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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>A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach for Robust Dynamic Bayesian Network-based Systemic Risk Analysis in Freight Forwarding</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2653207</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The increasing volatility of global supply chains demands a shift toward robust, worst-case risk assessment. This requirement is particularly critical for the freight forwarding industry, which acts as a central intermediary in global trade. As asset-light coordinators, freight forwarders are exposed to systemic risks originating from their partners. For instance, a minor documentation error can escalate into substantial demurrage fees, and the reliability of a new carrier on a volatile trade lane often presents significant uncertainty. Conventional static risk models are inadequate for addressing these dynamic and interconnected challenges. This paper addresses a critical research question: How can asset-light freight forwarders conduct robust, worst-case risk assessments within such a dynamic, uncertain, and interconnected environment? To address this question, we propose a tailored Robust Dynamic Bayesian Network (R-DBN) framework. Our approach incorporates the Noisy-MAX model to facilitate parameterization in this data-scarce sector. We then employ a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithm to solve the resulting high-dimensional, non-convex optimization problem. Our computational results demonstrate two primary contributions. First, the trained DRL agent identifies critical worst-case scenarios and learns a reusable policy. This policy enables near-instantaneous risk assessments for new problem instances, offering a significant operational advantage. Second, sensitivity analysis and a case study provide a key managerial insight: a forwarder’s internal operational resilience is the most critical factor in mitigating systemic risk, substantially outweighing the direct impact of external disruptions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:57:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2653207</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating Customer Satisfaction with Clearing and Forwarding Agents: A Servqual Approach with Application to Kuwait Shuwaikh Port</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2676057</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study investigated the influence of service quality on customer satisfaction with clearing and forwarding C&F agents using the SERVQUAL model. C&F agents play a crucial role in facilitating the clearance and delivery of goods for businesses, and their service quality is heavily dependent on port operations. This research employs a quantitative approach, using survey data from 397 customers of C&F agents in Kuwait to examine the relationship between service quality dimensions and customer satisfaction. This study analyzes the five SERVQUAL dimensions of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Although the correlation analysis shows that all dimensions were statistically significant for customer satisfaction, the regression results reveal that assurance was not significant. Tangibles emerged as the most influential factor, followed by empathy, reliability, and responsiveness. This research contributes to the academic literature and practical industry knowledge by addressing the gap in understanding service quality dynamics in Kuwait’s C&F sector. The findings provide valuable insights for industry professionals seeking to enhance service quality and improve customer satisfaction. This study focused on Shuwaikh Port, but it establishes a foundation for future research across other ports and suggests the adoption of mixed-method approaches for a more comprehensive analysis. The results offer practical recommendations for improving C&F services and maintaining competitiveness in this vital sector.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:44:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2676057</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Decision factors of air cargo freight forwarders for transport service providers in different geographic regions: a systematic literature review</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2665834</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Air cargo transportation facilitates companies in global supply chains in organising production on different continents. High value and perishable goods make extensive use of air cargo as preferred mode of transport. Shippers typically outsource their transportation needs to freight forwarding companies with extensive expertise and global presence. The air cargo industry remains relatively underexplored academically and little is known about the decision making of freight forwarding companies in selecting air transport service providers such as airlines, airports and trucking companies. While existing research investigates Asian exports, there is lack of research from the past 25 years on the distinct European market context. This paper aims to review the literature that is available in the field of decision making at air cargo freight forwarding companies and synthesises the outcomes. The paper also identifies that there is no literature available on freight forwarding companies selecting trucking companies that provide pick-up services at the shipper as part of the air transport chain. Finally, continuation of research is proposed in the field of decision making at European based freight forwarding companies exporting air cargo shipments from Europe.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:15:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2665834</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Beyond Maritime Research: Export under the Indonesian Transportation Law</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2665633</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Fishery products are one of the mainstays of Indonesia's exports. In order to increase fisheries exports in Indonesia, the government has made a breakthrough in the development of maritime logistics, especially during COVID-19. The role and activities of tracking companies, freight forwarders or Marine Cargo Expeditions are very important for the development of logistics, as they facilitate the work of exporters. This research aims to analyze the maritime transport regulations on fish exports and the implementation of transport regulations in practice, especially the role of tracking and forwarding companies in supporting government programs to increase fish exports in Indonesia. The research uses a normative legal method, i.e. theories, concepts, legal principles, laws and regulations relevant to this research are examined based on the most pertinent legal material. Legal research is a process of identifying legal norms, legal principles, and legal doctrines in order to answer legal questions that arise in practice. The legal materials used are primary and secondary legal materials. Primary legal materials are laws and regulations that relate to the problems. Secondary legal materials are books and journals dealing with research topics.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:21:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2665633</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessment of Logistics Operations for International Short-Sea Express: A Case Study in Taiwan</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613377</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In e-commerce activities, cross-border logistic companies’ participation ensures goods are delivered to customers smoothly, reliably, and flexibly with cost-efficient freight transport. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the logistics operations of International Short-Sea Express (ISSE). Based on the relevant literature and the operating characteristics of ISSE, the logistic requirement attributes (LRAs) in ISSE are first investigated. A grey relational analysis approach is then developed to weight those LRAs. Based on these weights, a Revised Quality Function Deployment (RQFD) model is constructed to translate these LRAs weights into the weights of logistic operation attributes (LOAs) on the customer side of ISSE. Finally, based on both the weights of customer-side LOAs and operator-side LOAs, a House of Quality model for the logistics operations of ISSE is proposed. In addition, to validate the proposed models, the ISSE operators in the Port of Taipei were empirically investigated. Results illustrate that ocean freight forwarders (OFFs) pay the most attention to no cargo damage or loss (7.47%), the correctness of cargo delivery (7.04%), proactively providing shipping information (6.63%), punctuality of cargo delivery (6.59%), and convenient delivery procedures (6.57%). In addition, the proposed RQFD model illustrated the top 5 out of 15 LOAs as the most crucial for logistics operations for ISSE: work schedule (11.49%), file processing (11.35%), cargo consolidation (10.28%), public relations (9.49%), and contract management (7.87%). The results provide practical information for ISSE operators and related government authorities to make improvement policies in ISSE development. Furthermore, the proposed RQFD model may offer methodological references to relevant research in service quality models.