Transportation Mode Analysis

Exploring the Cost Efficiency of Transport Modes in India: A Game-Changer for Businesses. As India continues to strengthen its position as a global economic powerhouse, understanding the cost dynamics of transportation is crucial for businesses aiming to optimize logistics and reduce operational expenses. Let’s dive into the comparative costs of various transport modes in India, based on insightful data that could reshape your supply chain strategy. Transportation is the backbone of trade and commerce, and the choice of mode can significantly impact your bottom line. 
Rail transport offers a reliable and cost-effective solution, especially for bulk goods over long distances. Its structured network across India makes it a preferred choice for industries like mining and agriculture. 
While road transport provides flexibility and doorstep delivery, its costs are relatively higher due to fuel prices, maintenance, and road conditions. It’s ideal for shorter distances and time-sensitive deliveries but can strain budgets over long hauls. 
Coastal shipping emerges as a surprisingly economical option, leveraging India’s extensive coastline. It’s gaining traction for moving goods along the coast, offering a balance of cost and capacity. Inland Waterways 
The star performer! Inland waterways, including coastal routes, are the most cost-efficient mode. With initiatives like the National Waterways project, this eco-friendly option is set to revolutionize freight movement, especially for heavy cargo. Seaway: Represented by robust shipping vessels, seaways align with coastal and inland waterway efficiencies, making maritime transport a cornerstone of international and domestic trade. Why does this matter? For businesses, selecting the right transport mode can lead to substantial savings. For instance, shifting a portion of freight from road to inland waterways could cut costs by up to 80-90% per tonne-km compared to road transport. This is particularly relevant as India pushes for sustainable logistics under initiatives like “Make in India” and the Sagarmala Project. The data underscores the potential of waterways, which remain underutilized despite their low cost and environmental benefits. As of July 2025, with growing infrastructure investments, now is the time to explore these alternatives. Whether you’re in manufacturing, retail, or logistics, aligning your strategy with these cost insights can enhance competitiveness. What are your thoughts? Have you considered diversifying your transport mix to include waterways? Let’s discuss how these trends can shape the future of logistics in India. Share your experiences or insights below—I’d love to hear from you! #Logistics #SupplyChain #Transportation #IndiaBusiness #Sustainability #Freight #BusinessStrategy #MakeInIndia #Waterways

I reviewed the latest research on getting people out of cars. Here's what most cities get wrong. Cities spend vast sums of money to get people out of their cars. They offer very low or even free fares. They highlight the environmental and health benefits of walking and cycling. They hope that if attitudes change, behaviour will follow. But new research shows the opposite is true: https://lnkd.in/gQ9UbNZg Behaviour changes attitudes. Not the other way around. This isn't just theory. It's based on long-term studies tracking real people. When someone starts using a car less, their attitude toward cars shifts. When driving becomes harder or more expensive, habits break. Then minds change. Here's what actually works: ✅ Make driving more expensive through road pricing. ✅ Make driving less convenient with less and more expensive parking. ✅ Restrict car access in city centres ✅ Increase the real cost of car ownership ✅ Change the roads to favour buses, walking and cycling Here's what doesn't work very well: ❌ Awareness campaigns about climate change ❌Free or very cheap fares for public transport ❌ Information about public transport benefits The evidence is clear. Carrots have weak effects. Sticks drive real change. I know what you're thinking. "This will never be popular." ⚠️ You're right. It's politically hard. But if we want real mode shift, we need to face facts. Soft measures feel good but deliver little. Hard measures work but need courage. The good news? Once people change their behaviour, their attitudes catch up. They start to see cars differently. They value other options more. That is why things like congestion charges become more popular once they are implemented. Want to read the full breakdown? I cover this research and more in my latest newsletter. If you want more evidence-based transport insights delivered weekly, subscribe to my newsletter: transportlc.org/subscribe

Magazine Nature Energy, 2024 «For example, replacing all car trips under 8 miles with walking and cycling could reduce transport emissions by 9.3%, but would affect 55.1% of all trips and 75% of car trips currently taken. If all car trips over 50 miles were made by train instead, this would save 5.2% of overall transport emissions, but would disrupt only 1.8% of all trips, a much more efficient strategy. If people took road trips within Great Britian rather than flying abroad for vacation, this would reduce total transport emissions by 27.6% while affecting only 0.22% of all trips. “We should focus on decarbonizing long distance travel, given their large share of emissions and the potentially higher efficiency in terms to least changes required in trip making,” Wadud says. This won’t always be easy, he acknowledges – people might actually find it more painful to give up one long-distance holiday a year than to regularly choose a low-carbon travel mode for their commute. Still, this new way of thinking about travel behavior could at least open up a conversation about the tradeoffs involved in different policy and habit shifts. And the basic idea of emissions reduction sensitivity could likely be applied to many areas of consumption, the researchers say.»

