DOT looks to AI as it prepares to cut workforce

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy assured lawmakers that safety will not be sacrificed in the wake of a major workforce reduction plan that he is getting ready to roll out.

“We are working through some ideas right now on how we can streamline the department, and when we’ve completed those ideas we will no doubt share them with you for your consideration,” Duffy told a House Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday.

“But we can do more with less, which means we’ll have additional money through this committee to put back into the infrastructure that so many of us want in our communities.”

Since the start of the Trump administration in January, the dismissal of probationary employees combined with two rounds of buyouts has resulted in a 12% reduction in staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation when compared with the staffing level in January 2020, according to committee Chairman Steve Womack, R-Ark.

“A lot of us up here would agree that the federal bureaucracy has become bloated, but I think we need to be a little bit more precise in downsizing a department with a mission as critical as DOT’s,” Womack told Duffy.

Duffy responded that if the cuts turn out to be too deep, “I am mission-driven, and the President loves this department and cares about the work that we do. If I have to hire people back in, I’ll do that to make sure we can do the work.”

Much of that work so far has been tackling a significant backlog of infrastructure grants awarded by the Biden administration through the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act  signed by Biden in 2021.

Duffy said DOT inherited an unprecedented 3,200 projects that were awarded by the prior administration but had yet to be finalized with signed grant agreements, many dating back to 2022. According to House Appropriations Committee records, just 480, or 15%, have so far been cleared by Duffy’s DOT.

“We are all hands on deck working through these grant agreements,” Duffy said at the hearing. “I think you’re going to see progress ramp up, but by and large we are moving at a record pace and we’re going to continue to move at that pace.”

Asked what his limitations were, Duffy acknowledged a certain level of bureaucracy, “not just at DOT but throughout government – and we need to streamline that bureaucracy. We have to do it right, but we’re looking at efficiencies, how can we do it faster.

“We’re looking at using AI tools, as well as other technological tools that we can deploy to help us move faster on these grant agreements – we’re in the exploration phase right now.”

Building on FLOW

A Biden-era initiative Duffy appreciates – and even plans on expanding – is the Freight Logistics Optimization Works portal, a public-private data-sharing partnership overseen by DOT.

Developed in response to supply chain disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the portal helps forecast freight capacity with the goal of mitigating previously unanticipated delays. A DOT official told FreightWaves in December 2023 that the portal was processing 65% of U.S. containerized imports.

“Those tools have been working very well and we’re trying to expand that,” Duffy said. Industry loves it, and planning for the needs we have throughout the country and excess and shortfalls [in capacity] is critical. It has been working very well and we want to grow it.”

Related articles:

• DOT nominee Duffy vows to prioritize rebuilding I-40
• DOT publishes new multimodal freight network map
• Where is DOT’s Freight Office?

Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.

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