The Impact of Minibridge Tariffs and Railroad Rate Equalization on the Competitive Positions of Ports

摘要

The purpose of the study was to identify and analyze recent shifts in port traffic which may have been manifested in two areas of transportation regulation: intermodal land/ocean tariffs (minibridge), and rail rate equalization to and from ports. The minibridge analysis revealed that significant amounts of cargo were diverted from all-water routes in 1976, both by rail and other modes. These diversions have had various impacts on ports on each coast. The analysis confirmed that transcontinental routes which diverted cargo from one coastal port to another were being used well before the advent of minibridge services. The equalization analysis indicated that inland rail rates are not the only determining factors which dictate changes in non-equalized and equalized traffic. While losses and gains in non-equalized container traffic are consistent with distances from equalized territory, traffic shifts were certainly compounded by other factors. Furthermore, changes in the rail/truck modal split of containerized cargo affected market shares.