State-level performance measures and database development for inland waterway freight transportation: A US context and a case study

Abstract

Inland waterway (IW) navigation serves as a cost- and energy-effective means for goods movement. Despite the cost and energy advantages and the large volume of goods carried, performance measurement of IW freight transportation has not been paid much attention to in the US. In this paper, we propose a methodology to develop state-level performance measures (PMs) and the associated database for IW freight transportation with an application to the state of Illinois. The methodology consists of four steps: 1) constructing an initial pool of PMs; 2) identifying available data elements; 3) refining PMs by federal, state, and additional stakeholder relevance; and 4) further refining PMs based on data processing feasibility. Applying the methodology to the Illinois IW freight transportation system demonstrates its practicality for PM and associated database development. At the same time, we also identify several data issues as well as political and institutional challenges. Given the generality of the methodology and the application demonstration, the methodology can not only direct the PM development for Illinois but lend useful insights into similar PM development for other states in the US as well as other regions in the rest of the world for better IW freight transportation.