International Freight Transport Research Articles

Analysis of the use of logistics-telematics systems for cost reduction in a transport company

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which real-time monitoring of vehicles and the collection of operational data about them through telematic systems can contribute to the reduction of operating costs in a transport company. The study focuses on specific factors such as the driver's actions, which can affect the vehicle's technical condition and diesel consumption levels. Methodology: The research is based on an analysis of operational data obtained from the vehicles of a transport company engaged in international freight transportation. The data were primarily analyzed for an indicator related to total fuel (diesel) consumption while driving. Linear models were created using the least squares method, and the best-fitting models were selected to draw conclusions about the impact of telematic systems on the company's costs. Results: The study found that the introduction of a telematic system can have a positive impact on a transport company's operations and help reduce costs associated with the execution of transport orders. The analysis of the data showed that individual factors, such as driving time, average axle load, and average travel speed, can affect the total driving fuel consumption of all vehicles and contribute to the overall cost reduction. Theoretical contribution: This paper contributes to the understanding of the role of telematic systems in the optimization of fleet planning and management, which is a crucial aspect of the logistics of transporting goods. The research provides insights into the potential of real-time monitoring and data collection for improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of transport companies. Practical implications: The findings of this study can be useful for transport companies looking to improve their operations and reduce costs. The research highlights the importance of using telematic systems in the right way to carry out the transportation of goods and suggests that real-time monitoring and data analysis can be key to minimizing costs and maximizing profits.

Automation and digitalisation of transport forwarding services or logistics

With the spread of globalisation, the transition of various states to common standards, including in the field of international freight transportation, becomes especially relevant. The purpose of this work is to assess the effectiveness of logistics in examples of countries that are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as the USA, to compare them and identify key trends in the development of the field of road freight transport. In this work, methods of statistical analysis and forecasting were applied, graphs of the logistics efficiency index of the countries studied were drawn up and the most promising international transport and logistics projects were identified. As a result, logistics performance indices were obtained in the context of indicators from 2007 to 2023, and the average Commonwealth indicator was determined and compared with a similar indicator of the USA. Also, key innovations in the field of transport services were considered, allowing Western companies to have a significant advantage in the development of logistics efficiency. The prospects of Commonwealth countries in the leading Eurasian transport corridors and the advantages of such integration in comparison with intra-union projects were determined.

Стратегические направления и перспективы развития в РФ логистической информационной платформы LOGINK

The directions of digital transformation of unimodal and multimodal freight transportation are being studied within the framework of the Superservice 22 project, the state information system of electronic transportation documents (GIS EPD), the automated ETRAN system, and the INTERTRAN project. The strategic goals of creating a national digital transport and logistics platform in Russia are determined. The experience of the phased construction of the LOGINK transport and logistics public information platform in China is summarized and investigated. Three stages of the development of the LOGINK information platform are distinguished and characterized: the stage of internal standardization; the stage of regional integration; the stage of international promotion. The types and flows of information exchange on the LOGIN transport and logistics platform are identified. The dynamics of the development of the LOGIN platform's international cooperation with seaports, leading shipping companies and global logistics operators is considered. The cooperation of the LOGINK transport and logistics platform with international organizations and institutions that set standards in the field of logistics and freight transportation is being studied. Strategic directions for using the LOGINK platform are being established within the framework of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative in order to increase China's influence on international freight transportation and global supply chains. Proposals are being developed to change the strategy of “international promotion” of the LOGINK platform and enhance its cooperation with logistics operators of alternative container transportation routes and cross-border transit routes, in particular with Russian ports, rail carriers and leading logistics companies in Russia. The stages of the implementation of the strategy of “international promotion” of the LOGINK information platform in the Russian market of transport and logistics services are determined and characterized in a meaningful way. The expediency of combining the LOGINK information platform with the ecosystem of digital transport corridors of the Eurasian Economic Union is substantiated.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE UNIT COSTS OF THE POLISH FREIGHT INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT OPERATING ON THE EASTERN AND EU MARKETS, 2009-2021

