carrying capacity innovations and related transportation security policies
Instructions:
Compare and contrast how the different cargo carrying capacity innovations and related transportation security policies have impacted the U.S. trucking and rail service industry from December 1980 until December 2011.
Note: Compare means list factors such as how much one mode can be described in what it can carry, the distance moved, and many other similar factors.
Two, contrast means to demonstrate with numbers or facts how that list of factors from one mode is better, or different, than the other mode under certain circumstances and geography.
Three, discuss any kind of technology that affects one or both modes of carriers.
Four, your answer covers all trucking and rail across the U.S., border to border. So, be creative, but include facts from referenced sources.
he essay should be approximately 500 words with appropriate sources cited in APA style. The originality/similarity score should not exceed 10%. Please remember you are demonstrating your knowledge of the topic while using sources to support your thoughts, insights, ideas, etc
Solution
carrying capacity innovations and related transportation security policies
Movement of raw materials and finished products is a very critical factor in the business cycle. Some of the practical ways of moving heavy goods from one point to another across America are via trucks and rail transport. Trucking is advantageous when the distances covered are short to medium, and the load is not very bulky. If heavy loads are to be carried over long distances, rail transport is preferred since it is more efficient than trucking. Since it is a critical factor in the business cycle, there are constant innovations in the sector as researchers try to improve efficiency in transportation and increase the ease of doing things. This paper will compare and contrast some cargo carrying capacity innovations that have occurred in the sector.
Intermodal transport allows for goods to be carried via rail; then they are later distributed to other forms of transportation, like road via trucking, which takes them to the final destination. It is the crucial link between trucking and rail transport. The standard mode of transporting goods by railway was by the utilization of trailers that were placed on flat cars. The flat cars and trailers went through some design changes to make the cars longer and better hold-down mechanisms to secure the load. Since the 1980s, innovations like the use of containers emerged and changed the face of transportation (Weart, 2008). People converted from trailers and opted for containers since they had the unique advantage of double stacking. The advantage of containers over trailers is that they were easier to handle, quick loading and unloading, and better protection from weather elements and tampering.
Double-stack rail transport is a mechanism that has become associated with intermodal shipping since 1984 (Weart, 2008). A majority of intermodal shipments utilizes double stacking allowing more containers to be carried in a single trip than before. There are other advantages of double stacking that make it more attractive than using single containers. There is greater cargo security than a stand-alone container since the top containers cradle the lower ones preventing their doors from opening. Damages that occur in transit are also significantly reduced with the use of double stacking. Before the advent of containers, trains used to carry trailers on flat cars, but now the cars have a depression that is custom made for the containers to fit in snugly. The depression allows for sufficient clearance so as to create space for double stacking. Container handling equipment compliments intermodality by making it easier to transfer containers from trains to trucks quickly and efficiently (Weart, 2008). Double stacking also meant that more goods could be carried than before
One of the most serious threats to our trucking and rail freight systems is terrorism. Some of the cargo transported by trains consists of hazardous chemicals that could be targeted by terrorists who aim to attack America (Terry, 2013). These trains often pass through areas that are densely populated and hence the threat of terror is escalated further. These chemicals, if sabotaged, could cause catastrophic damage and it is worrying since security is considerably lax and the containers may even stay unmonitored in the rail yards.
In
2005, the District of Columbia was the first to enact legislation that banned
rail carriers from transporting hazardous material through the city center (Kaplan, 2007).
It meant that the threat faced by the public from exposure to the chemicals
could be reduced substantially and improve safety. The Freight Rail Security
Grant Program was initiated in 2008 to fund security initiatives for freight
rail carriers and other entities transporting sensitive material through densely
populated areas (TSA,
2017). The initiative encouraged cargo carriers to invest in improving security
unlike before when it was impossible since it was an extra cost incurred by the
rail company. The Rail Corridor Risk Management System is a statistical routing
model that is highly sophisticated and designed to ensure materials are
transported on the route with the least risk to the public.
References
Kaplan, E. (2007). Rail Security and the Terrorist Threat. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 6 April 2017, from http://www.cfr.org/united-states/rail-security-terrorist-threat/p12800
Terry, L. (2013). Railroad Operations: Where Safety and Innovation Converge. Inbound Logistics. Retrieved from http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/railroad-operations-where-safety-and-innovation-converge/
TSA. (2017). Surface Transportation. Transportation Security Administration. Retrieved 6 April 2017, from https://www.tsa.gov/for-industry/surface-transportation
Weart, W. (2008). Rail Insider-Intermodal: A top 20th Century transportation innovation. Information for Rail Career Professionals from Progressive Railroading Magazine. Progressive Railroading. Retrieved 6 April 2017, from http://www.progressiverailroading.com/intermodal/article/Intermodal-A-top-20th-Century-transportation-innovation–17010