The efficient movement of freight is important for local, state, and even national economic viability. Understanding the movement of freight and of its characteristics is essential to promoting efficiency and economic development. A need exists to examine the different methods, techniques, and results of current efforts to survey and collect data on freight transportation. This information can take many forms, from classified traffic counts and travel time studies to comprehensive commodity flow and origin-destination surveys. However, it can be challenging to collect such information because of the complexity of the demand for freight transportation. Several factors contribute to this complexity. For example, urban freight transportation factors include the number and varying characteristics of the decision makers, the diversity in the types of goods (i.e., commodities) carried, origin-destination and routing patterns, freight costs, units of measure, and the activities that take place in an urban area. The supply chain involves a number of decision makers in both the public and private sectors: the former as providers and owners of freight infrastructure and services and as regulators, and the latter as shippers, carriers, and distributors of goods. Finally, the movement of freight can involve several transportation modes, intermediate transfer and processing facilities, and jurisdictions. The large range of freight survey practices reflects the complexity of freight demand and the multiplicity of influencing factors and supply chain participants.


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    Title :

    Freight Transportation Surveys. NCHRP Synthesis 410


    Contributors:
    D. Kriger (author) / M. McCumber (author) / A. Clavelle (author) / T. Chow (author)

    Publication date :

    2011


    Size :

    185 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English