Freight and Transportation in Intermodal Transportation-Forum Randy G. 2/2
Paper details

Assignment: Respond to the below classmate forum post taken from a Intermodal Transportation course and perspective of a fellow classmate. The objective is to acknowledge the correct portions and give positive constructive criticism regarding the answers of the fellow classmates response to these forum question requirements within the scenario(s) described below:
Compare and contrast the transport planning models for passenger and freight transport. This may require you to do additional research.
CLASSMATE RESPONSE:
Many goods are transported throughout our nation. These goods are transported over the interstate, through the city, and throughout rural America. The goods range from lumber to livestock, and can be categorized as passenger or freight transport. There are many things to consider when conducting planning for each transport system. It is necessary to compare and contrast the transport planning models for passenger and freight transport in order to attain a greater understanding of these systems.

The passenger and freight transport systems share many commonalities. These commonalities range from delivering goods on time, as well as on cost to customer satisfaction. It is important for any form of transportation to understand the customer, and meet the customer’s expectations. This is done in part by both forms of transport being able to plan for traffic congestion, as well as other short falls which will affect delivery and safety. Some short falls which both forms must mitigate is maintenance, age of vehicle/fleet, and qualified operators.

The main difference in passenger and freight transport lies within the way the government deals with each form respectively. This fact is highlighted by Konings (2008), when he states “One of the most important distinctions between the passenger and freight transportation systems is related to the nature of their relationship with the government.” (Future of Intermodal Freight Transport p. 309) Governments around the world have regulated freight transportation in order to protect the consumer from price gauging, as well as monopolistic practices. Koning (2008), goes on to say how the government favors passenger transport when he states

“In fact, most elected officials, if presented with a situation in which they have to choose among alternatives that benefit one sector at the expense of the other (which occurs frequently in resource allocation problems), would tend to favour passenger transportation, as well as the road modes, over other options.” (Future of Intermodal Freight Transport p. 311)

Another, difference is the way each type of transport is viewed by major city governments. Many large cities do not even allow freight to be delivered by truck; this creates a time and cost issue for many freight transporters. Contrary to that cities often push people to public transport by way of stipends or even create lanes for cars who carry multiple passengers. These lanes exclude freight carriers.-Randy G.

Konings, R., Priemus, H., and Nijkamp, P., eds. Future of Intermodal Freight Transport : Operations, Design and Policy. Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 10 February 2015.

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