Fostering the Development of Transportation Systems
States, cities, and towns must work individually and in collaboration with others to foster the development of their transportation systems as an efficient transportation system is first and foremost the backbone of the economy (U.S. Department of Transportation, n.d.). TCRP (2002) suggests that the country’s growth and the need to adequately meet mobility, business, environmental, and energy objectives place enormous demands on the public transport systems and, as such, there is an immediate need for stakeholders to foster the development of their existing transportation systems in terms of expanding the service area, upgrading, increasing service frequency, and improving efficiency.
TCRP (2002) observes that the expansion of transportation systems stimulates a broad range of potential changes in general transportation patterns, environmental conservation, social welfare, public spending, social and business interactions, and the local economy. Fostering the development of transportation systems will therefore not only enhance faster delivery of goods in line with the Just in Time supply chain but also facilitate social interactions and exchange of ideas across geographical boundaries, not to mention that it will have a long-term effect on the economic situation of a particular area (U.S. Department of Transportation, n.d.).
The U.S. Department of Transportation (n.d.) underscores the fact that the global supply chain heavily relies on an efficient and effective transportation system for it to run smoothly, and illustrates what could actually happen if the supply chain is disrupted. From the accounts, it is evidently clear that an efficient transportation system is not only the backbone of the economy, but it affects our daily lives in terms of the time taken to travel, user costs, safety benefits, availability of critical products, environmental costs, and congestion reduction (TCRP, 2002). As such, fostering the development of efficient transportation systems seems the only way to go.
Issues to Consider in Selecting a Mode of Transportation
There are various issues to consider when selecting a mode of transportation. TCRP (2002) underlines the importance of undertaking a cost-benefit analysis before selecting an appropriate mode of transportation. Transportation operators should consider the holistic benefits offered by a particular mode vis-à-vis related costs such as spillover environmental costs to society, travel times, fares, and costs to taxpayers for construction and operation. Benefits may include safety, user savings, parking costs savings, and air pollution reductions.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (n.d.), logistics and transportation managers should consider such issues as weather conditions, congestion, cost of fuel, manpower costs, and network conditions before deciding on the mode of transportation to use.
These factors are critically important since they dictate not only the economic value of the operaions, but also the time that will be taken to move cargo from one destination to another. In supply chain management, time is a critical factor since a delay in delivery automatically leads to lost business and disenchantment by customers. Weather conditions and rate of congestion directly affect delivery times and, as such, transporters and logisticians must always take into account these exigencies when selecting an appropriate mode of transportation (TCRP, 2002).
Logistics and transportation managers should also consider the potential routes that can be taken to deliver products in time, and the time taken to process goods through the supply chain from the producer, assembler, and distributor to the customer (U.S. Department of Transportation, n.d.). This will not only help to lower prices, but will also influence coordination efforts that are critical to efficient transportation. Lastly, the operators must consider the safety and reliability of a particular mode of transportation before deciding on whether to use the mode to deliver products.
References
Transit Cooperative Research Program. (2002). Establishing the benefits and costs of public transit projects: A gguidebookfor practitioners. Web.
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. (n.d.). Keeping the global supply chain moving [Streaming video]. Web.