Road Freight Transport Industry Research Articles

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.

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.

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

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.

Examining Coroners’ Recommendations for Health and Safety Management of Ageing Heavy Vehicle Drivers: A STAMP Analysis

Recommendations were analysed from coronial cases involving ageing heavy vehicle drivers (≥55 years) and mapped onto a Systems Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP) control structure to identify the controllers and control actions influential in the heavy vehicle industry with regard to health and safety. A National Coronial Information System (NCIS) database search revealed 38 coroners' recommendations arising from 14 unique cases of ageing driver involvement. There were no ageing themes identified in the analysis of coroners' findings and recommendations. An examination of the STAMP control structure identified that the highest concentration of recommendations was in the level of regulation, the second most senior level of control, although safety constraints were advised for all five levels of the system. In regard to identifying themes of control flaws in the recommendations, the study found that "unidentified hazards" were the most common type of safety failure in the analysis of cases of ageing drivers, concentrated at the regulatory level, which indicates that additional risk identification methods by upper levels of control are needed. Therefore, a recommendation arising from the current study is that additional controls in safety intervention are necessitated in the upper and middle levels of the road freight transportation system; in particular, formalising health and safety education for organisational managers, with a focus on identifying ageing issues, would fill a gap in the system for managing ageing heavy vehicle drivers. In conclusion, this study has found that improving the health and safety of ageing heavy vehicle drivers necessitates additional safety constraints with a focus on formalised safety education for organisational managers, in addition to a means to detect emerging and unforeseen hazards in the road freight transportation industry.

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

Identifying and ranking factors affecting the digital transformation strategy in Iran's road freight transportation industry focusing on the Internet of Things and data analytics

Identifying and ranking factors affecting the digital transformation strategy in Iran's road freight transportation industry focusing on the Internet of Things and data analytics

Pre-injury health status of truck drivers with a workers’ compensation claim

Truck drivers are a vulnerable population due to the high number of workplace injuries and fatalities predominant in their occupation. In Australia, the road freight transportation industry has been identified as a national priority area in terms of creating preventative measures to improve the health and safety of its workers. With an environment conducive to poor nutritional food choices and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, many barriers exist to creating a safe and healthy workforce. Thus, the current study aimed to describe the pre-injury hospital-recorded health conditions and health service use of truck drivers with a worker’s injury compensation claim/s when compared to workers in other industries. Data was obtained from a compensation claims database and linked with hospital admissions data recorded five years prior to the injury claim. Health and lifestyle behaviour data for the occupational code of truck drivers was compared to other occupational drivers, as well as to all other occupations. Analysis was conducted via logistic regression. The results found that when compared to other occupational drivers, truck drivers were significantly more likely to have a hospital-recorded diagnosis of diabetes and/or hypertension, as well as being significantly more likely to have a hospital record of tobacco use and/or alcohol misuse/abuse. The findings show that there is a need to review and revise existing health strategies to promote the health and wellbeing of truck drivers, especially given their challenging work environment.

The Order Allocation Problem and the Algorithm of Network Freight Platform under the Constraint of Carbon Tax Policy.

In order to solve the problems of improper order allocation and the lack of a carbon emission constraint system in the road freight transportation industry, this paper proposed an order allocation mechanism of network freight transportation with carbon tax constraints and established an order allocation optimization model with carbon tax constraints. Based on the basic characteristics of the problem, this paper redesigns the ant colony labor division expansion model, and designs a corresponding algorithm to solve the problem. By improving the update rules of the stimulus value and the threshold value, the matching difference between the order and the driver of the network freight platform is enlarged, and the matching relation-ship is dynamically adjusted, the order allocation scheme is optimized, and a more appropriate carbon tax rate range in this industry is explored. Furthermore, the problem is solved by a 0-1 integer programming algorithm, which is compared with the algorithm designed in this paper. Through multiple numerical simulation experiments, the effectiveness and feasibility of the algorithm are verified. The experimental results show that the order allocation arrangement of the online freight platform with carbon tax constraints is more economical and environmentally friendly.

