1. Competitive Issues in Intermodal Railroad-Truck Service.
- Author
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Harper, Donald V. and Evers, Philip T.
- Subjects
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RAILROADS , *TRUCK industry , *CONTAINERIZATION , *CONTAINERS , *CARRIERS - Abstract
The article examines the intermodal railroad-truck (IRT) facilities and service available in Minnesota, the extent of use of IRT service by Minnesota manufacturers, and their perceptions about the service. IRT service is where one or more motor carriers provide the short-haul pickup and delivery service part of the trip and one or more rail-roads provide the long-haul part. The primary types of equipment involved are truck trailers or containers (referred to as intermodal units) which are carried on railroad cars. IRT is used for both domestic and international movements. A survey was conducted, and IRT users were asked to indicate their perceptions of IRT, railroad, and motor truck service in regard to factors they were familiar with on a scale of one to five, with one equal to poor and five equal to excellent. Overall, users rated IRT service above average. Users rated IRT service higher overall than railroad service but lower than motor truck service. The users' perceptions indicate that IRT service still has a long way to go to be service competitive with motor carriage, although cost does offset some of the service disadvantage.
- Published
- 1993