Is transport subcontracting a barrier to modal shift? Empirical evidence from Germany in the context of horizontal transshipment technologies

Abstract

Guided by the theory of organizational path dependence, this paper explores whether transport subcontracting might be a barrier to modal shift from road transport to combined transport if access to combined transport is enabled by horizontal transshipment technologies. In this paper, we attempt to evaluate the path dependence of two different groups of forwarders based on the quantitative data derived from web-based questionnaires conducted in Germany in the spring of 2011. We find that the willingness to shift transport modes is significantly higher if forwarders use their own semi-trailers rather than subcontracting with a transport fleet. Our study contributes to the literature by providing an empirical investigation into the building of organizational paths.

Analysis of the barriers to multimodal freight transport and their mitigation strategies

“…Shippers often outsource their freight transport to freight forwarders, who typically decide on the transport modes and are often restricted to specific transport modes. Therefore, transport outsourcing can be a barrier to shifting from road to intermodal solutions [110,111]. In addition, freight forwarders might have semi-trailers that are non-cranable and less suitable for intermodal rail solutions.…”

“…Inadequate freight characteristics [11,30,31] Just-in-time practice [10,11,31,39, 107] Unfavorable flow geography [28,29,63,91,108,109,131] Transport outsourcing [40,110,111]…”

Current Interest in the Theory of Organizational Path Dependence. A Short Update on the Occasion of the 2019 AMR Decade Award

“…digitalization (e.g. Hirsch-Kreinsen, 2018), transport logistics (e.g Truschkin, Elbert, & Günter, 2014),. human resource management (e.g Chen, Su, & Zeng, 2016),.…”