The article represents next part of the cyclical publications of the Departmentof Economic Research and Transport accessibility in the field of cost analysis ofthe Polish international freight transport companies. It made a comparative assessmentof the average unit costs of international carriers incurred in 2021 inrelation to the results from previous years. The study covered enterprises servingEastern markets and the European Union (EU). The statistical characteristics ofthe surveyed entities are presented, taking into account their size, determinedbased on the size of the fleet of trucks operated. It also shows the average costsof one vehicle-kilometre (vehicle-km) of mileage for a truck over 12 Mg GVM,depending on the size of the enterprise and taking into account the direction oftransport. The generic cost structure of the surveyed carriers was also analysed.The development of unit costs in 2021 in relation to the period 2009-2020 is presentedin tabular and graphic form. A summary of the evaluation of the impact ofexternal factors on the functioning of the sector, from the carriers’ perspective, wasalso presented. The study was conducted based on the questionnaires completedby carriers associated with (ZMPD) Association of International Road Carriers.

The role of road freight transport in ensuring international trade of the EAEU countries

Regionalization and digitalization are significant factors in the development of international transport, including road transport. Liberalization of mutual trade, creation of a single customs territory and gradual elimination of non-tariff barriers within integration unions have generally led to an increase in the speed of international movement of goods. Today the EAEU is the most advanced integration project in the post-Soviet space. Transport as an area of Eurasian integration occupies a special place in the integration process due to the spatial characteristics of the association and its transit potential. It is expected that the common transport space (CTS) will be created without exceptions and limitations by 2025. Trade relations of EAEU member states are provided by all modes of transport (including pipeline transport, but this study focuses only on long-distance modes of transport). In terms of countries, road transport plays the largest role in transport support of foreign trade in the Kyrgyz Republic, and the smallest role in the Russian Federation, where other modes of transport are more involved, mainly sea and rail transport. At the same time, the Russian and Kazakh segments account for more than 95 % of the freight transportations of the EAEU countries carried out by road transport, which determined the relevance of the research topic. This investigation presents the role of road transport in ensuring the international transport of goods of the EAEU countries. The results of the study, aimed at determining the role of road transport in the provision of international freight transportation of EAEU countries, were obtained through an empirical analysis of the road transport industry. The analysis identified the key features of the development of this segment in the EAEU countries. In turn, the assessment of the place of road transport in ensuring foreign trade of EAEU countries was carried out on the basis of two quantitative indicators of transport as an industry - the volume of freight traffic and cargo turnover.

Optimization for Green Container Shipping: A Review and Future Research Directions

Maritime freight transportation is one of the least emissions-producing transportation alternatives in terms of transported tonnage per distance. However, it produces a high amount of emissions as around 80% of international freight transportation is conducted through seas and 20% of maritime transportation is conducted through container shipping. This makes it crucial to reduce emissions in container shipping. In this regard, this study reviewed previous studies on the environmental optimization of container shipping and identified various future research directions. The results showed that in the sea segment of environmental optimization of container shipping, decisions which require further attention include resource allocation, emission reduction technology choice, disruption recovery, freight rate optimization, and shipment scheduling. The decisions that require future research in the port segment are related to internal transportation and handing operations in container terminals (i.e., yard crane deployment, yard truck deployment, yard truck scheduling, yard container stack allocation, yard container retrieval), renewable energy source installation, and emission reduction technology choice. Vessel scheduling and speed optimization decisions are the most frequently studied decisions in the sea segment, but they are rarely considered for inland shipping of containers. In the sea-port combined segment of container shipping, future studies are required in quay crane scheduling, vessel scheduling, container route allocation, ship route allocation vessel deployment, and emission reduction technology choice. The least studied decision in the door-to-door segment of container shipping includes hub location-allocation, empty container relocation, ship route allocation, vessel deployment, environmental taxation and subsidy scheme, emissions reduction technology choice, and speed optimization. It was also demonstrated that modeling of future studies should more frequently consider uncertainties and social sustainability parameters.

