Long-distance hauliers' transport mode choices

Abstract

Intermodal transport has benefits over all-road transport in lower external and internal cost with a resulting large potential but many consider the development of intermodal transport not to be satisfactory. This situation is attributed to that barriers and constraints to intermodal transport exist. In previous research, several levels of decision making have been argued to influence the demand for road transport. But the actual choice between all-road and intermodal transport is often taken by a mode decision making firm. Hauliers are one category of users of intermodal transport, thus a mode decision making firm. Because of the hauliers anticipated central role in the mode choice the purpose of the paper is to analyze how a hauliers decision making affects the choice between all-road and intermodal transport. The mode choice is described and analysed as part of strategic, tactical and operational decision making with an input-transformation-output perspective of the haulier. This perspective tries to illustrate the complexity of the mode choice that is often stressed in mode choice literature but more seldom explained. With this model of the context of the mode choice the paper explores how the mode choice is treated at two hauliers. The basis for the mode choice at the hauliers is largely determined at the strategic level in the decision of what resources to acquire. Time flexible resources are preferred which results in that all-road transport is the chosen alternative over intermodal transport. The paper shows that some resources can be rescheduled for intermodal transport at the tactical level. Rescheduling of resources is not done regularly or in a systematic way. At the operational level all-road resources are filled first which have the effect that intermodal resources are used according to the daily capacity requirements.

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