25: Tracking Along the Transport Chain via the Shipper Survey

In this chapter we focus on surveys that track the shipments along the transport chain. After different national experiences, a European test survey has been conducted as part of a European research project on transport information (MYSTIC: Methodological Framework for Modeling European Passenger and Freight Transport). In this project, a shipper survey was held in France and in the Netherlands. The project was co-financed by the European Union, the Dutch and French Ministries of Transport (NEA & Inrets, 1999).

This part focuses on the need for shipper surveys as an important and necessary improvement to existing traditional statistics. It also contains an overview of past experiences of shipper surveys.