This week I'm joined by Matthew Heins, author of The Globalization of American Infrastructure: The Shipping Container and Freight Transportation. Matthew talks about how the American highway and rail systems created a global standard for shipping containers, containerization’s effects on labor and relevance to an automated trucking future, and the massive intermodal freight terminals in cities like Chicago.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Tuesday’s Headlines Are a Little Bit Safer
Traffic deaths are down about 12 percent, which the National Safety Council attributes to new technology and infrastructure investments.
March 3, 2026
Could Refurbished E-Bikes Be the Secret Weapon of the Livable Streets Movement?
A high-quality used market could be the boost America needs to get would-be riders off the sidelines and into the saddle, a new report argues.
March 3, 2026
How the ‘Little Free Pantry’ Can Help Feed the Hungry Without Requiring Them to Drive
Researchers are trying to reduce the mobility barrier to food by bringing it directly to neighborhoods.
March 3, 2026
Monday’s Headlines Took the Keys Away
A demographic disaster is coming as a generation of aging suburbanites become either dangerous drivers or trapped in their homes.
March 2, 2026
Why Anti-Trans Laws Are Terrible For Transportation, Too
A disturbing new Kansas law revokes trans people's driver's licenses. Here's how it will make our communities more dangerous.
March 2, 2026
Sunbelt Cities Rank Last in National Street Safety Index
Cars and drivers continue to dominate the newest and sunniest cities in the United States.
March 2, 2026
