Collaborative transportation planning (CTP) within a coalition of small and mid-sized freight carriers can be used as a powerful instrument to improve the operational efficiency of the coalition members. In such coalitions, transportation requests acquired from different freight carriers are exchanged among coalition members in order to reduce the total fulfillment costs. We consider the CTP fo...

This paper develops a simple analytical model of price and frequency competition among freight carriers. In the model, the full price faced by a shipper (a goods producer) includes the actual shipping price plus an inventory holding cost, which is inversely proportional to the frequency of shipments offered by the freight carrier. Taking brand loyalty on the part of shippers into account, compe...

Despite the recent economic downturn, electronic commerce (e-commerce) continues to show strong growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, e-commerce retail sales for 2002 reached at $45.6 billion, an increase of 26.9% from 2001, while total retail sales increased 3.1% during the same period. Although e-commerce sales account for only 1.4% of total sales, the digital economy continues to grow...

Because transportation services provided by container lines to forwarders cannot be stored, they can be considered to be newsvendor-type products. This paper discusses a method used to optimize container lines’ freight tariffs in order to maximize their expected profit by considering changes in order quantities made by forwarders responding to the price schemes suggested by the container lines....

Transport corridors are receiving a growing level of attention, particularly with the surge of containerized maritime freight and the setting of more efficient time and costwise freight distribution systems. Global commodity chains, with a strong Pacific Asian component and controlled by large modal and intermodal freight operators, have become an operational reality. Particularly, the role of ...

118 Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1964, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 2006, pp. 118–126. Several noteworthy developments in logistics practice have taken place without an equivalent and comprehensive development in urban freight transportation modeling. Part of the problem is the lack of deep unders...

The Transportation Research Forum, founded in 1958, is an independent, nonprofit organization of transportation professionals who conduct, use, and benefit from research. Its purpose is to provide an impartial meeting ground for carriers, shippers, government officials, consultants, university researchers, suppliers, and others seeking exchange of information and ideas related to both passenger...