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Price and Frequency Competition in Freight Transportation

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  • Shah, Nilopa
  • Brueckner, Jan K.

Abstract

This paper develops a simple analytical model of price and frequency competitionamong freight carriers. In the model, the full price faced by a shipper (a goodsproducer) includes the actual shipping price plus an inventory holding cost, whichis inversely proportional to the frequency of shipments offered by the freight carrier. Taking brand loyalty on the part of shippers into account, competing freightcarriers maximize profit by setting prices, frequencies and vehicle carrying capacities. Assuming tractable functional forms, long- and short-run comparative-staticresults are derived to show how the choice variables are affected by the model’sparameters. The paper also provides an efficiency analysis, comparing the equilibrium to the social optimum, and it attempts to explain the phenomenon of excesscapacity in the freight industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Shah, Nilopa & Brueckner, Jan K., 2011. "Price and Frequency Competition in Freight Transportation," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt1n42k26q, University of California Transportation Center.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:uctcwp:qt1n42k26q
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Zheng, Wei & Li, Bo & Song, Dong-Ping, 2017. "Effects of risk-aversion on competing shipping lines’ pricing strategies with uncertain demands," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 337-356.
    3. Feng, Fenling & Zhang, Jiaqi & Liu, Chengguang, 2023. "Integrated pricing mechanism of China Railway Express whole-process logistics based on the Stackelberg game," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 609(C).
    4. Mingzhu Yu & Ruina Yang & Zelong Yi & Xuwen Cong, 2020. "Contracting in Ocean Shipping Market Under Asymmetric Information," Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research (APJOR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 37(02), pages 1-24, March.
    5. Brueckner, Jan K. & Luo, Dan, 2014. "Measuring strategic firm interaction in product-quality choices: The case of airline flight frequency," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 102-115.
    6. Ge, Jiwen & Honhon, Dorothee & Fransoo, Jan C. & Zhao, Lei, 2020. "Manufacturer competition in the nanostore retail channel," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 286(1), pages 360-374.
    7. Abate, Megersa & de Jong, Gerard, 2014. "The optimal shipment size and truck size choice – The allocation of trucks across hauls," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 262-277.
    8. Florent Laroche & Ayana Lamatkhanova, 2020. "Effects of open access competition on prices and frequencies on the interurban railway market: evidence from Europe," Working Papers halshs-02930864, HAL.
    9. Zheng, Wei & Li, Bo & Song, Dongping, 2022. "The optimal green strategies for competitive ocean carriers under potential regulation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 303(2), pages 840-856.
    10. Florent Laroche & Ayana Lamatkhanova, 2021. "Effects of open access competition on prices and frequencies on the interurban railway market: evidence from Europe," Post-Print halshs-02930864, HAL.
    11. Mesa-Arango, Rodrigo & Ukkusuri, Satish V., 2014. "Attributes driving the selection of trucking services and the quantification of the shipper’s willingness to pay," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 142-158.
    12. Wu, You & Lange, Anne & Mantin, Benny, 2022. "Who benefits from air service agreements? The case of international air cargo operations," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 281-303.
    13. Tamannaei, Mohammad & Zarei, Hamid & Rasti-Barzoki, Morteza, 2021. "A game theoretic approach to sustainable freight transportation: Competition between road and intermodal road–rail systems with government intervention," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 272-295.
    14. Lakew, Paulos Ashebir, 2014. "Economies of traffic density and scale in the integrated air cargo industry: The cost structures of FedEx Express and UPS Airlines," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 29-38.

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