Power, concession and agreement in freight distribution chains: subject to distance-based user charges

Abstract

Freight transport is an important user of the road network, yet little is understood about the potential impacts of some travel demand management strategies on freight transport activity. This arises, in part, due to the interdependent nature of decision-making within supply chains. To contribute to this shortcoming, this paper offers empirical results from a method designed to estimate attribute-specific measures of relative influence within decision-making groups. A choice modelling framework is utilized to consider the relative concession decision makers are willing to make toward the preferences of other group members when attempting to reach group choice equilibrium. The estimated influence measures highlight the relative power each type of decision maker holds with respect to each attribute within the candidate alternatives from which to choose. The alternatives represent supply chain strategies for adjusting to a hypothetical distance-based road-user charging system in Sydney, Australia. The measures can be utilized in subsequent transport distribution models to account for the impact each decision maker may have on the decisions made at the group (i.e., supply chain) level in response to a given policy. The results are also useful in gaining a greater normative understanding of the decision-making dynamics within transporter–shipper dyads.