Attacks on road-freight transporters: a threat to trade participation for landlocked countries in Southern Africa

South Africa hosts some of the busiest maritime ports which are gateway ports to several landlocked countries in the region. Road transportation is the main modality for moving goods between seaports and hinterland within South Africa and beyond to at least six landlocked countries in the region. However, the high rate of violent crime against freight trucks and vans has for many years been a major known risk to the road freight transport industry. Traditionally, these crimes have been motivated by monetary proceeds from sales of stolen goods from hijacked vehicles or the vehicles themselves. Recently, however, influenced by anti-immigrant sentiments, similar attacks have been specifically targeting foreign drivers and trucks resulting in death, injury, and damage to vehicles and cargo. Previously considered an internal problem for South Africa as a matter arising from domestic social and economic challenges in that country, the emergence of attacks on foreign drivers and trucks have raised concerns about the future of South Africa as an economic powerhouse, its role as a transit country for landlocked countries, and about its relationship with regional neighbors. For the landlocked countries in the region, any instability in South Africa can have a serious impact on the logistics that sustain businesses and international trade. This exploratory study gives an overview of the increasingly complex issue of violent attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa with a focus on attacks targeting the road freight transport sector and the implications on regional integration efforts.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Road Freight Transport Evidence from Poland

Purpose: The main aim of this article is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Polish road freight transport industry. This paper seeks to understand the impacts on travel behavior and the transport system caused by the different actions and policies adopted by the governments and transport authorities to contain the COVID-19 spread. Design/Methodology/Approach: Econometric and statistical methods were used, including analysis ofprimary data, predictive model of exponential smoothing. Findings: Using primary data as part of the study, conclusions have been reached, stating that the imposition of the lock-down of the European economy had a negative impact on the shortterm business of transport enterprises. On the other hand, once the number of infections was reduced, followed by a reduction in restrictions, the number of road kilometers covered by the enterprises under survey increased. This increase was higher than in the corresponding periods of previous years. Practical Implications: The article analyses short-term effects on road freight transport of legal provisions aimed at limiting the virus's spread. Results can be helpful to draws some recommendations for transport systems derived and planning process by the enterprise. The researcher effect can also be helpful for national governments in terms of decision-making. Originality/Value: The literature review shows that most of the authors have focused on analyzing the situation of the road transport branch in China, while the impact of the coronavirus on road transport in Europe has not been studied to a more significant extent so far. The study of the case involves Polish transport enterprises making up the second-largest carrier in the Community when the size of its rolling stock and transport tasks is compared to that of other states. The consequences of the pandemic on road cargo transport by Polish carriers indicate the impact of COVID-19 on the economic situation of similar enterprises from other European Union states.

Environmental awareness and pro-environmental behavior within China’s road freight transportation industry: Moderating role of perceived policy effectiveness

Abstract: Road freight transportation (RFT) has received significant attention from the government, industry, and academia because of its high energy consumption and carbon emissions. To reduce the negative effects of the accelerating use of RFT, China has recently been committed to promote green RFT. Efforts made in this direction have mainly focused on supply-side policy and technical measures, while neglecting the importance of demand-side psychological and behavioral strategies. Recent research suggests that drivers play a fundamental role in generating environmental impacts during transport. Thus, the success of green RFT should also be based on a thorough understanding of the drivers’ environmental awareness and pro-environmental behavior. In this study, we investigate the current levels of environmental awareness and pro-environmental behavior among China’s RFT drivers, and explore the role of environmental awareness as defined by four main components—environmental concern, environmental attitude, environmental knowledge, and behavioral intention—in motivating pro-environmental RFT behavior. We also test the moderating effect of perceived policy effectiveness on the awareness–behavior relationship. Hypotheses are examined using a sample of 243 truck drivers with structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicate the existence of an environmental awareness–behavior gap. We determine that the awareness score (3.2) is higher than the behavior score (3.1) because barriers to pro-environmental behavior are stronger than motivators. We also find that environmental concern, attitude, and knowledge indirectly affect pro-environmental behavior via behavioral intention. Moreover, a high level of perceived policy effectiveness facilitates the transformation of awareness into behavior, bridging the awareness–behavior gap. Our study confirms the importance of environmental awareness and effective incentive policies in encouraging pro-environmental RFT behavior. The conclusions will aid researchers’ understanding of drivers’ environmental awareness and pro-environmental behavior in China’s RFT, and compel transport policy makers and managers to implement more effective measures that promote environmentally sustainable RFT.

