: Publication

After years of being behind the scenes, transportation today is becoming a concern for Americans and for people around the world. A shortage of qualified workers, an increased demand for the timely movement of goods, as well as new technologies, omnichannel issues, changes in trade tariffs, and many other concerns require that companies understand the industry better. This demand also places more importance on hiring experts at all levels who have the real-world training and experience to do the job in a fast-changing environment.

The Basics of Transportation: Policies, Practices, and Pricing—An Applied Perspective can assist with this challenge. Written with the aid and support of companies both large and small that hire students who have been through the courses taught by Dr. Barton Jennings, this book’s intention is to fill the gaps found in both education and industry. The book looks at how carriers, shippers, and third-party firms operate, much of the legal environment under which they operate, and many of the pricing strategies used. The book is filled with real-world practices, both proven and innovative, which will help anyone associated with transportation improve their operations, lower costs, and improve quality.

Acknowledgments                                                        v

               Preface                                                          vii

               About the Author                                           xi

01      An Introduction to Transportation                                                       1

02      Transportation and Regulations                                                         35

03      Motor Carriers                                                                                       99

04      Railroads                                                                                               153

05      Water Carriers                                                                                      213

06      Pipelines                                                                                               267

07      Air Carriers                                                                                           289

08     Defining the Carrier Types                                                                   339

09     Private Carriers                                                                                     359

10     The Role of Third Parties                                                                     395

11     Carrier Routes and Terminals                                                             427

12     Intermodal Transportation                                                                  465

13     International Transportation                                                               497

14     The Fundamentals of Transportation Pricing                                                                                                            559

15     Modal Pricing Concepts                                                                      625

16     Transportation—Its Impact Upon the Supply Chain                         671

17     Transportation  Risk and Sustainability                                            693

Barton Jennings is currently a Professor of Supply Chain Management at Western Illinois University, where he works with some of the largest carriers, shippers, and 3PLs in the United States. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in transportation, risk management, and inventory management.

While working in heavy construction, Dr. Jennings received a B.S. in Construction Engineering Technology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and an M.S. in Civil Engineering–Transportation from the University of Virginia, where he worked at the Virginia Highway & Transportation Research Council. He then accepted a job in the engineering department at Union Pacific Railroad, participating in the annual capital investment decision process, bridge and tunnel construction, and track maintenance. Following this, he worked for several shortline railroads, including serving on the start-up team for one new railroad.

Dr. Jennings later obtained his Ph.D. in logistics and transportation from the University of Tennessee, where he created a number of regulatory training workshops for the railroad industry through the University’s Center for Transportation Research. He also taught Logistics and Transportation for a decade, while simultaneously conducting groundbreaking research in the areas of transload, industrial railroads, and mapping the entire U.S. railroad network.

Since 2004, he has been at Western Illinois University, where he has been instrumental in the development of a world-class supply chain program. He has received several teaching awards and has had articles in many of the top academic and industry journals in the field. His research covers the areas of railroad, intermodal, and transload practices, as well as the educational needs of companies in the field. He regularly speaks at industry conferences on the subject of industry-education interaction, conducts regulatory and safety workshops, and writes about the operations of transportation companies. He also spends significant time with his students visiting companies to observe and learn from their transportation operations.

He has also presented on the subject of transportation and transportation education at a number of professional conferences, including those sponsored by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the Transportation Research Board, the Food Shippers of America, MHI, and the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association. His current interests include transportation costing, inventory management, warehouse management, supply chain risk management, and curriculum development. He is also actively working with industries and professional organizations to find ways to make higher education more relevant to the needs of industry.

Barton Jennings has been involved in a number of significant industry events, including one of the first Feeder Line Railroad Development Program (1980 Staggers Act) legal cases. He has provided comments to the Federal Railroad Administration, which have resulted in changes in several regulations. Jennings has also served as an expert witness in a number of legal cases involving transportation, including one whose value exceeded one billion dollars. He has also been involved with conducting valuation appraisals of several companies, including the rail infrastructure of closed government facilities, and managing a number of large transportation events, including a charter trip over the entire Alaska Railroad system for a large rail conference. Dr. Jennings is also author of a number of books on the history of various railroads in the History Through the Miles series.