Decomposing the decoupling of Danish road freight traffic growth and economic growth

In recent years many European countries have seen a decoupling of the growth in road freight traffic (vehicle kilometres) from economic growth. A similar decoupling has not been observed in road freight transport (tonne kilometres). In this paper the historical growth in national Danish road freight traffic and transport is attributed to causes using a Divisia index decomposition method. It is demonstrated that overall road freight traffic growth is a consequence of often opposite pointing growth effects in the underlying factors. The observed decoupling of road freight traffic growth from economic growth is mainly the result of use of larger vehicles, increasing average loads, and less empty running. Growth in road freight transport is primarily caused by growth in production. A decrease in the number of tons lifted per tonne produced (the handling factor) is offset by an increase in the tonne kilometres per tonne lifted.     

Optimizing the aerodynamic efficiency of intermodal freight trains

We develop an aerodynamic loading assignment model for intermodal freight trains based on an integer-programming framework to help terminal managers make up more fuel-efficient trains. This is the first use of optimization modeling to address the aerodynamics and energy efficiency of railroad intermodal trains. Several recommendations regarding railway equipment use, operations, and policy are proposed to improve fuel-efficiency and reduce emissions from intermodal transportation. Analysis of one major railroad intermodal route reveals the potential to reduce fuel consumption by 15 million gallons per year with corresponding savings of $28,000,000. Greater benefits are possible through broader implementation of the model.     

Analysis of greenhouse gas emissions of freight transport sector in China

Due to the increasing commercial activities in China, the rapid growth of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the freight transport sector has alarmed the Chinese central government. However, there is a lack of standard measure for evaluating GHG emissions generated from freight transport operations. To improve this situation, Chinese policy makers need to evaluate GHG emissions for energy saving and pollution reduction. This background leads us to examine the GHG emission trajectories and features of Chinese freight transport patterns in the last decade, i.e. between 2000 and 2011. In this study, we examine different regions’ freight turnover and energy consumption by various transport modes (i.e. railway, highway, waterway, aircraft, and oil pipeline) in China. Our results show that the total amount of GHG emissions caused by the Chinese freight transport sector reached 978 million tons in 2011, indicating an average annual growth of 74 million tons CO₂e for the last decade. Shandong, Anhui, and Henan are the main provinces producing GHG emissions, representing 11.7%, 10.3%, and 10% of total emissions generated from the freight transport sector in China, respectively. This study also compares the regional GHG emissions from different freight transport modes including railway, highway, waterway, air transport, and oil pipeline. Based on the findings, policy implications are provided on how to mitigate freight transport emissions among different Chinese regions.     

运输系统生态可持续性评价指标体系的研究

通过对运输系统生态经济指标分析,将各种运输方式对土地占用、能源消耗、客运和货运周转量、污染物排放、环境危害、安全、便捷性等方面的影响进行比较,并应用灰色关联分析方法进行综合评价。综合评价结果表明:公路运输的便捷性最强,航空运输在中长距离的时效性最强,水运在成本与效益分析中最经济,铁路在占地、能源消耗、污染物排放等生态性指标方面有较突出的优势。     

铁路机车单耗测算模型研究

在对国内外铁路机车能耗模型进行分析的基础上,以我国传统铁路客贷共线运行列车为研究对象,从机车能耗产生的微观角度出发,运用列车运行计算的相关原理,设定了列车运行环境,建立铁路机车单耗测算模型。模型中引入"牵引运行能耗换算系数",通过微观数值计算方法测算机车单耗的宏观量,计算机车担当客、货运时的单位能耗值。根据机车数量比例和完成的运输工作量,通过加权平均法测算机车综合单耗。经过测算,内燃机车综合单位耗油量与电力机车综合单位耗电量的模型测算值与实际统计值较为吻合。     

The geography of freight-related accidents in the era of E-commerce: Evidence from the Los Angeles metropolitan area

Due to the burgeoning demand for freight movement in the era of e-commerce, freight related road safety threats have been growing in both urban and suburban areas, despite the improved general traffic safety over the past decades. The empirical evidence on how freight trucks related crashes are distributed across neighborhoods and correlated to spatially varying factors is, however, highly limited. This article uses data from the Los Angeles region in 2018 to analyze the spatial patterns of freight trucks related traffic crashes and examines the major factors that contribute to those patterns using spatial econometric models. Maps show that freight trucks related crashes are highly associated with major freight generators but less clustered than the overall traffic crashes. Results from the spatial Durbin model indicate that access to freight generators, economic attributes, land uses, road infrastructure, and road network variables all contribute to the spatial distribution of freight trucks related crashes. The findings could help transport planners understand the dynamics of freight trucks related traffic safety and develop operational measures for mitigating the impacts of growing goods movement on local communities.     