Truck Drivers in the Grey Area between Employment and Self-employment: Swedish Experiences


 
 
 The paper addresses the problem of fraudulent contracting of work in the Swedish road freight transport industry with a focus on false (bogus) self-employment.The aim is to discuss the widersocial context of the problem and to illustrate the significance of the mandatory Swedish notion of employee when identifying and tackling misclassification of drivers’ employment status. By analyzing a case in this industry that has been tried in the Swedish Labor Court, and a related case that resulted in conciliation, the paper illustrates both the strength and limitation of labor law for couteracting disguised employment.The study also exemplifies why the notion of employee has been an argument against new regulations aimed to protect workers in the grey area between emploment and self-employment. In addition to written sources, the paper draws upon interviews with informants from the Swedish Transport Workers’ Union, the industry and the Swedish Tax Agency.
 
 

THE EVOLUTION OF HIGH PRODUCTIVITY VEHICLES IN AUSTRALIA AND THEIR BENEFITS

Although the Australian road freight transport industry has seen three mass limits reviews in the mid 1970s, the mid 1980s and in the late 1990s, (Hassall, 2005), there were two very significant truck configuration changes that happened in the mid 1980s and then again in the early 2000s. The first was the trials of a variant of the Canadian B-train (the B-Double) which was introduced into Australia in the mid 1980s. This ‘Australian’ B-Double could achieve payloads some 30% to 40% higher than the conventional ‘semi trailer’ articulated combination. By 2016 some 18,900 of these vehicles were operational in Australia. The second adoption of new vehicle configurations started in 1999 through the National Road Transport Commission (NRTC), who adopted, and further developed, another Canadian concept, that of “Performance Based Standards” (PBS). This effectively allowed for new, flexible truck designs, as long as the vehicles performed against a set of 17 specific technical engineering performance criteria. This Performance Based Standards approach, since 1998, also allowed even larger configurations to B-Doubles to be used by operators. The benefits already of these new configurations has delivered billions of dollars in kilometre savings to the road freight industry and to its customers, as well as very significant safety benefits to the community.

비모수적 방법론을 이용한 교통물류산업의 생산성 분석

In this study, the overall productivity change of the transportation logistics industry is analyzed using the non-parametric method, the first-order stochastic dominance, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. In order to do that, we use “Transportation Survey 2004 and 2014” data provided by Korean Statistical Office. The analysis shows that per capita productivity has increased in the land and pipeline transportation, water transportation, and warehouse and transportation services industries. It is analyzed that productivity per person increases in the land passenger transportation industry and the road freight transportation industry, which are the subdivisions of the land and pipeline transportation industry. However, in the case of the road freight transportation industry, productivity per capita deteriorated at marginal enterprises, which led to suspicions that the various freight industries policies in the 2000s had intensified polarization. The maritime transport industry and the inland water transport and in-port transportation industry, which are sub-sectors of the water transport industry are also found to improve productivity per capita. In addition, the sub-sectors of warehouse and transportation service industries, such as the warehousing and the transportation-related services, are expected to improve productivity per capita in 2014 compared to 2004. Therefore, the per capita productivity of the warehouse and transportation-related service industries also increased in 2014 compared to 2004. As a result of this study, it is found that transportation companies` productivity increases with the overall change in the transportation logistics industry in Korea in the 2000s. However, it is difficult to grasp whether this change in productivity is caused by government policy changes or by the efforts of individual companies. This is also the limit of this study. Anyway, this study will be meaningful in that it has observed the productivity change of the overall transportation logistics industry including the 2000s and 2010s.

