Quiz on Truck and Rail

Question 1

Which part do trucking have in intermodal movements and what is a intermodal transport?

Answer 1

Initial leg and/or final leg of an itinerary.

The use of multiple transportation modes.

Question 2

What do trucking offer to the intermodalism?

Answer 2

Degree of convenience and flexibility unmatched by any other mode.

Question 3

Managerial issues in trucking?

Answer 3

Licensing/authorizations
Professional competence
Emission, 
Energy consumption
Noise (limits)
Working hours
Safety (+laws)
Tolls

Question 4

What is the difference between TL and LTL?

Answer 4

Truckload vs. Less-than-Truckload

Question 5

Describe the industry (trucking)?

Answer 5

Fragmented. Large number of small carriers.

Mostly short distance transportation and less than one day.

Question 6

What is the typical goods handled by truck?

Answer 6

High-value goods.
Food and manufacturing products, consumer and industrial goods.
Live animals and bulk materials.

Question 7

What is the difference between peddle time and stem time?

Answer 7

Peddle time is the time on route.

Stem time is the time off-route (non-revenue generating).

Question 8

What are the 5 general service charateristics of trucking?

Answer 8

1) Accessibility
2) Speed (transit time)
3) Connection to other modes (universal connector)
4) Smaller carrying capacity (lower inventory levels)
5) Lower damage rates (than rail)

Question 9

What is a break-bulk terminal?

Answer 9

Terminals to consolidate and re-sort shipments. They are between pickup terminal and delivery terminal.
Result in higher utilization of vehicle capacity.

Question 10

Name some types of terminals?

Answer 10

Pickup-and-delivery terminals
Break-bulk terminals
Relay terminals

Question 11

What kind of variable cost do trucking have?

Answer 11

Labor
Fuel
Maintenance
Toll charges

Question 12

How many hours of driving a truck is allowed?

Answer 12

11 hrs driving/day

Question 13

Do trucking have EoS, and what is then necessary?

Answer 13

No EoS, they compete on services

Question 14

What is the competition within the rail industry?

Answer 14

Differnetiated oligopoly

Question 15

Why is rail a oligopoly?

Answer 15

Large financial barriers to entry (tender offers, CAPEX)

Gov’t do not want to many carriers

Question 16

Horizontal Mergers in rail: What is difference between side-by-side merger and a end-to-end merger?

Answer 16

Side-by-side = To strengthen financial position (and reduce operating costs)

End-to-end = Improve competitive position

Question 17

Name some advantages of rail transportation?

Answer 17

• Competitive with large (uniform) loads over long distances
• Reach a high speed
• Planable and reliable
• Fuel efficient
• Handle any goods (also hazardous goods)
• Liable of loss and damage

Question 18

Name some disadvantages of rail?

Answer 18

• High fixed costs
• Less flexible to e.g. trucking (scheduled)
• No door-to-door service

Question 19

Name different car types (rail)?

Answer 19

Boxcar (squared, closed)
Hopper car (bulk, commodities)
Gondola (square, low, open)

Question 20

Why is the loading gauge a problem in rail trans? What about track gauge?

Answer 20

It limits the ability of handling some types of goods.
Loading gauge = The maximum dimensions for rail vehicles to pass through tunnels etc.

Same issue with track gauge

Question 21

What is the major pro and con of a unit train?

Answer 21

E.g. for commodities

\+ = priority service
- = empty backhaul

Question 22

Do you have Economics of utilization in rail?

Answer 22

Certainly. The avg. cost falls as capacity increases.