On structural inelasticity of modal substitution in freight transport

At the European level there is an increasing focus on how freight transport can be moved from trucks on roads to more environmentally friendly modes such as rail and ship. A large proportion of the transport services between OD pairs, however, cannot be substituted since there is only one alternative available. The paper investigates the magnitude of this “structural inelasticity” of modal substitution in freight transport due to a sparser layout of rail and ship-based freight networks compared to road. In the analysis we use a recent Scandinavian freight demand model covering more than 800 zones. We find that the structural inelasticity is very significant - in particular for transportation over less than 500 km. Moreover, the inelasticity varies greatly with commodity groups and between OD pairs, and it depends strongly on the port and rail infrastructure. The results suggest that pure charging instruments (road pricing for trucks) in many regions will have limited mode substitution impacts. However, if combined with structural changes in terms of improved infrastructure for rail and ship, impacts may be greater.     

Appropriate indicators of rail freight activity and market share: A review of UK practice and recommendations for change

Growth in rail freight activity features strongly in contemporary transport policy at both the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) scale. Specifically, the British government set an 80% growth target between 2000 and 2010, with lower (but still substantial) growth estimates being identified in late-2005. This paper assesses the appropriateness of the forms of measurement adopted for rail freight activity and argues that achieving stated growth targets or estimates will not necessarily mean that policies encouraging modal shift from road to rail have succeeded. Additional or alternative means of monitoring the level of rail freight activity are discussed, since this is an issue of fundamental importance to policy implementation and evaluation.     

Challenges to domestic air freight in Australia: Evaluating air traffic markets with gravity modelling

With two of the busiest air traffic corridors globally, Sydney-Melbourne (SYD-MEL) and Sydney-Brisbane (SYD-BNE), very liberal open skies agreements, and the world's most isolated large city in Perth, air freight in Australia should be destined for substantial growth, but has in contrast to other regions such as the US not yet materialised. This paper identifies challenges surrounding domestic air freight markets in Australia and compares the provision of road vs air freight services utilising gravity modelling methods. Our findings suggest the impedance of domestic air freight services in Australia is greater for regional areas between the primary cities (such as Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne) than remoter areas (such as Cairns in Northern Australia). Our models show further that in addition to distance, air freight capacity on any of our analysed routes is despite being demand-pulled in terms of GDP dependency significantly attuned to factors at both the origin (in particular domestic trade capability, i.e. manufacturing and logistics) and destination.     

Searching for policy priorities in the formulation of a freight transport strategy: a canonical correlation analysis of freight industry attitudes

An efficient and effective freight transport strategy can be aided by early professional contributions from key stakeholders. One broad group who have historically been given limited opportunity to influence the drafting of a freight strategy, are commercial road users and shippers who manufacture and distribute goods. Utilising a data set collected in Australia in 1996 from a sample of organisations involved directly and indirectly in road freight transportation, views were sought on road infrastructure changes, new road infrastructure, non-road infrastructure needs and transport policies. An optimal scaling approach using non-linear canonical correlation is implemented to search for structural relationships between the underlying policy and infrastructure dimensions and the various industry categories. This framework provides a powerful mechanism for identifying differences among stakeholders in terms of their support for or opposition to specific policies. Results reveal the considerable differences in attitudes associated with the component parts of the freight industry.     

Localisation of freight consolidation centres serving small road hauliers in a wider urban area: barriers for more efficient freight deliveries in Gothenburg

This paper discusses the negative impacts of freight transport growth, especially in and around urban areas. Over time, a growing number of road freight vehicles have delivered less freight over longer distances, while average load factors have been reduced. This development is unsatisfactory, as transport capacity that could have been used more efficiently is lost. To mitigate negative impact, it has been suggested that freight consolidation and better planned localisation of freight consolidation centres (FCCs) would improve city logistics. Based on primary data, this paper investigates the potential to establish urban FCCs intended for small road hauliers (SRHs) delivering goods to the retail sector in a wider geographical area, the Gothenburg region in Sweden. While the findings show that a large majority of SRHs could reach potential FCC locations in a short time, congestion affects deliveries and several factors, many of which were observed already in the 1970s, restrict FCC establishments. Under present conditions, there is little scope for SRHs to successfully deliver goods to retailers in the Gothenburg region from FCCs; therefore, a more efficient urban transport system from a business or societal perspective is unlikely. Policy makers need to take into consideration the different segments, requirements, and characteristics of different cities before venturing into costly FCC projects.     

Goods movement,road safety,and spatial inequity: Evaluating freight-related crashes in low-income or minority neighborhoods

The significant growth in freight traffic and relevant crashes has aroused increasing concerns about road safety threats in local communities. We use data from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area and examine the spatial relationship between freight-related crashes and neighborhoods with low-income and minority populations. We find that both household income and percentage of minority population are significantly correlated with the density of both freight-related crashes and freight-related crashes causing severe injuries and fatalities. The results indicate that freight-related crashes are subject to a spatial inequity problem. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating freight-related safety improvement within these low-income and minority neighborhoods.     

