Freight Transportation Advisory Committee (FTAC)

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.

View all meeting materials for meetings after January 1, 2026

View all agendas and minutes for meetings prior to January 1, 2026

Members

  • Robert Eveleigh, Port City Transportation
    Chair and Non-Voting Member of the HRTPO Board
  • David White, Virginia Maritime Association
    Vice-Chair
  • Mike Abbott, Hapag-Lloyd (America) LLC
  • Kathleen Alexander, Newport News Shipbuilding
  • Paul Croft, Canon Virginia, Inc.
  • Chad Gregg, Givens Transportation
  • Pat Molloy, Colliers International, Norfolk
  • Cannon Moss, Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad
  • Nicole Sapienza, Hale Intermodal

VPA Staff Liaisons

  • Barbara Nelson
  • Chris Gullickson

HRTPO Staff Liaisons

  • Pavithra Parthasarathi
  • Keith Nichols
  • Sam Belfield
  • Theresa Brooks

Overview

Freight Transportation Advisory CommitteeThe FTAC consists of a minimum of nine members, largely from private industry, and the Chair of the FTAC serves as a non-voting member of the HRTPO Board. HRTPO staff primarily handles the administration of FTAC, and staff from the Virginia Port Authority works in partnership with the HRTPO to advise and support the administration of the Committee.

Mission Statement

The Mission of The Freight Technical Advisory Committee of the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization is to advocate on behalf of the systematic needs for the transport and movement of freight in the region. The committee will act as an advocate for freight issues and bring awareness of those issues to the public, key stakeholders, and policymakers.

Background

In 2009, the HRTPO Board created the Freight Transportation Advisory Committee (FTAC) to provide an opportunity for the freight industry to participate in and contribute to the regional transportation planning process. According to HRTPO bylaws, "The FTAC will conduct public outreach activities that help TPO efforts to explain and help raise awareness of the importance of freight transportation to the region and to collect region-wide public input on these matters." Key freight business and community leaders in Hampton Roads have recognized that efficient freight transportation is a key factor in statewide and metropolitan economic competitiveness and have willingly served on FTAC since its establishment.

Accomplishments

A sample of recent activities and achievements include:

  • FTAC produced a video presenting the importance of freight, "A Region United".
  • FTAC passed a resolution supporting a future Interstate designation for the Hampton Roads to Raleigh Highway Corridor.
  • Requested and assisted with the study - "Economic Assessment of Tolls on Freight Transportation in the Hampton Roads Region".
  • Provided assistance with updates to the Hampton Roads Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). This includes assisting with defining truck zones, providing input on scenario narratives, providing ideas for candidate projects, assisting with project prioritization methodology, reviewing draft prioritization scores, identifying those projects that would have the most benefits for freight movement, and endorsing the finalized list of fiscally-constrained projects.
  • Provided input and technical guidance to HRTPO staff for various planning efforts such as the Regional Freight Study and other freight-related studies.
  • Requested and assisted with the Hampton Roads Rail Crossing Study.
  • Conducted a session on multi-modal opportunities for freight at the 2024 Virginia Governor’s Transportation Conference.

Related Documents

  1. FTAC Bylaws (PDF)