Freight Transport Industry Research Articles

Regional Truck Travel Characteristics Analysis and Freight Volume Estimation: Support for the Sustainable Development of Freight

In the field of freight transport, the goal of sustainable development requires us to improve the efficiency of freight transport while reducing its negative impact on the environment, such as reducing carbon emissions and noise pollution. There is no doubt that changes in freight characteristics and volumes are compatible with the objectives of sustainable development. Thus, mining the travel distribution and freight volume of trucks has an important supporting role in the freight transport industry. In terms of truck travel, most of the traditional approaches are based on the subjective definition of parameters from the trajectory data to obtain trips for certain vehicle types. As for freight volume, it is mostly estimated through manual surveys, which are heavy and inaccurate. In this study, a data-driven approach is adopted to obtain trips from the trajectory data of heavy trucks. Combined with the traffic percentage of different vehicle types collected by highway traffic survey stations, the trips of heavy trucks are extended to all trucks. The inter-city and intra-city freight volumes are estimated based on the average truck loads collected at the motorway entrance. The results show a higher proportion of intra-city trips by trucks in port cities and a higher proportion of inter-city trips by trucks in inland cities. Truck loading and unloading times are focused in the early morning or at night, and freight demand in Shandong Province is more concentrated in the south. These results would provide strong support for optimizing freight structures, improving transportation efficiency, and reducing transportation costs.

Effect of internet of things on Oman road freight industry: the meditation of perceived utility

The expansion of the global supply chain has introduced a multitude of challenges, particularly in road freight transportation. These include extended lead times, high operational expenses, and limited end-to-end visibility. Modern technology must be included in the freight industry to streamline operations and maintain competitiveness. The freight transportation industry is poised for a shift driven by the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things delivers real-time tracking, predictive maintenance, and enhanced security which ushers in a new era for the road transportation industry. Adopting the internet of things will guarantee long-term competitive advantage and future success in a road freight sector. A skills gap remains an obstacle to the successful implementation of the Internet of Things. There has been limited research conducted on the effect of the Internet of Things in the Oman road freight industry. The goal of this study was to document the implementation of Internet of Things and its effect on operational effectiveness through perceived useful in Oman road freight industry. This study used a positivist research philosophy associated with quantitative research. Data was gathered from the five biggest companies in the road freight industry in Oman. A pilot test was conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument used. A convenience sampling technique was administered to collect data from respondents. A total of 203 structured questions were distributed on-line to workers in road freight sector in Oman. A structural equation modelling was used to analyze the quantitative data in the study. Results show that the adoption of IoT in the road freight sector is a continuous trend. Further findings show that the relationship between IoT and operational effectiveness is partially mediated by perceived usefulness. Improved operational effectiveness is the primary impact of IoT on the road freight sector. Managers are informed that smart sensor technologies can be used with the IoT to allow asset visibility and save operational costs. Future research may explore the financial gains attained through the utilization of IoT within Oman road freight industry.

Representations of truck platooning acceptance of truck drivers, decision-makers, and general public: A systematic review

Truck platooning, involving two or more automated trucks virtually linked in a convoy through vehicle automation and communication technologies, has become a core topic in the long-haul freight transport industry. Despite its potential benefits – fuel efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, operation cost savings, improved road safety, and alleviated traffic congestion – further research is required to understand the representations of technology acceptance that will mediate its adoption across different stakeholders. This study presents a systematic review of the representations of decision-makers, truck drivers, and the general public on truck platooning acceptance. A total of 35 papers were included in the review and grouped into (i) studies with no platooning experience, (ii) studies with a simulated platooning experience, and (iii) studies with an on-road platooning experience. Representations were extracted using thematic analysis to synthesize the perspectives of each stakeholder and organized in themes. Even when similar themes emerged, representations highlight each stakeholder singular perspective. Although decision-makers have a more positive outlook on the potentialities of the technology, they are concerned about several obstacles related to its implementation and risks that may undermine the promised efficiency benefits of truck platooning. Regarding general public, peripheral drivers are mainly concerned about the reliability and safety of truck platooning and the potential traffic conflicts. Truck drivers denote the potential advantages in driving comfort and road safety, but highlight their concerns about employment, the reliability of the automation, loss of driving pleasure, trust in the platooning systems and their elements, and additional stress associated with the reconfiguration of their activity by the technology. Meanwhile, considering the role of experience, when the technology was experimented on-road, representations became more positive. Still, although these experiments are closer to real-world context, they only focused on basic driver-truck interactions and did not account for multitask driving scenarios, nor explored truck drivers’ employment concerns.