Анализ выбросов парниковых газов стран BRICS и пути сокращения выбросов на железнодорожном транспорте

Purpose: To analyze greenhouse gas emissions from the BRICS countries, as well as ways to reduce emissions from rail transport. Methods: The contribution of the BRICS countries to global greenhouse gas emissions based on an array of statistical data for the period from 1990 to 2019 has been estimated. The value of CO2 emissions per unit of energy produced in the BRICS countries from 1965 to 2021, as well as the sources of CO2 emissions, have been determined. Results: It is shown that the most effective way to combat climate change is to directly reduce emissions. In general, the emissions of the railway industry depend on the level of electrification. However, when assessing not only direct but also indirect emissions, the energy source and its carbon footprint become of primary importance. The development of intermodal transportation in BRICS countries is significant because these routes have the potential to reduce emissions. Carbon regulation leads to a redistribution in the sphere of international freight transportation among BRICS countries. Competitive advantages are increasingly evident in the railway transportation sector. However, this effect depends on the measures taken to adapt to changes in the transportation market by other modes of transportation. Practical significance: Ways to improve the sustainability of transport infrastructure have been formulated. The lowcarbon transport industry in the BRICS countries can be seen as an important component in reducing gross greenhouse gas emissions given the current high level of reliance on fossil carbon fuels and the inertia driven by the long life of fossil fuel infrastructure. Without the use of negative emission technologies, the required costs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be 40 % higher than with the use of negative emission technologies. As part of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by railway transport facilities in the BRICS countries, the following measures can be implemented: direct reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; introduction and implementation of technologies for negative emissions at railway transport facilities, taking into account their geospatial distribution and their specific characteristics; attracting investments and ensuring access to more affordable financing for these projects; integration of climate change mitigation issues into the strategies of transportation companies; further electrification in transportation and transitioning to alternative fuel sources; utilization of digital technologies to optimize transportation systems and reduce the environmental impact of the railway industry.

Global Shrinkage of Space and the Hub-and-Spoke System in the Global Trade Network

We explore how the hub-and-spoke system in the international freight transportation network contributes to the global shrinkage of space. The friction in long-distance trade routes varies by the location of shippers and nodal characteristics of traversed ports, and is mitigated by the quality of scale economies driven by the hub-and-spoke distribution system along the trajectory of the logistic process. In order to confirm the shrinkage of space brought about by the hub-and-spoke shipping economies through transshipment routes via hub ports, we examine disaggregated cross-Atlantic cargo shipping trajectory data from Europe to the U.S. recorded both on landside and seaside with a discrete choice model. The results present that hub-and-spoke shipping economies arise with the scales of landside and maritime port operations and with shipping line diversity. Generally, they are found to offset distance friction that occurs along landside and maritime shipping voyages, but hub-and-spoke shipping economies arise differently depending on how hub-and-spoke configurations are set. They mainly stem from larger scale of ports’ operation and more diverse shipping lines serving the final port of export. The hub-and-spoke system is confirmed as a main driver of global shrinkage of space in terms of long-distance commercial activities.

Algorithm for accounting for the cost of International freight transportation: influencing factors and information support

The article describes the peculiarities of accounting for the cost of international freight transportation. The purpose of the article is to generalize the cost accounting experience and develop proposals for improving the pricing algorithm under different conditions. The results of the study are based on questionnaire data of 20 enterprises and entrepreneurs-carriers of the Volyn region, whose main type of service is international transportation. Most of them (18 out of 20 enterprises) belong to the general classification of micro- and small enterprises, which characterizes this business as small, 2 enterprises belong to the average in terms of the number of employees and the currency of the balance sheet. For the purpose of research, they were divided into 3 groups: small (0–10 employees), medium (11–20 employees), large (21–30 employees). In order to study the peculiarities of cost formation, their distribution was carried out by the number of cars, as this affects the number of transportations. The main principles of formation and calculation of the cost of freight transportation, types of cost of freight transportation, composition of cost items that form the cost of transportation are considered. The main influencing factors that led to changes in the cost of road transportation are characterized: the influence of military actions, the influence of the size of the enterprise, the influence of the volume of work performed by a unit of motor vehicles. According to the results of the assessment of the factors affecting the cost of road transportation, it was established that the share of production costs decreases with the increase in the size of the enterprise, while the share of general production and other costs increases, that is, micro-enterprises are more flexible.

