00301067

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...s/trr/1979/704/704-006.pdf

https://scholar.google.co...ckle&publication_year=1979

Research whose purpose was to assess potential waterway user charges and their impacts and to provide the basis for the establishment of a state position is reported. The research was intended to serve the function of an informational report and not to provide hard recommendations either for or against a user charge. Most of the information was gathered through secondary sources published by water carrier associations and various federal agencies. Data were also collected, by means of survey and sampling techniques, from such primary sources as waterway carriers and industrial shippers. An analysis of the financial profile of the towing industry suggests that any user charge levied on towing firms will ultimately be passed on to the consumer. Smaller firms will probably suffer most since they operate with smaller margins and high turnover. Reduction in overall industry market share of national commodity transports will remove some of the economies associated with large-volume movements and eventually affect the profitability of larger towing firms. A segment toll represents the greater impact in terms of towing industry operating costs, shipping rates, state waterway traffic volume, employment, and electrical consumer utility costs. A $0.01/L ($0.04/gal) fuel tax represents the smallest impact. In light of the lack of complete empirical evidence, any cost-recovery scheme should be phased in on a gradual basis so as to allow for a cautious monitoring of both positive and negative impacts. /Author/

Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Inland Water Transportation. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

01411539

pp 32-39

1979

Transportation Research Record

58th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board

0309029503

Print

References (5) ; Tables (2)

Forecasting; Freight traffic; Inland waterways; Traffic forecasting; Traffic managers; User charges

Shippers

Tennessee

Economics; Finance; Freight Transportation; Highways; Marine Transportation; Railroads; Society

TRIS, TRB

Nov 27 1979 12:00AM

• ASSESSMENT OF THE TEXAS DEEPWATER TERMINAL
• INLAND NAVIGATION SIMULATION MODEL: VERIFICATION AND EVALUATION
• METHOD FOR ESTIMATING NONPHYSICAL, TRANSPORTATION-RELATED BUSINESS LOSSES CAUSED BY FLOODING ON THE INLAND RIVER SYSTEM
• PROJECTING THE DEMAND FOR OHIO RIVER BASIN WATERWAY TRAFFIC BY CORRELATION AND REGRESSION
• TIME-BASED MULTICRITERIA EVALUATION MODEL OF USER CHARGES