ENHANCING TRUCK FREIGHT MANAGEMENT VIA DIGITAL TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS ECOSYSTEMS

The Republic of Kazakhstan is prioritizing the digitalization of its transportation and logistics sector as a strategic approach to sustainable economic growth and enhancing the quality of life for its citizens. Guided by the decrees and messages from the President of Kazakhstan, the nation is focusing on developing its transit potential and incorporating modern technologies to streamline transport and logistics processes. The emphasis is on increasing the efficiency of transportation activities, developing transit and multimodal potential, and ensuring the security and stability of transport connectivity. This initiative aims to raise the transportation and logistics sector's contribution to the GDP and establish Kazakhstan as a central transit hub in the region. Recent advancements in digital ecosystems, which include technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain, are set to revolutionize the truck freight transportation industry. These technologies promise enhanced efficiency, improved supply chain visibility, and reduced environmental impacts. Kazakhstan's efforts in digitalizing its transport and logistics complex, including recommendations for implementing digital transport corridors and developing an integrated information and logistics platform, signify a critical step toward realizing these benefits. This approach will not only enhance the transparency and efficiency of management processes but also reduce costs and improve service quality for end-users, contributing significantly to the nation's economic growth and regional integration.

Sustainability performance assessment of freight transportation modes using an integrated decision-making framework based on m-generalized q-neutrosophic sets

The freight transport industry is one of the primary sectors responsible for excessive energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Restructuring international and domestic freight transport chains based on sustainability and green transportation is critical for practitioners and policymakers to reduce pressure on the logistics and transportation industries. This study aims to develop a mathematical model for selecting the most appropriate transportation type, and accordingly, the optimal route in transportation operations to improve the sustainability performance of the freight transportation industry. Therefore, the main goal is to choose the most suitable route and transportation type which contributes to create a more eco-friendly and sustainable transportation system. For this purpose, Neutrosophic Number-based Delphi (NN-Delphi), m-Generalized q-Neutrosophic Sets (mGqNSs)-based Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (MGqNS-SWARA) and mGqNSs-based Additive Ratio Assessment (mGqNS-ARAS) are developed and implemented to set the influential criteria, compute the weights of these criteria, and identify the sustainability performance of the freight mode variants, respectively. According to the final results, "Cargo security" and "Accident rates" are the most important criteria with a relative importance score of 0.0237, contributing to the sustainability of load transport modes. Moreover, "Maritime Transport Mode" is identified as the most sustainable transportation type with a relative importance score of 0.7895. Finally, it is revealed that there is a positive relationship between maritime transport and sustainability.

STATISTICAL DEPENDENCIES BETWEEN NON-FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES AND EX-POST FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN THE BULGARIAN ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY

In the Republic of Bulgaria, as a member of the EU, possessing a strategic geographical position through which five of the 10 Pan-European transport corridors pass, road freight transport occupies a leading place. It has a significant role in contributing to the country’s GDP, but at the same time, it has a strong negative impact on society and the environment, given its serious climatic footprint. In the specialized literature, data on research conducted looking for the presence or rejection of dependence between non-financial disclosures and ex-post financial performance in the road freight transportation industry are highly limited or almost absent. The lack of a legal obligation for non-financial disclosure by enterprises in Bulgaria creates the necessity to research and confirm the relationship between non-financial disclosure and the ex-post financial performance of the companies in the short-term or medium-term future. In the course of the analysis carried out in this article, the two largest Bulgarian enterprises from the road freight transportation industry by default and a major environmental polluter are examined. By applying key environmental and social disclosure indicators in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative standards calculated on the basis of real empirical data, a statistical analysis is performed. A multiple regression model is built based on a value analytical approach, which is focused on the economic value added of the enterprise, and the economic value added indicator is used as an efficiency measurement of the enterprises’ activity. The results of the analysis establish a certain dependence between non-financial disclosure and financial performance.