Analysis of the international road freight transport market in Ukraine under martial law

The article analyses the current state of the Ukrainian market of international road freight transport under martial law and describes the operational, tactical and strategic problems faced by road transport enterprises (RTEs) involved in this segment of transport. Despite the ongoing war with the russian federation and its negative impact on the Ukrainian economy, the financial and economic indicators of the domestic road transport industry demonstrate positive dynamics, especially in the segment of international road transport. An analysis of cargo transportation volumes over the past sixteen years has shown that the share of road freight in total cargo turnover has been systematically increasing. This is due to a number of global and local trends in the international freight transport market in Europe, including an increase in the volume of consumption of products by the population, growing demand for road transport services, the convenience of door-to-door delivery, the development of multimodal transport, etc., and in Ukraine, the reorientation of large volumes of agricultural products from sea to land transport. With a view to analysing the current state and forecasting further development of the Ukrainian market of international road freight transport, the article builds a SWOT-matrix, which allowed to allocate the categories relevant for domestic carriers for strategic planning. Based on the results of the analysis, it was concluded that modern geopolitical realities require the development and implementation of new scientific approaches that will ensure the competitiveness of domestic international road carriers in the context of European integration and an increased degree of protection of road transport and warehouse infrastructure.

ОСНОВНІ КРИТЕРІЇ УПРАВЛІННЯ ЛОГІСТИЧНИМ СЕРВІСОМ ВАНТАЖНИХ ПЕРЕВЕЗЕНЬ

In the conditions of economic uncertainty, more and more people are paying attention and taking into account the optimization processes that occur in logistics activities. This is especially true for cargo transportation that must be delivered to the destination at a certain time. At the same time, the route and force majeure are calculated at the time of transportation. A huge contribution is made by the logistics service during the transportation of goods, because the transportation of goods is not only its transportation, but also a range of actions that are the driving force for the implementation of a logistics operation. The article examines the main criteria for the management of the logistics service of cargo transportation, which are revealed through the prism of indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of the logistics service of cargo transportation: labor productivity; quality of transportation; simple under load – unloading (ramp); expenses for transport and forwarding services; transportation information service; work of logistics centers. Each performance indicator has an impact on the consumer when choosing a company and must be transformed when the environment changes. The technological development of countries leads to the development of every industry and enterprise, and logistics also includes new technologies that help to improve customer service and improve the logistics process both in and out of production. At the same time, the demand for domestic and international freight transportation continues to grow, as within the country, because the consumption of goods increases, as the new generation will have more pleasure and opportunities to purchase goods and use an efficient service. Consumers also demand to receive logistics services quickly and with high quality, which refers to the main criteria of logistics service, and this trend is emphasized by the availability of information and technologies. New trends allow users to determine the types of services they need, effectively integrate their needs (problems) and make choices for cargo transportation.

Accessibility Measures in Modal Choice Models: A Proof of Concept Applied to Freight Transport

Modal choice models applied to interregional or international freight transportation network models are often based on rather coarse origin-destination matrices, containing annual transported tonnages between (sub)regions, for instance. Generally, only basic (sometimes constructed) independent variables (transportation costs or transit times) are used because other variables such as shipment sizes, service frequencies, etc. are not available. Using origin-destination matrices and an assignment model, it is also possible to compute spatial accessibility measures that can further be used as additional explanatory variables. Indeed, several published studies have identified network accessibility as an important element in the mode-choice decision. This paper also shows that the inclusion of an accessibility measure in the utility functions of a logit model substantially improves the performance of a transportation network model, both in the modal choice and the assignment levels of the classical four-step model. Consequently, the assignment of the estimated modal demands results in more accurate estimated traffic on the networks. The model presented in this paper is to be considered as a proof of concept because its workflow should further be streamlined to make it easily useable by modelers.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE UNIT COSTS OF THE POLISH FREIGHT INTERNATIONAL TRANPORT OPERATING ON THE EASTERN AND EU MARKETS, 2009-2020

The article is the next part of the cyclical publications of the Department of Economic Research in the field of cost analysis of the Polish international freight transport companies. It summarises and comparative assessments of the average unit costs of these companies for 2020 in relation to the results of the previous period. The survey involved both carriers operating on the eastern markets and in the European Union countries. The article presents the statistical characteristics of the undertakings surveyed, taking into account their size, determined on the basis of the number of the fleet of heavy goods vehicles operated. It also shows how the average costs of a single hauler (haul meter) for a truck above 12.0 Mg GVW are shaped, according to the size of the companies and taking into account the direction of transport (eastern markets, EU). The generic structure of the costs of the companies examined has been restructured. Presented in tabular and graphic form the evolution of unit costs for both 2020 and the whole period 2009-2020.

