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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Vehicle routing problem with multiple fleets and carrier limit</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2686687</link>
      <description><![CDATA[We address the distribution problem of a company that ships goods from a single depot to multiple customers. This distribution is outsourced to several carriers, each with distinct transportation rates and limited, heterogeneous vehicle fleets. Multiple carriers provide Full-Truckload (FTL) transportation via predefined routes operated by diverse vehicle types, with each carrier offering a limited number of trucks. Additionally, the Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) mode can be used to transport goods from origin to destination. We formulate this problem as a variant of the vehicle routing problem with a private fleet and common carriers. To solve it, we propose a matheuristic approach that combines a Large Neighborhood Search (LNS) metaheuristic with a set partitioning component. Our algorithm integrates filtering strategies to efficiently incorporate specific constraints into the LNS operators. We demonstrate that our method is competitive on established problem benchmarks and introduce new instances. Finally, we present a case study from the French retail industry, illustrating how combining FTL and LTL shipping can generate significant cost savings compared to relying solely on FTL or LTL.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:29:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2686687</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of the Activities of Transport Logistics Companies Using Outsourcing Services</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2671761</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The research aims to regulate the selection process of a transport logistics company using a decision matrix approach to evaluate the performance of transport logistics companies using outsourcing services. The research object is the process of selecting a transport logistics company for outsourcing services. The research design involves creating a decision matrix with specific criteria needed to evaluate transport logistics companies. These criteria may include cost, reliability, quality of delivery, level of service, and a high-risk factor, among others. This research contributes to the field of transport logistics by proposing a systemic approach to selecting a transport logistics company for outsourcing. The research aims to provide managers with valuable insights into the benefits, challenges, and best practices associated with outsourcing logistics services by evaluating outsourcing activities. These insights enable informed decision-making and effective strategic management. By synthesizing theoretical information, the research contributes to existing knowledge on logistics outsourcing. It highlights emerging trends, identifies gaps in current practices, and suggests avenues for future research in this area. Using a decision matrix, the authors provide a scientific methodology that can be replicated and applied by other researchers or organizations looking to outsource their transportation logistics services.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:50:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2671761</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Modernization and Updates to the AASHTO Guide Specifications for Highway Construction</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2709240</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide Specifications for Highway Construction (Guide Specs) provides an important national resource for transportation agencies by promoting consistency in construction specifications, methods of measurement, basis of payment, and testing procedures. The technical content of the Guide Specs was last updated and published in 2020 through NCHRP Project 20-07, which primarily focused on adding new sections rather than performing a comprehensive revision. The previous full edition was published in 2009. Since that time, significant changes have occurred in highway construction technology, safety, contracting methods, and regulatory practices.

Many contracting options beyond the traditional design-bid-build method are increasingly being used. At the same time, technological advances such as integrated digital workflows and digital ticketing are becoming more common, and performance-related specifications such as balanced mix design, performance engineered mixes, and nondestructive testing (NDT) acceptance procedures are continuing to evolve. As these technologies and practices advance, it is imperative that the Guide Specs be modernized to ensure they remain technically accurate, relevant, and compatible with current industry practices.

 OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to comprehensively update and expand the AASHTO Guide Specs. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:43:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2709240</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Decision Support for Dynamic Risks: Determinants of Model Adoption</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2703696</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Since the COVID-19 pandemic, significant supply chain disruptions continue to impact the U.S. economy and have negative impact on transportation networks. Sudden changes in demand or freight availability contribute to increased volatility in freight prices. In turn, volatile freight rates impact the management of transportation networks and increase the difficulty of decision making. This research addresses this problem through the development of decision support tools to proactively respond to initial indicators that predict changes in driver availability and freight cost with the goal of supporting enhanced, early actions to mitigate the risk of disruptions and promote safer transportation network operations.
Work on related prior projects has underscored the importance of forecasting sources of risk to improve the management of transportation systems and the need to understand the key decision components to maximize the value of information to the decision maker. The proposed research will rely on this prior work and make advancements towards the design of an implementable system by examining the end-user perception of decision support recommendations for transportation contracting decisions. 