It's National Travel Survey release day for 2023 and there is so much data to explore that it is sometimes hard to know where to begin. This is the chart I start with. It shows the average distance travelled per person by mode (active, public and private) in 2023, split by income quintile. I think it tells us much about our broken transport system. Those on the highest income are more than twice as mobile as those on the lowest. The increases in distance travelled are largely driven by car usage. Those on the lowest income use cars the least and are most reliant on active travel and public transport. The government are currently reviewing transport investment priorities and planning for England's first integrated transport strategy. A key measure of success for both is whether they tackle this inequality in our transport system and prioritise helping those on the lowest income to affordably and sustainably access the things they care about and help them get on in life. #transport #socialexclusion #publicpolicy National travel survey data available here: https://lnkd.in/eGEKjbRx

How can we customize multi-modal travel journey planning while accounting for user's preferences as well as the integration between fixed- and flexible on-demand services? https://lnkd.in/eCkzzU7g We propose a preference-based optimization framework for multi-modal trip planning with public transport, ride-pooling services, and shared micro-mobility fleets. We introduce a mixed-integer programming model that incorporates preferences into the objective function and solve it for real transport network data in a suburban area of Rotterdam. Model application results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can efficiently obtain near-optimal solutions. Managerial insights are gained from comprehensive experiments that consider various passenger segments, costs of micro-mobility vehicles, and availability fluctuation of shared mobility. open-access, with Yimeng Zhang and Shadi Sharif Azadeh, part of the SUM Project funded by the European Commission, in collaboration with RET.

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀; 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 This foundational role physically moves value, connecting suppliers, manufacturers, distribution centers, and customers to create crucial "place utility" and "time utility." 1) Diverse Logistics Modes & Intermodal Systems: We examine the distinct advantages of various logistics modes—Road, Rail, Marine, and Air. Each mode offers a unique balance of speed, cost, reliability, and carbon footprint. Notably, Intermodal systems brilliantly combine the long-haul efficiency of Rail with the flexibility of Truck for first/last mile, significantly enhancing cost and carbon efficiency through standardized containers. 2) Road Freight Dynamics: Understanding models like Full Truckload (FTL) and Less-than-Truckload (LTL) is crucial. FTL typically involves point-to-point direct movement for high-volume goods, while LTL operates on a hub-and-spoke model, consolidating smaller freights. Mastering LTL freight class logic, where density directly drives rates, is a key practical insight for cost optimization. 3) Freight Benchmarking & Pricing Models: Navigating market volatility in transportation rates demands rigorous benchmarking. By leveraging neutral tariffs (e.g., CZARLite), businesses can ensure competitive pricing and move beyond blanket rates to effectively utilize customer-specific or spot rates, guaranteeing "apples-to-apples" comparisons and unlocking significant cost savings. 4) Transportation Management Systems (TMS) Lifecycle: A TMS acts as the 'brain' of your transportation operations, linking strategic planning to daily operational routing, load building, auditing, and track & trace. The TMS lifecycle, from assessing business requirements and tool selection to deployment and continuous sustainment, is paramount. A robust TMS provides real-time visibility, centralized control, automation, and essential features like load tendering, automated freight cost tracking, and auditing, spanning operational, tactical, and strategic planning. 5) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): To measure and evaluate performance effectively, a data-driven approach is essential. Critical KPIs include: - Financial: Cost as % of Sales, Cost per Unit/Mile. - Service: On-Time In Full (OTIF), Transit Time Accuracy. - Operational: Empty Miles, Asset Utilization, Truck-to-Load Ratio. Ultimately, effective transportation management transforms physical value movement into a strategic competitive advantage. It's about intelligently balancing inventory costs, leveraging cutting-edge technology, and making data-driven decisions to optimize every leg of your journey.

