Transport and Logistics Demand: New Input from Large Surveys of Shipper in France
Résumé
Freight transport is closely linked to industrial and commercial activities and can be seen as a fully integrated element of the production process. Shipper production and logistic constraints play an important role in the choice of transport solutions. However, there is little statistical data on which to base an analysis of the relationship between transport and its production and logistics related determinants. For this reason two large national surveys were undertaken in France to provide us with new empirical data. The paper presents the methodological aspects of these surveys (the 1988 Shipper Survey and the 2004 ECHO Survey). The use of 'the shipment' as the measurement unit instead of the usual tonne or tonne-kilometre approach is one of the major innovations of these surveys which provide a new statistical insight. Another particularity is the tracking of the shipment and the identification of each transport leg and operator involved in the shipment. The whole transport chain is described, from both the physical and organizational standpoint. A selection of results, indicators and trends, is presented with a focus on the main changes that have occurred in recent years based on a comparison between the two datasets. Special attention is paid to the relationship between transport choices and the production characteristics of sites and the increasing spatial and temporal fragmentation of shipments which makes the choice of modes other than the road increasingly difficult.