Perceived Factors Influencing Blue-Collar Workers' Participation in Worksite Health Promotion Programs in Freight Transport: A Qualitative Investigation Using the TDF and COM-B.

Blue-collar workers in the freight transport industry report a high risk of developing chronic diseases, partly due to an unhealthy lifestyle. Worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs) may be able to promote a healthier lifestyle, but participation among blue-collar workers in these programs is generally lower than among other workers. The current study aimed to further examine factors that can explain participation of blue-collar workers in these programs. A pragmatic, qualitative study was conducted, and semi-structured interviews were held with 32 blue-collar workers in freight transport in the Netherlands (94% men, 81% driver, mean age 48 (SD = 11)). The interview guide was based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behavior (COM-B) model, and was used to assess perceived determinants that influence participation. A combination of framework analysis and thematic analysis was conducted, which yielded the following nine main themes: (i) not being aware of WHPPs on offer, (ii) no clear picture of what to expect, (iii) (not) giving priority to health, (iv) expecting feedback and practical support, (v) being open and ready to change, (vi) preferring to be self-dependent, (vii) being offered a practical, fun and joint WHPP, (viii) having an employer who cares, thinks along and facilitates participation, and (ix) working and living in an environment in which a healthy lifestyle is not the norm. With these insights we were able to formulate recommendations to enhance the participation of blue-collar workers in WHPPs.

Assessing Innovative Capabilities in the Namibian Road Freight Transport Industry

Road freight transport plays a crucial role in fostering global economic growth. Namibia’s increased transit traffic highlights its focus on becoming Africa’s logistical hub. To stay competitive, Namibian road freight firms must be more innovative now than ever before. There are few studies on innovation in the Namibia road freight transport industry. This study investigated the innovative capabilities of Namibian road freight transport operators. To measure firms’ innovativeness, the study used the non-linear constructs of innovation. The target population comprised Windhoek’s road freight transport firms affiliated with Namibia Logistics Association, with 22 firms forming the representative sample. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered through interviews and questionnaires in a mixed-method approach. The study revealed that Namibia’s road freight transport operators possess the capacity to deliver innovative logistics and transport services. In addition, the study highlighted the need to improve rewards systems and attitudes towards risk in the industry. Although the study was confined to Windhoek-based firms, it addressed a notable gap in research on innovativeness within the Namibian road freight transport sector.

Improving Freight Exchange Business Models – Considerations and Recommendations

The article delves into the economic and business considerations of implementing freight exchange platforms. It emphasises the importance of developing such platforms to accomplish the European Transport Policy Goals, foster eco-friendly transport, and create a sustainable freight transport industry. To assess the viability of current platforms, it is essential to establish suitable institutional, financial, and business structures. To establish a successful transport business, it is crucial to identify all potential stakeholders affected by the business operations. This includes customers, suppliers, employees, and local communities. Once identified, it is important to analyse the interests and needs of each stakeholder group to incorporate them into the business models. This could involve adapting the business strategy to meet the unique requirements of each stakeholder group or finding ways to align the interests of all stakeholders. The transport business can establish a strong foundation for sustainable growth and long-term success by prioritising stakeholder engagement and incorporating their interests into the business models. Through retrospective analysis, comparative and content analysis, and generalizations, the study sought to enhance the business models of freight exchange platforms. The article presents an overview of the most used freight exchange platforms in Bulgaria, along with their specific functionalities and applicable business models. These research findings provide reliable evidence for making well-informed decisions regarding the future development of existing and new freight exchange platforms and motivated recommendations for adopting new business models that align with stakeholders' needs. The article culminates with a comprehensive framework for implementing business models. Upon scrutinising the framework's five key components, appropriate e-commerce models for various freight exchange platform priority areas are structured, and potential enhancements are suggested. The research on viable business models is delineated, and effective methodologies for economic analysis, such as data collection and processing via surveys, interviews, and simulation modelling, are summarized.