The research will interview transportation professionals to identify factors that influence their current decision-making and factors that would affect their adoption of a decision support tool. The results of these interviews, in conjunction with prior findings in related research, will inform the design of features for a decision support tool. Design features will be identified for an initial prototype that is suitable for conducting future usability testing of the interactive features. This research continues progress towards the development of a dynamic decision support tool that can ultimately improve the quality of transportation management decisions and continue the legacy of leadership in America’s transportation networks. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 14:13:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2703696</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Logistics Operations Management in the Industry 4.0 Era: A Case Study for Transition of an Automotive Company'S Operations to Fourth-Party Logistics Structure</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2686201</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In recent years, the understanding of minimum inventory and customer satisfaction in the flow of goods and services from manufacturers to end-users is of great importance among the factors that make businesses more interested in outsourcing logistics activities. Additionally, technological transformation and customer requests for complicated technology and services caused the appearance of new circumstances, which is progressively altering the industry. In this regard, choosing, managing and coordinating between multiple vendors become very difficult and time consuming so, companies outsource more functions while supply chain operations getting more complex. Companies generally preferred 3PL providers for their logistics functions in-cluding packaging design and management of company-owned assets. On the other hand, with technological transformation in logistic sector, businesses are looking to outsource 4PL more than ever. 4PL system transitions are difficult processes since it requires comprehensive system integration and should be well understood by the company's supply chain team. Today, although the importance of 4PL systems is more understood and this struc-ture is becoming more widespread, many companies still face similar adaptation problems. From this point of view, it is believed that this study creates important insights into the business world. In this study, the transition process of an automotive company is examined which successfully completed after a 5-month project period. As a detailed case study, the Transportation Management Module (TTM) is selected since the whole transition process was very comprehensive and included many dimensions. Study revealed that adaptation of the new system, developed by the partnership of the automotive company and 4PL company, provided several benefits. In this sense, with the transition of Transportation Management (TM), TTM is reduced by 2 days, almost 10% savings are reported in the whole company and only in the Turkey branch, 243311 € cost saving is achieved in the 1st year. The study proves that focusing on the core business via outsourcing supply chain activities not only increases efficiency in the selected automotive company but also increases supply chain quality as well.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 16:56:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2686201</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>What Are the Best Ways to Organize, Coordinate, and Deliver Public Transit Service in Large Metropolitan Areas? A Research Synthesis</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2681384</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This report analyzes the optimal organization of public transit service in large U.S. metropolitan areas—like Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area—where multiple operators serve overlapping markets. We synthesize over 50 international and U.S. studies of: (1) regional transit governance and coordination, (2) economies of scale and scope in transit operations, and (3) service contracting. We find that regions gain the most from coordinating front-end, customer-facing functions such as marketing, fares, information, and service planning through a regional association or authority, while leaving back-end service-production and delivery decentralized among sub-regional operators. This approach enhances riders’ travel experience, increases ridership, and improves cost efficiency. Conversely, large-scale transit agency mergers rarely save money and often introduce diseconomies of scale due to increased organizational complexity and higher labor costs. For some large agencies, contracting certain services coupled with strong oversight and performance-based incentives can lower costs. We conclude that combining regional coordination of front-end, customer-facing functions with decentralized back-end service production offers an optimal blend of service coordination and cost-effectiveness.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:55:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2681384</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Identifying and Evaluating the Models for Institutionalizing the Service Contracting of Public Transport Services in the Philippines</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2659337</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global transportation, with public transport experiencing steep declines. In the Philippines, community quarantines reduced transit ridership and driver incomes. To address this, the government launched the Service Contracting Program (SCP), offering subsidies to transport operators through gross and net cost schemes. Over five phases, Local Government Units (LGUs) became involved in SCP implementation. This study examines LGU experiences with SCP institutionalization. Among six LGUs surveyed, half supported institutionalization, citing potential benefits like financial sustainability and improved accessibility, but flagged challenges such as capacity limitations and funding issues. The study evaluates five governance models for SCP institutionalization: (1) Service Contracting, funded by the national government with LGU monitoring; (2) LGU-Owned Franchise, where LGUs operate or outsource fleets; (3) Fare Collection Oversight, with LGUs managing fares while TSEs retain franchises; (4) Local Economic Enterprise (LEE), allowing LGUs to run transport as a business; and (5) Public Transit Authority (PTA), establishing independent metropolitan authorities. Results show LGUs favor Option 2 for revenue collection potential, while TSEs largely reject it, preferring Option 1 to maintain the status quo. Divergent views underscore challenges in stakeholder alignment, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches to create a sustainable public transport system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:20:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2659337</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Analysis of the determinants of the quality of outsourcing services in B2B relations in the automotive industry</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2666103</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Outsourcing in the automotive industry is crucial in increasing operational efficiency by creating an opportunity to focus on its core competencies. It is possible by delegating supporting tasks to specialized suppliers. The study identifies key determinants of the quality of outsourcing services in B2B relations, including strategic management of suppliers and technological integration. The survey results show that companies evaluate service providers and material suppliers differently, which indicates the need for a differentiated approach to quality management. The introduction of digitalization in outsourcing supports sustainable development, and knowledge sharing and innovation are important factors in improving the quality of services. The results of the study emphasize that the assessment of service quality by recipients has a greater impact on improving their level than the self-assessment of suppliers. The research suggests the need for further exploration of the impact of qualitative factors on the effectiveness of outsourcing in the automotive sector.