on its comprehensive website.
The Clearinghouse has the world's largest online library of free information on these topics: accident and crash data, latest technologies and equipment, best practices, key safety engineer contact information, laws and regulations, worker safety training materials, research and publications, public education campaigns, Spanish language materials and educational materials for new drivers.
In fall 1997, after a competitive bid process, ARTBA was selected as the Clearinghouse project manager. In partnership with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), and with financial support from Federal Highway Administration, the facility opened for business on February 17, 1998.
In 2000, Clearinghouse operations were privatized and managed by the ARTBA-Transportation Development Foundation with support from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, TTI, labor organizations and other safety groups. TTI manages the day-to-day operations, conducts the safety research and maintains the Clearinghouse website.
In 2006 ARTBA signed a new contract with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and began receiving federal support once again. In 2007, ARTBA-TDF led the complete redesign and launch of a state-of-the-art Clearinghouse website. New features include a video vault, online training sessions, a blog and a listserv, which has nearly 1,000 subscribers. Today, the Clearinghouse provides assistance to more than 500,000 users a year worldwide.
In 2009 more than 250 transportation professionals attended the Clearinghouse-hosted National Traffic Management & Work Zone Safety Conference at the "World of Asphalt". Also of note in 2009, the Clearinghouse added an international section to the website with work zone safety information in six foreign languages.[9]
Local Technical Assistance Program and Tribal Technical Assistance Program
Transfer of information between federal, state and local agencies is critical to ensuring the nation’s roadways are built, maintained and renovated in a safe and cost efficient manner. In summer 2006, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded a contract to the ARTBA-TDF to assist in providing this information through administration of the agency’s Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) Clearinghouse.
More than 3 million road miles and nearly 300,000 bridges in the United States are maintained by counties, cities, and towns. Keeping them safe and navigable requires design, maintenance and rehabilitation. Limited funding for this local work created a significant need for technical assistance to 38,000 local communities across the United States. FHWA recognized this need in 1982 by creating the LTAP. The TTAP was created in 1993 to address similar needs for tribal governments.
The ARTBA-TDF provides technical support through development and distribution of publications, facilitation of communication and outreach to the 58 LTAP Centers nationwide. Each LTAP/TTAP Center director is a member of ARTBA’s Research and Education Division. ARTBA member, the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI), which is located at the North Dakota State University in Fargo, provides technical services and manages the LTAP/TTAP Web site: www.ltap.org.
LTAP/TTAP is composed of a national network of centers—one in every state, Puerto Rico, and regional centers serving tribal governments. The LTAP/TTAP Centers enable local communities to improve their roads and bridges by supplying them with:
- A variety of training programs;
- A library of resources;
- New and existing technology updates;
- Personalized technical assistance; and
- Newsletters and other timely communications on critical transportation issues.
Through these core services, LTAP/TTAP Centers provide access to training and information that may not have otherwise been accessible.[10]
Scholarship and awards
The ARTBA Foundation endows a “Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship” fund to provide post-high school financial assistance to the children of highway workers killed or permanently disabled on the job, and features several award competitions to honor industry public relations, environmental protection and safety programs.[11]
Young Executive Development Program
The ARTBA Foundation Young Executive Development Program (YEDP)—is focused on developing future leaders of the transportation construction industry in the United States. The annual gathering provides industry "rising stars" an intensive three-day introduction to the legislative and regulatory processes that affect the industry in Washington, and ARTBA's role in shaping public policy.
For nearly two decades, nearly 350 YEDP fellows have come from 160 different companies, public agencies and state contractor organizations in 40 states and Washington, D.C. Several past participants are currently serving terms on the ARTBA Board of Directors, and many are involved in the ARTBA Young Executive Leadership Council (YELC).
The YEDP curriculum includes seminars on the congressional legislative, budget and appropriations processes. Fellows attend sessions on rulemaking by the federal regulatory agencies and receive an overview of federal environmental, health and safety regulations affecting the industry.
Participants have the opportunity to discuss current federal transportation development issues on Capitol Hill. Each fellow meets with his or her congressman or transportation legislative staff during the YEDP.
Volvo Road Machinery continues to be the principal sponsor of the program.[12]