Strategic Options For Road Transport In Europe Beyond 1992

With the “EC 1992” deadline already elapsed, the European logistics environment continues to go through unprecedented change. European shippers are making significant modifications to their distribution networks and their overall logistics strategies. Although more price/service offerings and lower transportation rates have been forecast as benefits for shippers, the overall impact of the Single European Market on the operating strategies of carriers and other logistics providers remains unclear. The European transportation industry is quite different from that found in the United States in either the pre‐ or post‐deregulatory environments. Therefore, shippers cannot easily forecast what the future will hold with respect to the structure of the evolving European motor carrier industry. The objective of this research is to assess the changing European motor carrier conditions and predict how carriers may adapt to the new environment by moving into various operating strategies. By more fully understanding the probable pricing and service options available in the emerging pan‐European motor carrier industry, shippers can maximize the likelihood of selecting motor carriers that can meet the needs of their overall logistics strategies in the new operating environment.