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What is exactly freight transportation? Basically, freight transportation is the movement of goods from one point to another. Freight transportation is divided into two elements; Freight demand and freight supply. Freight Demand includes; Purchaser, Consumers and Goods and Freight Supply includes; Infrastructure, (Federal, state, local governments, public-private authorities and private sector) and Services (carriers, freight forwarders and brokers, third-party logistic providers (3PLs)). The differences between passenger planning and freight planning are;
How Does it Affect Me? Let's look at the production cycle of a simple product to see how many time the good moves before consumed by a consumer. Orange juice will be used as an example and it will be assumed that the oranges are not imported. 1st movement: Oranges picked up and loaded on any mode and delivered to the plant from different locations. 2nd movement: Juice made and sent to the wholesaler or distributor using a mode. 3rd movement: By the order distributor sent to the retailer using a mode. 4th movement: Orange juice consumed by a consumer and carried to home. The above example is a simple product and the good moved four times. Some goods may require delivery to a consumer by truck such as furniture, appliances and so on. Some goods will involve more movements such as cars even before it is in the market. Without freight transportation, literally no business could survive. Every individual depends upon freight service in his or her daily life. From the shipper of raw materials to the processor to the wholesaler or retailer and finally to the consumer, the efficient movement of goods/freight is an absolute necessity to the area's economy. Below is a good visual example of how freight moves goods to the consumer:
The Freight Network According to the state publication, Traffic Characteristics of Kentucky Highways 1997, the percentage of truck traffic on the Lexington MPO area highway system varies between rural and urban areas, and facility types. As in most areas, the highest truck volumes are found on the rural and urban interstates and principal and minor arterials. Listed below are some examples of 1996 truck traffic percentages of total average daily traffic (ADT) at selected locations and facility types. See figure 2.0.2.1 for ADT and 2.0.2.2 for Truck Network. · I-75/I-64 - Urban Interstate between Newtown Pike (KY 922) and Paris Pike (US 27/68), trucks = 22.1% of total ADT. · New Circle Road (KY-4) - Urban arterial between Newtown Pike (KY 922) and Paris Road (US 27), trucks = 5.9% of total ADT. · Versailles Road (US 60) - Urban arterial, inside of New Circle Road (KY 4), trucks = 2.8% of total ADT. Paris Pike (US 27/68) - Minor arterial, between New Circle and I-64/I-75, trucks = 4.4% of total ADT. Trucking The trucking industry is a vital component of the goods movement system because at one point or another in freight shipment, almost all goods and services are moved by truck. The typical freight "trip" usually involves three to six moves within the freight system--many of them by truck. The pattern of industrial and commercial development has changed with the advent of motorized trucks. Early businesses that used transportation for goods movement were required to locate contiguous to railroad facilities. Trucks enabled freight producers and attractors to locate anywhere that a good road existed. For example, in 2003, 4,285,663 tons of coal hauled in Fayette County’s highways. One of the major arterials, US 60, which runs from East to West of Fayette County, carried 1,361,869 tons of coals itself. Nearly all truck companies operating in the area do so from a base in the Lexington urban area. A truck terminal usually consists of a dock (the number of bays varies) upon which freight is sorted and deposited in another truck or other mode. In the Lexington urban area, truck terminals are located primarily in the north. This puts them in close proximity to interstates and allows ease of access with other regional population centers. Commercial Motor Vehicle Collisions in the Area According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Commercial Motor Vehicle means a motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles used in commerce to transport passengers or property if the vehicle- (1) Has a gross combination weight rating of 11,794 or more kilograms (26,001 or more pounds) inclusive of a towed unit with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds); or (2) Has a gross vehicle weight rating of 11,794 or more kilograms (26,001 or more pounds); or (3) Is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver; or (4) Is of any size and is used in the transportation of materials found to be hazardous for the purposes of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 5103(b)) and which require the motor vehicle to be placarded under the Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR part 172, subpart F). In 2005 there were total of 557 commercial vehicle collisions in Fayette County. See figure 2.0.4.1 for locations. Locations on the map are approximate. 27 percent of the collisions were on the local street, 25 percent of it was on federal roads, 17 percent of it was on state roads and 13 percent of the collisions were on interstates. Out of 557 collisions, 73 were on I-75 and I-64, 50 collisions on New Circle Rd (KY4), 36 collisions on Nicholasville Rd (US-27) and 30 collisions on Broadway Rd. The following graph shows the top ten highest collisions rates in Fayette County:
About 76 percent of the collisions were on dry road whereas only 20 percent of it was on wet pavement. 20 percent of the collisions were sideswipe types and 18 percent were rear end type collisions. Although collisions dispersed almost evenly among months, December has the highest collision rate with 10 percent. 18 percent of the collisions occurred on Mondays, Friday and Wednesday followed by 17 percent. Instead of peak hours, the highest rate of time of days is between 9AM to 12 PM with 24 percent of the total collisions.
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