Performance Measures for Freight Transportation (2011) / Chapter Skim
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139 a p p e n D i X g stakeholder Perspectives
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Categorizing Stakeholder Preference One way to categorize stakeholders who could be served by a freight performance measurement system is to divide them between public and private sectors. The public sector is largely responsible for building highways, airports, ports, inland waterways, and many of the connections between them and for regulating many aspects of freight operations.
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Freight volumes are highly concentrated. As noted, the Interstate Highway System (IHS)
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It should be noted that respondents were commenting upon their need for and use of specific freight performance measures. They were not asked to comment upon the importance of national freight data sets, from which they could pull local freight data.
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aashTo perspective on Measuring Freight performance AASHTO has spent considerable effort on examining its membership's perspective and need for national performance measures. It also has developed a formal position on how the nation should develop national freight investments.
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– Travel time index – Incident clearance times – Lane closures • Freight/Economic Development: The suggested goal would be to increase the average speed on the freightsignificant Interstate and National Highway systems by an agreed amount. – Average IHS and NHS operating speed – Border crossing time – Bridge clearance for double-stacked containers – Container throughput at ports • Environment: Reduce the growth in greenhouse gas emissions (GHE)
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– Key measurement categories: export/import volumes Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Transportation and Air Quality • Motivation: Uses freight performance measures to provide insight on how fleet operational changes can reduce emissions and/or reduce fuel consumption rates. – Key measurement category: vehicles emissions ° GHE ° NOx ° Particulates – Key measurement category: energy consumption ° Efficiency/miles per gallon (mpg)
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. There were three indications that such measures would be "somewhat valuable." EPA and FHWA, however, stated that such measures would be "very valuable." A next question asked how valuable measures of truck travel time and operating speeds on major U.S.
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As was seen earlier, this interest in the cost of logistics was not shared by the state DOT respondents, who rated it among the least important measures. Another difference noted was that the private-sector respondents' role in national and international supply chains caused them to be more consistently interested in national and international measures, as opposed to local or regional ones.
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Importance of changes in logistics costs. In regard to truck travel speeds on major corridors, Figure G.7, a plurality of respondents rated the potential of such a measure as "very" important to them and gave near equal weight to such measures at the local, regional, and national levels.
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From page 146... ...
In regard to truck travel speeds on major corridors, Figure G.7, a plurality of respondents rated the potential of such a measure as "very" important to them and gave near equal weight to such measures at the local, regional, and national levels. Fewer than 14 percent indicated the measure would be of no value to them.
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Nearly 82 percent of respondents said measures of national infrastructure condition were very or moderately important. By a fairly wide margin, the respondents reported that they had never desired freight performance measures that would be produced by the public sector (Figure G.12)
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By a fairly wide margin, the respondents reported that they had never desired freight performance measures that would be produced by the public sector (Figure G.12)
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Several of the comments indicated that the most important measures involve company-specific and trip-specific measures that are relevant to individual supply chains. As one succinctly said, they wanted: "On time pick up -- Monthly with over year comparison; On time delivery -- Monthly with over year comparison; Average Highway Delays -- Monthly with year over year comparison; Congestion Index -- Monthly with year over year comparison." Several other responses focused upon the companies' intense need for the highly specific information on which their competitive position depends.
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When asked the open-ended question of what regulatory issues were most important, no two respondents identified the same issue. The issues cited were: funding for the highway trust fund; open access to rail lines; supply chain security; greenhouse gas emissions; California Air Board legislation; truck size and weight; hours of service; and wetland regulations.
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In addition, safety was also mentioned as a highly ranked internal measure. When asked what measures policy makers need in order to understand the freight system, out of the top measures cited, two respondents cited measures related to rail speed, one to port throughput, three to congestion, and one to the length of time it takes to deliver public projects.
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"Delay and congestion along the most heavily traveled interstate corridors would be a useful performance measurement," said the representative whose membership relies primarily on trucking. One association that is highly focused upon international supply chains reported that its members rely on all modes and therefore would be interested in all aspects of international freight performance.
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indicated that such measures would be "Somewhat Valuable." No interviewees indicated that this information was not valuable. To the question: Would measures of highway travel time or operating speed on major national corridors be valuable to your company?
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all respondents saw value in this measure, with an overwhelming 75 percent indicating that such a measure was "Very Valuable." In summary, the trucking industry respondents -- although representing a very small sample population -- indicated a greatest perceived utility for measures that relate to future freight demand, condition of public infrastructure, and the travel speeds on major national corridors. Railroad Industry Perspectives Railroad stakeholders, their goals and objectives, and their subsequent interest in railroad freight performance measures have evolved over the more than 150 years that railroads developed, were regulated, and then were largely deregulated.
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As a result of all this data and statistical information, it would be possible -- and often done -- to produce a wide array of rail freight performance measures that assess issues relating to policy, investment, safety, environmental, and other key issues at a national, regional, or railroad level. As shown in Figure G.17, train accidents by type are tracked, as are rail volumes and revenue by commodity type in Figure G.18, and deaths by type of train accident in Figure G.19.
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Although extensive data exist regarding what railroads haul, less information is available about what service they have discontinued, particularly at the local, regional, or individual producer level. This type of local service information is of acute interest to many public officials, as well as to the private producers who desire rail service.
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Local producers of commodities such as grain, timber, ethanol, chemicals, and minerals often desire rail service as an alternative to truck or to water. Although extensive data exist regarding what railroads haul, less information is available about what service they have discontinued, particularly at the local, regional, or individual producer level.
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• Until the recession of 2008, growing freight volumes at major seaports created growing landside congestion concerns on local streets, interchanges, railroads, and the crossings between them; – The trend of steadily increasing ship size allows for greater economies of scale at sea but creates additional throughput and surge issues at terminals and local streets, railroads, and pipelines; and – Expansion of the Panama Canal will mean an increase in large ships on the East Coast and possible diversion of West Coast container traffic to East Coast ports. • Improving technology at the ports to improve cargo handling, tracking, billing, taxation, and monitoring for security has received continuous attention by private- and public-sector members; and • Land use concerns in areas adjacent to ports can be a significant local issue.
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. Potential measures from FAF or USACE volume data could include: • Water ton-miles shipped annually • Value of water freight shipped annually • Value of waterborne exports, imports • Forecast demand for waterborne freight, both inland and maritime Throughout the United States, but particularly in southern California, environmental concerns about ports have become significant.
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In sum, there are complexities in port-related supply chains that make measuring, managing and supporting its disparate elements for the achievement of national goals difficult." The port officials indicated that their concerns that could arise from the development of port-related measures would be: • Are the supporting data robust? • Do they fairly allow port-to-port comparisons?
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7 Chung, Kek Choo. Port Performance Indicators, in Infrastructure Notes, for the Transportation, Water and Urban Development Department of the World Bank, December 1993, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/ INTTRANSPORT/Resources/336291-1119275973157/td-ps6.pdf (accessed May 24, 2010)
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