Evaluation of the route selection in international freight transportation by using the CODAS technique based on interval-valued Atanassov intuitionistic sets.

The selection of a proper international freight transport route is one of the crucial tasks for decision-makers since it can affect costs, efficiency, and transportation performance. Besides, the selection of suitable and appropriate freight routes can also reduce external costs of transportation such as emissions, noise, traffic congestions, accidents, and so on. Route selection in international transportation is a complicated decision-making problem as many conflicting factors and criteria affect the assessment process. It has been observed that there is no mathematical model and methodological frame used for solving these selection problems, and decision-makers make decisions on this issue based on their own experiences and verbal judgments in the research process. Therefore, a methodological frame is required to make rational, realistic, and optimal decisions on route selection. From this perspective, the current paper proposes using the IVAIF CODAS, an extended version of the traditional CODAS techniques, and using the Atanassov interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IVAIFS) for processing better the existing uncertainties. The proposed model is applied to solve the route selection, a real-life decision-making problem encountered in international transportation between EU countries and Turkey. According to the results of the analysis, option A6 (i.e., Route-6 (Bursa-Istanbul-Pendik-Trieste (Ro-Ro)-Austria-Frankfurt/Germany) has been determined as the best alternative. These obtained results have been approved by a comprehensive sensitivity analysis performed by using different MCDM techniques based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Hence, it can be accepted that the proposed model is an applicable, robust, and powerful mathematical tool; also, it can provide very reliable, accurate, and reasonable results. As a result, the proposed model can provide a more flexible and effective decision-making environment as well as it can provide valuable advantages to the logistics and transport companies for carrying out practical, productive, and lower cost logistics operations.

Peculiarities of international freight transportation and its impact on accounting and control of export-import operations

Peculiarities of international freight transportation and its impact on accounting and control of export-import operations

China-Europe freight transportation under the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic and government restriction measures

International freight transportation experienced significant disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the pandemic and related government restriction measures on international freight transportation is worth analysing for the development of transportation policies and practices in the post-pandemic period, but has received limited attention. To fill the gap, this study applies structural equation models to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the international transportation market and the relationships among the pandemic, government restriction measures, and international transportation market. The impact is also differentiated for different modes of transportation. Results confirm that both demand and supply of international transportation services have been negatively affected by the first wave of the pandemic, with sea transportation being more affected by the reduction of demand and air transportation more by the supply volatility. The government restriction measures are found to play a mediation role, in the way that the impact of the pandemic on the supply of transportation service is suppressed through the government restriction measures. Our findings provide important guidance for transportation industry players and governments in their decision-making process facing with global market shocks such as a pandemic.

Modern Challenges for International Sea Freight

The article highlights the new realities in the international freight transportation emerged under the simultaneous challenges, related to the global economic crisis, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic consequences. The authors argue that the seaborn trade has been encountering a fundamental disorders a long before the contemporary global shocks emergence. Additionally the global container crisis, caused by the shortage of free containers and its growing costs has made the whole situation in the international freight transportation worse, causing the delivery time extention and the growth of inflation. The article is aimed on the identification of the most challenging problems in theory and decision makings, encountering the international freight turnover. Analysing the breakthrough research, expertise and applying the new methodological findings the authors of the articleargue the prospective transformation of the international logistics and proposing new framing features for the global supply chaing configuration. The article states the most undermining processes for the international feight turnover such as the global economic crisis, from its beginning in 2008, the enforcement of the international trade contradictions, specifically US-China trade war, ecological degradation, climate change and the global supply chain disruption, enforced by the global container crisis. The unique role of China as the preconditioning chain in the global supply of the commodities, parts and assembiles was revealed as the most risky factor for the business and governments in all over the world. The article concludes that the global system of international seaborn freight transportation has been entering into the epoch of profound transformation. The foresighting about the main direction of that transformation could be meaningful for Russia and the elaboration of its national transportation strategy.

