Transportation Optimization Modeling for Washington State Hay Shipments: Mode and Cost Implications Due to Loss of Container Services at the Port of Portland

A recent issue impacting hay shipments in Washington State involves the reduction of container services at the Port of Portland, Oregon. Prior to this change, containers filled with hay were shipped almost exclusively via barge on the Columbia River to the Port of Portland. After reaching Portland, the containers were then loaded onto one of three steamship lines: Hyundai, K-Line, or Hanjin and destined to markets in Japan and China. As of September 2004, Hanjin is the only carrier that calls on the Port of Portland. This research effort collected firm level data on the production, transportation and marketing of hay in Washington and utilizes this information to develop an optimization model of regional hay movements. One alternative evaluated in this study is determining industry shifts in transportation usage and modal choice in reaction to the transportation changes after September 2004. The results indicate that after all barge and hay shipments were eliminated into Portland, total transportation costs decrease initially overall, while some producers experience shipping cost increase. Both rail and truck volumes increase substantially in the absence of container shipments on barge. The total industry impact is a $6.3 million increase in transportation costs from the Base Scenario to Scenario 3. Also, once trucks rates are allowed to increase due to the shortage of trucks and the increased demand for truck services, the total transportation cost increased by$8.7 million.International Relations/Trade,

Spatial Investigation of Mineral Transportation Characteristics in the State of Washington

This study investigates the spatial relationships between construction aggregate shipments and the per axle payload weights of trucks as they pertain to highway deterioration in the state of Washington. A previous study investigated the transportation characteristics of mined aggregates using a spatial autoregressive model, where a significant positive relationship between payload weights and shipment distances was established. This paper expands the previous study by assessing the contribution of aggregate hauling trucks to pavement deterioration using per-axle loads by truck configuration. Results showed a positive relationship between weights per axle load and several shipment distance categories. According to the well-established per axle weight and pavement damage relationship, incremental changes in per axle payload weights resulting from longer shipment distances clearly suggest that longer haulage increases the magnitude of pavement deterioration. This direct relationship between road impact and the distance hauled emphasizes the importance of the proximity of mine sites to different end users

An Approach To Determining The Market For Academic Positions: Application To The Discipline Of Agricultural Economics

This paper presents relevant issues in choice of an academic career in the chosen discipline of each student.  The analytical model, applied to agricultural economics, is a supply/demand construct

Transportation Usage And Characteristics Of Washington State Warehouse/Distribution Center Businesses: A First Look

The paper provides an analysis and overview of the operations of the warehouse/distribution center businesses in the state of Washington, with implications for all national and international distribution businesses

A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPROACH TO ESTIMATING DELIVERED COST OF ENERGY FEEDSTOCKS

Due to a large variation in the current research-based recommendations about economic or environmental cost-benefits, the ethanol industry’s sustainable development may be adversely influenced. Moreover, one of the most important considerations for sustainable development of the ethanol industry – economics of transportation is often overlooked. The primary objective of this paper is to explore economic feasibility of biofuels production in the state of Washington, and to report on the availability, collection and transportation costs of feedstocks for ethanol processing using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The GIS Network Analyst Tool is used to spatially analyze forest residue biomass within given haul time area from the ethanol processing plant with the capacity of 55 million gallons per year (MGY). Using census feature classification codes, speed limit

Projecting Washington - British Columbia Truck Freight Border Crossings and Arterial Usage

Continuing adaptation to changing transportation needs is critical in maintaining efficiency and reducing costs of raw and manufactured goods to ensure economic stability and growth. With bilateral trade in excess of $1.4 billion per day between the U.S. and Canada and over 200 million annual crossings (passenger vehicles and freight trucks) (U.S. Embassy, Ottawa, 2006), knowledge of the composition of commodities crossing the border and the growth in the flow of those commodities is vital to future policy making. This report focuses on cross-border flows by truck between Washington and British Columbia, through decomposition of the northbound and southbound flows by industry and commodity, coupled with projection of the trade growth in those industries. By knowing expected increases in commodity flows across border port locations, policy makers can better adapt border ports to ensure efficiency in truck movements. Increased efficiency is important to trade competitiveness in the international marketplace

Community Needs-Based Planning for Rural Library Success

I am a librarian from rural southern Oregon, and my community is a stereotype. NPR correspondent Jeff Brady visited our town during the summer of 2017 for a story highlighting rural communities in decline (Brady, 2017). We were a convenient case study. Our natural resource industry has been dying a slow and loud death for decades, our voters have notoriously voted down numerous tax levies, and Jeff Brady just happened to grow up here. Brady being a national business correspondent from Philadelphia, we were the perfect stereotype for a piece that closed with his grim statement: “Overall, the economic prospects for my hometown of Gold Beach, Oregon, look dim. Fortunately there’s always the beautiful beach, the river, and the forests to console those who still live here.” Despite the inevitable feeling of this conclusion, Brady could have asked much different questions and listened to different voices that would have resulted in a story about much more than malaise. In fact, when presented with innovative changes taking place, Brady commented to our library staff that a storyline of innovative change in its early stages would not help NPR make the point their audience wanted to hear. I start with this story because librarians are extremely susceptible to the very mistake made by this NPR correspondent. We see what we want to see, and the decisions that follow (particularly in small rural communities) are more often than not rejected by the community because they do not truly address immediate needs. As for that Southern Oregon stereotype, our voters certainly fit the stereotype of being skeptical of paying taxes, but few taxpayers I have encountered are unwilling to pay taxes when the government entity in question has proven to be successful in addressing what they perceive as community needs. Working with this model, I believe Gold Beach is in the early phases of a renaissance rooted in the library’s community needs-based planning. Here is our story