SCDOT Statewide Freight Plan & Truck Parking Study

About the Statewide Freight Plan

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Statewide Freight Plan is a long-range planning effort that guides how goods move across the state by truck, rail, port, and air. The Plan evaluates the current and future performance of South Carolina’s freight transportation system and identifies strategies to improve safety, mobility, and system reliability statewide.

Freight transportation plays an important role in supporting South Carolina’s economy, businesses, and communities. Nearly every product used by residents relies on the freight system to reach its destination.

Vision statement: The vision of the statewide freight plan is to support South Carolina’s economic growth by defining freight transportation goals, needs, and improvement strategies.

Vision. The vision of the statewide freight plan is to support South Carolina's economic growth by defining freight transportation goals, needs, and improvement strategies.

Purpose of the Plan

The purpose of the Statewide Freight Plan is to provide a clear, data-driven framework for identifying freight priorities and guiding transportation investments and policies across South Carolina. The Plan will assess the condition and performance of the statewide freight network, identify freight-related needs and challenges, and recommend strategies to improve how goods move across the state.

The Plan is designed to ensure consistency with Momentum 2050, SCDOT’s long-range transportation plan, and to meet federal requirements that allow South Carolina to remain eligible for National Highway Freight Program funding.

Why the Statewide Freight Plan Is Important

An efficient freight system benefits everyone in South Carolina. A strong freight network supports economic growth and jobs, improves safety for drivers and communities, reduces congestion and delays, strengthens resiliency during emergencies and storms, and connects both rural and urban communities to markets and essential goods.

 

Goals and Objectives

The Statewide Freight Plan focuses on the following goals and objectives:

Goal 1: Continue System Recovery

Enhance freight system safety, resiliency, and asset condition by maintaining a state of good repair and investing in performance-based improvements.

Objectives:

  • Improve freight system safety.
  • Maintain or improve a state of good repair for the freight system.
  • Improve the condition of the state highway system bridges.
  • Improve security for freight and freight operators.
  • Improve freight system resilience to natural and man-made disasters.
  • Minimize or eliminate negative environmental and community impacts from the freight system.

Goal 2: Support Freight Movement

Improve mobility, accessibility, and capacity on the freight system to support statewide economic growth and global competitiveness.

Objectives:

  • Incorporate valuation of economic impact into project prioritization.
  • Enhance truck parking availability and information management on the freight system.
  • Explore agency actions to incorporate emerging freight-beneficial technologies.
  • Leverage state and federal funding sources to support multimodal freight improvements, including air, rail, ports, and waterways.

Goal 3: Address Urban and Rural Mobility

Address freight reliability in urban areas and prioritize improved access connecting rural communities to key industries and institutions.

Objectives:

  • Improve travel time reliability for freight operators.
  • Reduce congestion on freight system facilities.
  • Ensure planning and project selection processes adequately consider rural accessibility.
  • Ensure broad-based public participation is incorporated into planning and project development processes.

Goal 4: Deepen Multimodal Partnerships

Support seamless movement of goods between transportation modes and strengthen South Carolina’s ports and intermodal connections.

Objectives:

  • Strengthen the freight system to support all modes (road, rail, ship, air, pipelines).
  • Strengthen intermodal connectors and parallel facilities for streamlined performance and resilience to natural and man-made disasters.
  • Engage in regional and multimodal collaboration to strengthen supply chain reliability affecting South Carolina’s ports and waterways.
  • Collaborate with railroads, landowners, and government entities to improve grade crossing safety.

Project Timeline

The Statewide Freight Plan is being developed through a phased process that includes data collection and analysis, public and stakeholder engagement, development of strategies and recommendations, and preparation of draft and final plan documents. A federally compliant draft Statewide Freight Plan is anticipated in November 2026.

Step One – Early summer 2026: Collect and analyze existing conditions and survey data

Step Two – Late Summer 2026: Assess future scenarios and recommend strategies

Step Three – Fall 2026/Winter 2027: Prepare draft and final plans

Project timeline. Step one, early Summer 2026. Step two, late Summer 2026. Step three, Fall 2026 - Winter 2027

How to Get Involved

Public input is a vital part of the Statewide Freight Plan. SCDOT encourages residents, businesses, and freight stakeholders to participate by taking the public survey. Use the interactive comment map in the survey to share location-specific concerns. Public feedback will help shape plan recommendations and priorities.

Sign up for email updates here:  

Questions? Email LaToya Grate-Adams at  GrateLE@scdot.gov or call 803-737-0654

Take Our Survey Now! 

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is updating the Statewide Freight Plan to determine how to improve these systems in the future. Your answers will help guide where investments should be made.