One week from today, the White House gets a new resident. What can we expect from President Barack Obama when it comes to critical transportation issues that impact supply chain operations across the country?

It looks like there will be at least four key areas confronting the new administration.

1. Trains and taxes. The railroad industry wants to invest more money in improving the quality and quantity of shipping by rail. However, the industry is also pushing for a 25% tax credit for capital investments. This effort might find more momentum than a similar push did in 2007: Rail unions have lined up with big rail shipping concerns to push for re-regulation.
2. Flying high. The FAA Re-authorization Bill is due before Congress. The primary focus is passenger travel, but there are also aspects with air freight and supply chain ramifications. Basically, the bill is likely to designate the funds necessary for airport infrastructure improvements. You might feel the impact if air fuel taxes are increased to help foot the bill.
3. Limits on the road. While the Hours of Service (HOS) Rules for truckers have been finalized, there’s an unlikely alliance of people looking to scale the hours back even more — safety advocates and railroad lobbyists. For now, the rules are: Drivers can be behind the wheel for up to 11 hours in a 14-hour window commencing with the beginning of the work day. Drivers can’t start the next work day until they’ve been off-duty at least 10 hours. If HOS are reduced, you might see a bump in shipping rates. Also looming: Expect to bear the brunt of fluctuating fuel costs when shipping.
4. Labor pains? The ongoing controversy over unionization efforts could spread to non-union shipping carriers, such as FedEx, JB Hunt and many others. One silver lining: Most of the shipping companies that could be impacted already have good working relationships with the unions that would be involved.