The volume of trade-induced cross-border freight transportation has doubled and led to 1.14 gigatons CO2 emissions in 2015

<h2>Summary</h2> International freight transport associated with global trade generates significant CO₂ emissions, which are expected to increase with further globalization. The reduction of these emissions will require international and interregional collaboration. However, which trading partners are responsible for freight transport carbon footprints throughout global value chains remains unclear. Here we link bilateral trade flows of export volume to a multi-regional input-output model to measure CO₂ emissions of international freight transport from 1995 to 2015. We find that in 2015, international freight transport generated 1.14 gigatons of CO₂, representing 16% of the total emissions associated with international supply chains. Primary contributors were Asia (39%), the European Union (21%) and the United States (13%). During 1995–2015, the cross-border freight transport volume more than doubled due to rapidly growing consumption and transportation of heavier intermediate goods. Our findings provide the information necessary to design targeted mitigation policies for international freight transport.

İşletmelerde Hilelerin Önlenmesinde İç Kontrolün Rolü: Karayolu İle Uluslararası Yük Taşımacılığı Yapan Bir İşletmede Örnek Olay İncelemesi

İşletmelerde hilelerin tespit edilmesi ve önlenmesi büyük ölçüde etkin bir iç kontrol sisteminin varlığına ve değişen koşullara göre sürekli güncellenmesine bağlıdır. Bu çalışmada, işletmelerde hilelerin önlenmesinde iç kontrolün rolünün ortaya koyulmasına yönelik olarak karayolu ile uluslararası yük taşımacılığı faaliyeti ile iştigal eden bir işletmede yaşanan bir vaka üzerinden hileli eylemlerin tespit edilmesi ve önlenmesine yönelik çözüm önerilerinin sunulması amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla çalışmada öncelikle hile ve iç kontrol hakkında bilgi verilerek aralarındaki ilişkiye değinilmiş, sonrasında karayoluyla uluslararası yük taşımacılığı yapan bir işletmede çalışanların gerçekleştirdiği hilelerin tespit edilmesi süreci ve bu hilelerin önlenmesine yönelik çözüm önerileri örnek olay yöntemiyle ortaya koyulmuştur. Çalışmanın sonucunda işletmedeki çalışan hilelerinin önemli ölçüde iç kontrol bileşenlerinden bilgi ve iletişim ile gözetim faaliyetlerinin eksikliğinden kaynaklandığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Economic Fundamentals for Development of International Road Freight Transportation Logistics in the Republic of Belarus under Coronavirus Pandemic

The paper considers an issue of international logistics development in Belarus under world coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of analytical reviewing of the up-to-date scientific literature on the problem under study, the expediency is stated for highlighting the logistics of international road freight transportation as an independent area of theoretical research and practical activity. Further development of international road freight transportation logistics in the Republic of Belarus requires a complex economic analysis of the present state and dynamics of the international road freight transportation market, which is the main purpose of the present publication. The paper contains the results of the analysis of the market for international and transit freight road transportation. Separately the paper points out the dynamics of transit goods transportation segment in this market in response to the reorientation of international freight flows. Interconnection is shown between the volume indices of international road freight transit through the territory of Belarus and the dynamics of goods import to the Russian Federation from the EU countries. For the first time a proposal is given to use the methodological tools of systemmatrix diagnostic analysis for investigation of the macroeconomic development process of international road freight transit logistics. The author’s set of initial parameters for the analysis has been formed, and its results are presented on the basis of the data of the State statistical reporting form for 2019–2020. A suggestion is given for joint usage of system-matrix diagnostic tools in combination with author’s methodology for assessing the effectiveness of transit (international) freight transportation while evaluating the competitiveness of economic entities in the industry. The most typical trends of the market development in the short term are stated, taking into account the more complicated market conditions.