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:15:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2666103</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Vehicle and Equipment Best Practices Buying Guide for Local Agencies</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2681396</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Agencies regularly need to purchase fleet vehicles, equipment, and materials. One common approach to accomplish this is using MnDOT’s Cooperative Purchasing Contracts. This process can be difficult to navigate for staff unfamiliar with it. Additionally, this process sometimes raises concerns from local constituents because it typically results in buying from non-local dealers vs. buying local, which is sometimes the request of local elected officials. Since Covid-19, there have been supply chain issues as well as multi-year-long delays in material and equipment delivery.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:27:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2681396</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Outsourcing strategies for pilotage and towage Operations: A grounded theory approach</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2644114</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Ports serve as critical gateways to global trade, and their efficiency directly affects national economic performance. Among core port operations, pilotage and towage services ensure safe and efficient vessel movements, forming essential components of maritime logistics. Given the growing complexity of port operations and the increasing role of private sector participation, outsourcing these services has become a strategic policy concern. This study aims to develop a grounded, context-specific framework for outsourcing pilotage and towage operations within the Iranian port system. Employing a qualitative grounded theory approach, fifteen in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers of the Ports and Maritime Organization, private service providers, and shipping companies. Data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding using NVIVO software. The findings led to the development of a multi-layered paradigm model integrating causal, contextual, and intervening conditions that influence outsourcing strategies, including decisions on full versus partial outsourcing, regional versus cluster-based allocation, and non-profit versus for-profit contractors. The results indicate that successful outsourcing depends on aligning private sector maturity, regulatory clarity, and financial incentives with national maritime governance structures. The study contributes theoretically by extending outsourcing and port governance frameworks to the context of developing economies and practically by offering policymakers a structured decision-making model for evaluating alternative outsourcing strategies in pilotage and towage operations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:58:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2644114</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Analysis of blockchain technology implementing and financing provision strategies in contract farming supply chains</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2594565</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Many platforms involved in the contract farming supply chain (CFSC) are planning to implement blockchain to improve customer trust in agricultural product quality and offer financing services to support agricultural production. However, blockchain cannot fully ensure trust, as some data may not be effectively uploaded onto it, and inevitable risks, such as climate changes and natural disasters in the agricultural production process, also make platform decisions on providing blockchain and financing more challenging. To explore how the platform should provide blockchain and financing in a situation where risks and blockchain’s limitations in improving customer trust coexist, we consider a CFSC containing a farming cooperative and a platform that procures agricultural products from the former and sells them to online customers. Intuitively, the higher customer trust in agricultural product quality can encourage the platform’s blockchain provision due to the increased customer consumption. Surprisingly, we find that the platform prefers to provide blockchain only when customer trust is relatively low because the increased consumption raises the farming cooperative’s production financing costs, in turn increasing wholesale prices and negatively affecting the platform’s profits. Interestingly, we also find that the farming cooperative chooses platform financing even though it faces a bank interest rate that is lower than the platform interest rate. Finally, we identify the equilibrium results for blockchain implementation and financing strategies and provide extensions to consolidate our conclusions. Our findings shed light on how platforms should work with farming cooperatives in agricultural digitization and financing.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:44:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2594565</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A dual attention graph neural network framework for sustainable supply chain optimization under energy performance contracting</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2659455</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) is a market-driven collaboration mechanism between enterprises and energy service companies, offering substantial potential to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. However, integrating EPC into large-scale sustainable supply chain networks presents complex multi-criteria decision-making challenges, particularly in balancing economic performance, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility under dynamic operational conditions. To address these challenges, this study proposes a holistic EPC-integrated mathematical model and a hybrid solution framework based on a Dual Attention Graph Neural Network (DAGNN). The model extends the traditional triple-bottom-line framework by incorporating two additional dimensions—operational efficiency and product quality, and explicitly captures temporal dynamics, such as seasonal fluctuations in cost, profit, and demand, to more accurately assess EPC’s impact on supply chain sustainability. The dual attention architecture adopts two separate neural networks that learn context-aware importance of strategic and operational attributes by leveraging historical expert decisions. These learned weights enable adaptive prioritization of participant attributes under varying supply chain contexts and enhance the efficiency and interpretability of decision logic. The mathematical model is then transformed into an attention-enhanced bipartite graph representation and solved through a graph neural network, enabling efficient and accurate decision-making in large-scale settings. Experimental results on multi-period, multi-product instances demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves 92.88% solution accuracy relative to commercial solvers while reducing computational time by 99.96%. These results highlight the framework’s potential to provide real-time, scalable, and transparent decision support for EPC-integrated sustainable supply chains, thereby advancing the alignment of energy efficiency initiatives with holistic supply chain performance optimization.