Chapter 18: The Acquisition of Long-Distance Freight Data: Synthesis of a Workshop

The workshop was largely devoted to methods for improving the practice of long-distance freight-transport data acquisition, in order to address near- and long-term planning needs and policy objectives. Twelve participants engaged in an active dialogue, quickly filling the workshop's 8 h. Starting from a review of existing data sets and methods, various survey designs were assessed and suggestions for overcoming current data gaps were provided. Discussions focused on what needed to be changed in relation to survey design and implementation in order to achieve the diverse goals of policy-makers, industry and the research community. Within this discussion both organisational and practical questions were addressed. The key issues were the importance of clarity about the main purpose for data collection, the differences and similarities in survey methods, the sampling and, last but not the least, the motivation and incentives for companies to participate in freight surveys. In the following workshop report, the structure of this discussion is broadly maintained. It starts with an overview of key topics and a summary of the papers presented including a short discussion of the current status of long-distance freight surveys. The chapter continues with the identification of major gaps and challenges and ends with a review of opportunities and recommendations including some suggestions for innovative solutions to the problems discussed.