Comment from Waleed Rashid

Public Comment of Waleed Rashid Independent Supply Chain and Logistics Practitioner Docket No. DOT-OST-2026-1387 — Shaping the Future of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics Dear Bureau of Transportation Statistics, I respectfully submit these comments in response to the June 1, 2026 Request for Information (91 FR 32508) and the June 23, 2026 extension notice. My comments are based on more than twelve years of experience in supply chain operations, demand forecasting, warehouse management, fulfilment, and last-mile logistics across e-commerce, medical distribution, quick commerce, and third-party logistics. Throughout my career, I have relied on fragmented operational data to improve performance, and I believe the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) can help close important data gaps for United States operators. Question 2 – New Data Topics: BTS should recognise last-mile and quick-commerce logistics as a major transportation category. My experience shows that hourly supply and demand data is essential for maintaining reliable delivery services. In one nationwide operational framework, analysing millions of records produced forecasting accuracy above 95 percent during Ramadan, Eid, and Hajj. Similar public data would help United States operators improve grocery delivery, pharmacy fulfilment, and e-commerce planning. Questions 3 and 4 – Data Collection and Outputs: I recommend BTS collect three additional datasets: hourly fleet capacity by metropolitan area and transport mode, a standard delivery failure classification that distinguishes transport, merchant, customer, and system causes, and workforce turnover statistics for gig and third-party logistics fleets. In my own work, using these measurements improved delivery performance, raised operational quality scores, and reduced nationwide order failures. Public reference data would allow more organisations to achieve similar results. Question 6 – Geographic Detail: BTS data would become far more useful if it were available below the state level. Publishing transportation data by ZIP-3 or census tract for major metropolitan areas would help operators identify service gaps, improve local planning, and compare operational performance across regions. Question 8 – Current Data Gaps: One of the largest gaps is the absence of nationwide hourly last-mile fleet data. Operators currently build these datasets independently using private sources, creating unnecessary duplication and expense. Even a basic national reference dataset would provide significant value across the industry. Question 10 – Analytical Access: I recommend BTS expand access through a documented REST API with JSON outputs and version-controlled schemas. This would allow practitioners to integrate BTS data directly into business intelligence platforms such as Looker Studio and Tableau and develop more consistent operational analyses. Question 14 – Long-Term Priorities: Future BTS priorities should include workforce resilience in last-mile logistics and delivery-density measurement for e-commerce. These areas have become increasingly important since 2020 and require consistent, publicly available national data to support better planning and policy decisions. Thank you for considering these comments. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute and would welcome further discussion. Reliable transportation data plays an important role in improving operational planning, workforce stability, and supply chain performance across the United States. Respectfully submitted, Waleed Rashid Independent Supply Chain and Logistics Practitioner Email: waleedrfk90@gmail.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waleed-rashid-khan-a32b1434/