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:57:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2659455</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Systematic Analysis of Quality Management for Highway Projects Delivered Using Alternative Contracting Methods</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2675178</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) processes are essential to the success of highway infrastructure projects but vary between alternative contracting methods (ACMs), including design-build (D-B), construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC), public–private partnership (P3), and progressive design-build (P-D-B). State departments of transportation (DOTs) tailor QA and QC processes to individual ACM projects, yet these documents and processes are frequently scattered and unassessed. Specifically, there is little research examining how variations in QA and QC processes across ACMs affect project outcomes. In this study, trends and lessons learned from QA and QC implementation of individual highway design and construction projects are evaluated through a systematic review and content analysis. Data were collected from solicitation and contract documents of 91 ACM projects (51 D-B, 15 CM/GC, 13 P3, 12 P-D-B) from 27 states and 21 manuals, guidance, and research reports, including requests for proposals, requests for qualification, contracts, and statement of qualification checklists. The frequency and context of key terms related to quality management revealed patterns in how QA and QC requirements are defined and implemented across project types and delivery methods. It is found that a structured QA and QC process is essential for enhancing the success and reliability of highway projects delivered using four ACMs (D-B, CM/GC, P-D-B, P3). Additionally, for P-D-B projects, combining qualifications-based shortlisting and best-value determination is effective for selecting highly qualified teams and can be applied for less-mature state DOTs adopting P-D-B. This approach is valuable for state DOTs with less experience in implementing ACMs, as it offers a practical pathway for ensuring project quality and team capability early in the quality management process. These findings contribute to advancing QA and QC practices in ACMs by offering actionable insights that support more informed decision-making, standardization efforts, and the development of tailored quality management strategies aligned with agency experience levels.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:17:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2675178</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Service outsourcing: The dilemma of third-party service providers</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2586723</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Consumer-facing firms often seek outsourcing services from third-party providers to reduce costs and focus on their core competencies. We consider a scenario where a single service provider offers outsourcing services to two firms through different service modes: the dedicated mode and the shared mode. With the dedicated mode, the service provider delivers customized services to one firm exclusively. With the shared mode, the two firms share the service capacity of the provider. We develop game-theoretical models in two contract structures. Under the monetary service contract (Contract M), only a service fee is specified. Under the performance-based service contract (Contract P), both the service fee and the service level are predetermined. We find that the service provider should specify the service level in advance and adopt the shared mode when attracting consumers through services is costly. When service cost and service sensitivity are moderate, the provider should select Contract M to serve two firms simultaneously while only gaining profit from one of them. When it is easy to induce demand through service, the provider should opt for the dedicated mode to serve the firm whose consumers are less price-sensitive, as the choice of contract structure (M or P) makes no difference in this case. Furthermore, we analyze (i) the provider’s optimal service mode under each contract, (ii) the conditions under which supply chain performance is maximized, (iii) when a triple-win outcome is achieved, and (iv) consumer surplus. Overall, we derive valuable and interesting insights that can guide both service providers and firms in their decision-making.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:53:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2586723</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Accessorial value-added services in inland river port: Self-operating or outsourcing?</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2633748</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper addresses the investment decision issues of accessorial value-added services in an inland river port. We present a vertical structural model that considers the interactions among shippers, port operator, government, and outsourcee (if any). Using this model, we analyze the effects of the accessorial value-added services in an inland river port on the stakeholders’ behavior, port profitability and social welfare. We identify the critical conditions that the port operator would like to provide the value-added processing services via self-operating or outsourcing. We also determine the optimal subsidy policy of the government for introducing such services. The results show that: (i) the introduction of value-added processing services leads to a decrease in the price of regular services but an increase in the associated cargo volume; (ii) when potential market size and government subsidy are low, the port operator tends to outsource but not self-operate the processing services; and (iii) the government subsidy plays a critical role in the decision on the operating mode of port processing services, and a reasonable subsidy can achieve a “win-win-win” outcome for the shippers, port operator (including outsourcee, if any), and the society. This paper provides an important and useful methodology for modeling the game behavior among stakeholders and for design and evaluation of port operator’s operational strategies and government’s regulatory policies in the inland river system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 17:03:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2633748</guid>
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