Rebound Effects and Policy Implications in Korean Road Freight Transport Industry

Rebound Effects and Policy Implications in Korean Road Freight Transport Industry

Organizational Mode Innovation and Credit Supervision in Road Freight Transportation under Smart Mobile Devices Applications Services

Abstract The rapid development of China's road freight transport has driven many issues over the last few decades, and trends are to apply new technology to improve the efficiency of cargo movement. In the view of current problems in the supervision and operational mode in China, this paper analysis the function and characteristics of road freight mobile apps that appeared in markets and describes how they may change the road freight industry in the future. Taking the Luge logistic, Cainiao logistic and Loji logistic as representative, a loose network organization is emerging and the intensive mode provides a direction for the transformation and innovation of China's freight transport industry by integrating small and medium-sized business operators to improve the social logistics. The research indicate flat structural design based on smart mobile terminals can balance the supply and demand, in particular to enhance return-picking rate to improve individual benefit, and reduce overall social resources and environmental cost. Record of footprint of goods based on apps and big data analysis provides good database and technical support for the third-party credit evaluation of freight transport operations, and the government may apply the credit evaluation platform composed of trade credit and social credit to regulate the road freight transport industry directly in the future. The survey indicates that most stakeholders support the promotion of freight mobile apps, and the traditional operation may be replaced by the application of freight mobile apps in the future.

화물자동차운송업 종사자들의 고용형태에 따른 직업만족도 비교 연구

화물자동차운송업 종사자들의 고용형태에 따른 직업만족도 비교 연구

Do not blame the driver: A systems analysis of the causes of road freight crashes

Although many have advocated a systems approach in road transportation, this view has not meaningfully penetrated road safety research, practice or policy. In this study, a systems theory-based approach, Rasmussens’s (1997) risk management framework and associated Accimap technique, is applied to the analysis of road freight transportation crashes. Twenty-seven highway crash investigation reports were downloaded from the National Transport Safety Bureau website. Thematic analysis was used to identify the complex system of contributory factors, and relationships, identified within the reports. The Accimap technique was then used to represent the linkages and dependencies within and across system levels in the road freight transportation industry and to identify common factors and interactions across multiple crashes. The results demonstrate how a systems approach can increase knowledge in this safety critical domain, while the findings can be used to guide prevention efforts and the development of system-based investigation processes for the heavy vehicle industry. A research agenda for developing an investigation technique to better support the application of the Accimap technique by practitioners in road freight transportation industry is proposed.

HOW MUCH WOULD ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES COST? THE INTERNALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS IN THE EUROPEAN TRANSPORT INDUSTRY

Environmental issues have over the last few years become an increasing concern for both the public and for companies, but, less is known about how companies could internalize the negative effects of environmental issues. Public regulators are taking a tougher stance with regards to environmental regulations. As regulations become stricter, firms will have to pay the cost of compliance. In this paper, we attempt to shed some light on how firms could internalize these environmental effects and what the benefits of early internalisation could be. We do this by using a qualitative analysis, elaborating a case study in the Spanish road freight transport industry (i.e., international transport of goods by road) to compare the environmental behaviour of the analyzed company in 2009 and its current environmental approach. By conducting interviews in two differentiated periods, the main conclusion of this study is that, as regulation becomes more stringent, environmentally proactive firms will be more capable of facing the challenge of an accurate internalisation of environmental effects and consequently they could reinforce sustainable development and simultaneously reduce negative environmental impacts.