Measurement of CO2 Emissions by the Operation of Freight Transport in Mexican Road Corridors

The freight transport industry in Mexico has grown significantly since the establishment of trade agreements in North America, which has brought significant environmental consequences to the main transport corridors. This paper proposes a methodology for the estimation of emissions for freight vehicles on road transportation corridors. The variables included in this analysis allow adequate characterization of the conditions of the vehicle fleet, the geometry and the quality of the road, the environment, and the average annual daily traffic (AADT) of heavy vehicles. The results were structured to show two indicators, the amount of CO2 emissions per kilometer and the amount of emissions per tonne transported. These results will allow establishing a baseline of CO2 emissions through which we can implement actions in the road transport sector to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) to mitigate climate change and develop parameter values for use in Cost Benefit Analysis. The indicators can also be applied to geospatial modeling of emissions in road transport corridors and forecast its growth.

ESTIMATING THE DEMAND FOR RAILWAY FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION: A CASE STUDY IN KAZAKHSTAN

This article focuses on the critical importance of demand estimates for effective planning and decision-making in the railway freight transportation industry. Various departments within transportation companies, including marketing, production, distribution, and finance departments, heavily rely on accurate demand forecasts to make informed decisions. Forecasting demand is a crucial aspect of managing business processes, and the methods for doing this can vary across different industries. The ultimate goal remains consistent—to obtain precise predictions of future demand by analyzing historical data and current environmental factors. In the context of transportation services, accurate demand forecasting is essential for successful operational planning and management of functional areas such as transportation operations, marketing, and finance. The current case study specifically examines the National Company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), a transport and logistics holding engaged in rail transportation in Kazakhstan. KTZ’s main sources of income are related to freight transportation. The volume of cargo transportation (in tons) and the freight turnover play a significant role in assessing demand and forecasting future revenues from freight traffic. Different techniques for demand forecasting are explored, including qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative methods rely on judgments and opinions, while quantitative methods utilize historical data or identify causal relationships between variables. Overall, the present study highlights the critical role of demand forecasting in the railway freight transportation industry and its impact on efficient planning and decision-making processes.

Drivers, Obstacles and consequences of digital entrepreneurship in Iran's road freight transportation industry

Drivers, Obstacles and consequences of digital entrepreneurship in Iran's road freight transportation industry

Investigating How AI and Data Science TechniquesAre Applied in the Freight Transportation Industry, in Particular, the Land TransportationPerspective

The freight transportation industry experienced an increasingly significant role in the global market. In particular, road transportation continued developing over the years with the development of technology. On the other hand, the emergence of Covid-19 facilitated the digitalization speed of road transportation. Hence, this paper identified the application of AI and data science techniques, particularly in the land transportation area within the freight transportation industry. The article first introduced the site's current situation from the sides of development and Covid-19 disease. Then, the author compared data science and AI techniques with traditional approaches. Finally, the present application and future technology trends are identified for the future trend prediction.

Rewards, Penalties and Real Case References: Improvement of the Last Mile Delivery in USA

The growth of the platform economy has fueled the rapid growth of the cargo transportation industry. However, while it continues to scale up, many problems of the existing freight transportation industry are being exposed - environmental damage, harming consumers, and even depriving producers of profits. The last-mile problem is particularly significant. The United States and China, two of the world's largest countries, have representative platform economy enterprises, namely Amazon and Taobao. These two companies' different freight models represent the two existing mainstream freight models in the world - free home delivery and stagecoach containers. By comparing the two companies' existing last-mile delivery problems and analyzing the two countries' different cultural backgrounds, this paper tries to solve the existing last-mile problems by introducing reward and punishment mechanisms and applying the two models to each other. In this way, enterprises in each country can learn from each other's distribution models and find the optimal solution for the platform economy distribution model.

A preliminary study on the barriers and facilitators to improving the health, safety, and well-being of aging heavy vehicle drivers

Introduction. Managers from road freight transportation organizations were interviewed on barriers and facilitators to implementation of occupational health, safety, and well-being interventions for aging heavy vehicle drivers. As aging drivers are more likely to be seriously injured or die in a work-related incident than younger drivers, it is important to recognize strengths and weaknesses throughout the system to identify intervention that addresses their specific needs. Method: A Systems Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP) control structure was constructed to chart the controllers, controls, and feedback channels in the system to identify gaps in health, safety, and well-being intervention in the system. The STAMP control structure also charted the barriers and facilitators within levels across the system. Eleven managers were recruited into the study representing a range of road freight transportation organizations throughout Australia. Results: Interview data revealed that barriers and facilitators existed at most levels of the system. Facilitators included advice from external agencies, support from upper management, modern technology, and regular social communication with drivers. Barriers were a lack of guidance on aging issues, operational conflicts with health and safety objectives, and the drivers’ fear of disclosing health information associated with their driving role. In regards to formalized intervention in place to support aging heavy vehicle drivers, the system is reliant on fitness to drive medical assessments based on age and jurisdiction. Conclusions: As there was generally a lack of senior direction cited from the upper levels of the system on aging issues, there was much variation across the study on how aging risks are managed in the workplace for heavy vehicle drivers. Practical Applications: This study recommends that managers across the road freight transportation industry receive formalized aging-awareness health and safety training in how to manage work-related driving hazards for aging heavy vehicle drivers.

