Quiz on Truck and Rail Flashcards
Which part do trucking have in intermodal movements and what is a intermodal transport?
Initial leg and/or final leg of an itinerary.
The use of multiple transportation modes.
What do trucking offer to the intermodalism?
Degree of convenience and flexibility unmatched by any other mode.
Managerial issues in trucking?
Licensing/authorizations Professional competence Emission, Energy consumption Noise (limits) Working hours Safety (+laws) Tolls
What is the difference between TL and LTL?
Truckload vs. Less-than-Truckload
Describe the industry (trucking)?
Fragmented. Large number of small carriers.
Mostly short distance transportation and less than one day.
What is the typical goods handled by truck?
High-value goods.
Food and manufacturing products, consumer and industrial goods.
Live animals and bulk materials.
What is the difference between peddle time and stem time?
Peddle time is the time on route.
Stem time is the time off-route (non-revenue generating).
What are the 5 general service charateristics of trucking?
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)
What is a break-bulk terminal?
Terminals to consolidate and re-sort shipments. They are between pickup terminal and delivery terminal.
Result in higher utilization of vehicle capacity.
Name some types of terminals?
Pickup-and-delivery terminals
Break-bulk terminals
Relay terminals
What kind of variable cost do trucking have?
Labor
Fuel
Maintenance
Toll charges
How many hours of driving a truck is allowed?
11 hrs driving/day
Do trucking have EoS, and what is then necessary?
No EoS, they compete on services
What is the competition within the rail industry?
Differnetiated oligopoly
Why is rail a oligopoly?
Large financial barriers to entry (tender offers, CAPEX)
Gov’t do not want to many carriers
Horizontal Mergers in rail: What is difference between side-by-side merger and a end-to-end merger?
Side-by-side = To strengthen financial position (and reduce operating costs)
End-to-end = Improve competitive position
Name some advantages of rail transportation?
- 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
Name some disadvantages of rail?
- High fixed costs
- Less flexible to e.g. trucking (scheduled)
- No door-to-door service
Name different car types (rail)?
Boxcar (squared, closed) Hopper car (bulk, commodities) Gondola (square, low, open)
Why is the loading gauge a problem in rail trans? What about track gauge?
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
What is the major pro and con of a unit train?
E.g. for commodities
\+ = priority service - = empty backhaul
Do you have Economics of utilization in rail?
Certainly. The avg. cost falls as capacity increases.