🌍 Exploring Supply Chain Efficiency with Advanced Analytics 📦 Thrilled to share insights from my latest research paper on supply chain shipment pricing! This study dives deep into how factors like freight costs, shipment modes, and country-level infrastructure shape vendor decisions and operational strategies. 🔍 Key Highlights: Multinomial regression revealed how freight costs significantly influence the choice of transportation mode, with air and air charter linked to higher costs, while truck and ocean options offer cost-effective alternatives. Clustering grouped countries based on shipment patterns, uncovering regional trends and infrastructure impacts on mode preferences. Support Vector Machine (SVM) provided predictive insights into vendor Incoterm selection, helping align decisions with regulatory and logistical considerations. 📊 This research bridges gaps in the literature by shedding light on vendor preferences, compliance strategies, and cost-saving opportunities in global supply chains. 💡 The findings offer actionable insights into: 1️⃣ Cost efficiency through optimized shipment modes. 2️⃣ Vendor negotiation strategies aligned with infrastructure constraints. 3️⃣ Compliance optimization with tailored Incoterm selections. LinkedIn

Relying on just one mode of transportation can leave you vulnerable when demand shifts, capacity tightens, or unexpected disruptions occur. Embracing a multimodal approach — using a mix of truckload, LTL, air, ocean, and rail — gives you the flexibility to pivot quickly and meet changing demands head-on. 🚛✈️🚢🚂 Here’s why you should diversify: 🔹Faster Response to Market Changes — When you have access to multiple transportation modes, you can adapt quickly to sudden spikes in orders. For example, if a major product launch exceeds expectations, you can use air freight to expedite deliveries to key markets while maintaining cost efficiency with ground transport for less urgent shipments. 🔹Enhanced Reliability During Disruptions — Unforeseen events like severe weather, port strikes, or truck driver shortages can throw a wrench in your supply chain if you’re relying on a single mode. With a multimodal strategy, you can shift to rail or air if road conditions deteriorate, or reroute ocean shipments to an alternative port without missing a beat. 🔹Cost Optimization — Different modes come with different cost structures. By leveraging a blend of options, you can balance speed and cost more effectively. For example, you might use rail for long-haul, bulk shipments to keep expenses down while reserving expedited LTL services for time-sensitive deliveries. 🔹Improved Customer Experience — Customers expect fast, reliable shipping, and using a variety of modes helps you meet those expectations. You can choose the fastest or most cost-effective option based on order urgency, ensuring your products arrive on time while keeping shipping costs in check. 🔹Sustainable Choices — Incorporating rail or ocean freight, which have lower carbon footprints compared to road or air transport, allows you to make environmentally conscious decisions without compromising efficiency. This can be a major value-add as more customers look to support businesses prioritizing sustainability. By not putting all your eggs in one basket, you create a more agile, resilient supply chain that can handle whatever the market throws at you. #womeninlogistics #womeninsupplychain #logisticssolutions #supplychainefficiency

In this new paper, using data from 2500+ UCL students and staff, we found that elements of Ease of Travel (EoT; people's perceived ability to travel), i.e., travel motivation, travel skills, travel options, and travel quality are mainly affected by the residential location, travel disabilities, and the proximity of public transport and shared (e-)bikes. Additionally, we found that EoT impacts travel mode choice, travel distance and duration when travelling to UCL campus, while positively affecting the perceived accessibility of the campus. Improving EoT levels, and making it easier for people to travel around, can result in shorter and more active trips and can also increase accessibility to out-of-home activities.  Yuerong Zhang, Mengqiu Cao, Milad Mehdizadeh, Wang Kailai The paper is available open access: https://lnkd.in/e9BWrYk8

Greetings, once again, from the World Conference for Transportation Research, in Montreal. Today I'm presenting a paper titled "Fair Share Transportation Planning" which examines how to determine the optimal balance of investments between auto and non-auto modes. It estimates that in a typical North American community 20% to 40% of travelers cannot, should not or prefer not to drive, and will use non-auto modes if they are convenient, comfortable and affordable, but more than 90% of transportation infrastructure investments are devoted to roads and parking subsidies. Why the disparity? My research suggest that our transportation planning practices are in many ways biased to exaggerate automobile travel benefits and undervalue non-motorized modes. Here is my slideshow (https://lnkd.in/gfjADgJJ ) and here is the full report (https://lnkd.in/gz-UZnT4 ). Please let me know what you think.