The interrelationship between coastal, Great Lakes, Inland, and deep-sea freight rates: A longitudinal approach

This study examines freight rates in four key areas of the U.S. water freight transportation industry –coastal, Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River, inland waterways, and deep-sea shipping. The data involved in this study includes longitudinal data from 2008 to 2021 on freight rates in all four of these sectors along with data on macroeconomic variables and commodity prices. The purpose of this study is as follows: (A) examine lead/lag relationships between the four freight rates, (B) examine lead/lag relationships between the freight rates and macroeconomic variables, and (C) examine lead/lag relationships between the freight rates and commodity prices. We do find significant predictive power for freight rates both on each other as well as for macroeconomic indicators. In terms of predicting other freight rates, inland freight rates are the only ones to predict all three other freight rates. Both inland and deep-sea freight rates are shown to be strong at predicting macroeconomic indicators in the short run, but deep sea has greater long-term predictive power. Commodity prices on the other hand are only minimally predicted by freight rates but are also strong predictors of inland freight rates. Coastal and Great Lake freight rates are shown only to have minimal predictive power. Differences in competitive conditions, as well as the type of cargo between these four sectors, are proposed as an explanation for these results.

Designing a Digital Transformation Strategy Framework for the Road Freight Transportation Industry Focusing on Internet of Things Technology and Data Analytics

Designing a Digital Transformation Strategy Framework for the Road Freight Transportation Industry Focusing on Internet of Things Technology and Data Analytics

River logistics amid war and post-war recovery in Ukraine: current situation and prospects .

River logistics amid war and post-war recovery in Ukraine: current situation and prospects .

Evaluation of sustainability performance of the rail freight transportation: An index-based analysis

The freight transportation industry must adopt sustainable practices to tackle environmental and social challenges. The existing literature considers sustainable performance measurement of the overall freight transportation industry, which left a research gap in developing a sustainable performance assessment framework comprising sustainability indicators precisely modelled for rail freight transportation. This sets a motivation for the existing research to measure the triple bottom line performance of rail freight business. This study proposes an index-based sustainable performance assessment framework using the spherical fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (SF-AHP) and fuzzy logic-based approach. Thirty-six sustainability indicators are identified using literature analysis and experts’ opinions. These indicators are divided into six sustainability measures and three triple bottom line dimensions. The SF-AHP method is used to evaluate the relative importance of these sustainability indicators, and the fuzzy logic is used to compute the performance of each indicator based on inputs collected from experts in linguistic terms. The proposed research framework is applied to the Indian Railways (IR) for validation. The result of this study indicates a sustainability index of 16.1141 for IR, which is close to “fairly high sustainable” performance. Further, the indicators that hinder sustainable performance are identified by evaluating the fuzzy performance importance index. Government policymakers and IR officials can focus more on these highlighted indicators to further enhance IR’s sustainable rail freight transportation.

Perspectives of using Electric- and Alternatively Fuelled Freight Transport Vehicles among Road Haulage Companies in Finland

A rising interest in electric and other alternatively fuelled vehicles of the freight transport industry is due to the emission targets and technological advancements. The purpose of this study is to measure the perceptions and opinions of road haulage companies on the use of electric and alternatively fuelled vans and trucks, as a part of urban logistics operations and long-haul transport in Finland. The paper is based on a case study in the form of expert interviews and a survey among road haulage companies. The paper provides valuable, new information to the companies about investing in electric and alternatively fuelled freight vehicles, and to the local authorities in cities about developing urban environment and infrastructure. As a result, this paper introduces benefits, barriers, policy recommendations and factors affecting the competitiveness of these vehicles.