A time-period choice model for road freight transport in Flanders based on stated preference data

This paper presents one of the first models explaining the choice of time-period in road freight transport. Policies that would shift some fraction of the trucks from peak to earlier and later periods will contribute to the reduction of congestion. Therefore there is an increasing interest in modelling the time-period sensitivity of road freight transport to changes in travel time and cost by period. The model developed here is based on a stated preference survey amongst receivers of goods in Flanders and was implemented in the strategic freight transport model of the Flemish authorities.     

Analyzing discrepancies between willingness to pay and willingness to accept for freight transport attributes

In this paper we use discrete choice data to analyze asymmetries in the preference for freight transport attributes. A reference dependent utility specification allowed us to test for the existence of substantial asymmetries in perception of the transport cost. Hence, the re-estimation of our models in the WTP/WTA space helped us to quantify significant discrepancies between the WTP and WTA for the attributes included in the choice experiment, namely transit time, service frequency and delays in delivery time. Results are deemed essential to define alternative services to road capable to attract substantial volumes of freight.     

An agent based model concept for assessing modal share in inter-regional freight transport markets

This paper introduces an Agent based modelling approach to model inter-urban freight transport between two or more trading regions. The use of the model is to ascertain the modal share of competing transport modes (road and intermodal) while taking complex transport service supply–demand dynamics into account. It is structured by modules describing company generation, supplier choice, modal competition and International road freight transport market dynamics. The behaviour of individual actors is simulated using normative agent behaviour and market knowledge. Using the micro-simulation approach, shippers and carriers (primarily road hauliers and a maritime based intermodal operator) interact through simulated contracts resulting in the generation of tours. The service performance of the tours is fed back into the model for decision making during contract deliberations. Preliminary application of model to Mediterranean case study show that market share gains of around 25–30% are obtained with policy interventions of financial subsidies to intermodal services and more frequent shipping services in the intermodal transport respectively.     

Flagging out in road freight transport: a strategy to reduce corporate costs in a competitive environment: Results from a longitudinal study in Austria

Following the example of maritime transport, the relocation of fleets abroad – referred to as flagging out – has become an important cost reduction strategy for road freight transport companies. Particularly after the EU Eastern Enlargement in 2004, many Austrian road freight transport companies took advantage of both the freedom of services and the lower costs in New Member States. This paper shows the results of four waves of surveys of Austrian road hauliers, describing developments, attitudes, motives and impacts of the phenomenon. There is also a discussion about the significance of the problem, which was seldom referred to in the scientific literature.     

Evaluating interregional freight accessibility conditions through the combination of centrality and reliability measures

The main contribution of this paper is a new approach to evaluate and compare the freight accessibility conditions offered in a set of regions or cities. The key innovation of this approach lies in that it combines (statistical) centrality and reliability measures of accessibility, thus tackling one of the weaknesses that researchers have identified in the vast accessibility literature. The proposed approach is first explained in details for a hypothetical setting, and then is applied to Iran using data collected in the latest transport survey conducted in this country. The focus is placed on road transport, by far the dominant freight transport mode in Iran. The results obtained through this application provide clear insights into the relative positions of the main freight production and attraction zones of Iran with respect to road accessibility conditions, and therefore valuable information to assist transport authorities in their decisions regarding the evolution of the country's road network.     

Assessment of out-of-state truck activity in California

The continued growth of interstate freight trucking brings with it the potential for inaccuracies in official government statistics on trucks’ road use and pollutant emission contributions. State government agency emission estimates for states within the US commonly rely on in-state truck and fuel use records. Consequently, these records can incompletely reflect overall truck activity and emissions by neglecting the trucks that are registered and/or are fueled out of state. An in-person interview survey of 433 heavy-duty truck drivers was conducted at select points of entry into California to better understand the contribution of out-of-state trucks, their fuel use, and their emissions in California. The results indicate that non-California-registered trucks and non-California-diesel fuel make up approximately 30% of Class 8 heavy-duty truck mileage on California roads. Non-California-registered-truck mileage is disproportionately concentrated in four California air basins that have significant air quality issues.     

北京、天津铁路货运枢纽整体布局构想

货运枢纽布局和路网畅通、地方经济发展息息相关。根据城市发展形势，分析北京、天津铁路货运枢纽现状，针对北京、天津货运枢纽存在的问题，结合路网客运专线布局和北京、天津两市城市定位，提出相应的整体解决方案。     

Land development implications of the British rail freight renaissance

The post-war era saw a dramatic decline in both the volume and market share of freight transported by rail in Britain. This decline was associated with the closure of thousands of rail freight facilities and reduction by one third in the route mileage of the national railway network. However, as a result of railway privatisation and increasing constraints on the competitiveness of the road haulage industry, the long decline has halted and rail freight traffic is growing. This article reviews the implications of this change for the demand for rail freight facilities and for extra capacity in the railway network, and considers how the land-use planning and transport planning systems might respond.