Historically, in the United States, the use of trucking has vastly outweighed the use of other modes of transportation. With fuel prices on the rise today, and given current economic conditions, it is likely that there will be both short- and long-term changes ahead.
What potential changes do you see in the preferred modes of transportation for the manufacturing sector? Specify any evolving trends you can see.
Identify the mode of transportation most used by American Manufacturers. Can you discern any potential areas for improvement? For example, might rail be more cost-effective than trucking (assuming that customer demand can be satisfied)?
Identify any challenges that less-versatile, less-capable companies may face, if they cannot be flexible in embracing new modes of transportation.
Describe some of the best practices, in the area of transportation mode utilization, that leading companies in the manufacturing industry have embraced.