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 09:47:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2613377</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>On predicting ocean freight rates: a novel hybrid model of combined error evaluation and reinforcement learning</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2569641</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The prediction of shipping freight rates is crucial for shipping companies and related professionals, to navigate market changes, refine business strategy, and improve risk management. To improve the precision of predictions and capture the diverse underlying information in freight rates, we introduce a hybrid forecasting strategy that incorporates combined error evaluation and reinforcement learning. The model utilizes a pool comprising time series, traditional nonlinear, and deep learning models as its foundation. To ensure model efficiency and validity, we develop a combined evaluation method to assess its components. The predictions and weights of different models are then integrated to generate the hybrid prediction output. To optimize weight values, we employ reinforcement learning to dynamically update them, based on the prior prediction performance of each model, thereby further improving prediction accuracy. Empirical results based on freight rate data from three shipping sectors demonstrate that, in terms of prediction accuracy, our model outperforms earlier efforts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2025 14:54:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2569641</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Price discrimination between freight forwarders and carriers: Evidence from the container shipping industry</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2554336</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Freight forwarders often serve as intermediaries in the container shipping industry, facilitating reservations and negotiating container freight rates between shippers and carriers. This study empirically investigates whether these freight forwarders experience price discrimination compared to shippers who engage in direct price negotiations with carriers. The analysis uses a unique dataset consisting of approximately 1.5 million real-world transactions from 2018 to 2023. The results show that, on average, freight forwarders incur a 5 % premium for short-term contracts but receive a 3 % discount for long-term contracts. Moreover, the premium was more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking at 18.1 % in 2021–2022. This finding is corroborated by a robust estimation that matches contracts negotiated by freight forwarders with comparable contracts negotiated directly by shippers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 09:22:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2554336</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Container slot robust booking and pricing strategy of the option-spot dual channel considering partial demand uncertainty</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2533846</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The expected profit maximization of freight forwarders lies in making reasonable container slot booking and pricing decisions. In the face of extraordinary circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the shipping company is likely to experience short-term phenomena such as limited transportation capacity and rapidly rising freight rates. The application of financial derivatives to avoid risks brought by uncertain markets has become mainstream. In this paper, from the perspective of maximizing freight forwarder profit under uncertain risk, this paper considers the dual channel market of container slot options and spot markets and studies how freight forwarders can formulate reasonable container slot booking and pricing strategies when only partial demand information is known. First, the authors establish the worst-case robust joint booking and pricing model for container slot. The optimal solution for joint decision-making that can maximize freight forwarding benefits under appropriate conditions is provided. Based on this, the influences of parameters such as spot market prices, penalty costs, option contract parameters, and price-sensitive factors on freight forwarding pricing decisions and maximum expected profit are discussed. The results show that the uncertainty of partial demand and spot market supply insufficiency will lead to the retail price of the optimal container slot being lower than the optimal retail price without risk. In addition, the joint booking and pricing decision can ensure that the freight forwarder obtains greater benefits. The mutual adjustment of two decisions can flexibly respond to market changes and is more robust.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2025 17:11:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2533846</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Intelligent Multi-Agent English Auction Interaction Protocol for Logistics Service Provider Selection</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2528546</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Global supply chains have become dynamic and complex over the past years, and this is expected to increase in the future. Logistics planning is a key part of supply chain management; hence it is crucial to shift towards agile and automated logistics models with the utilization of advanced information and communication technologies. The scope of this paper is the use of multi-agent systems for selection of Logistics service providers in cargo shipping. Cargos are modeled within auction-based mechanisms to automate the supplier selection and negotiation procedure between a client and multiple logistics service providers to find the best offer. FIPA English Auction Interaction Protocol is investigated to manage different actions between the agents, and a new model is proposed by applying communication acts of (Cancel, Refuse, and Failure) with different levels of credibility (Low, Moderate, and High). It was found that introducing an individual act into the interaction protocol can increase the number of interactions between agents from 24 to 26 up to 30 in case of introducing all the three acts into the interaction protocol. This means that the entire system will spend more time and energy in analyzing and responding to the additional acts. It is concluded that the higher the credibility, the lower the interactions between agents as the system will spend less time and energy in communication, which leads to enhance the performance and the efficiency of the system and the network. Therefore, a trade-off between maintaining the commutation speed and the system performance and reliability is vital.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:02:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2528546</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding the legal status of online logistics platforms in Europe: a decision framework for service providers improving legal certainty in the platform context</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2526317</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The legal framework in logistics depends on a liability exposure that is attached to service providers (legal status). However, mandatory (which cannot be avoided with the parties’ agreement) and facultative (which can be replaced with the parties’ agreement) contract laws impose fundamentally different liability exposures on service providers. Moreover, depending on jurisdiction, the same service provider can acquire different liabilities. The reason for this is that national judges consider operational context differently. The rise of platforms in logistics (understood as internet logistics service providers that use various types of procurement mechanism to optimise flows of goods) has made the set of rules that can be applied even more problematic mainly because more legal frameworks should be considered. The uniqueness of this paper is two-fold. Firstly, the paper adds theoretical implications that justify further exploration in the topic of legal classification of logistics intermediaries. Particularly, the paper expands the discussions on the concept of a transport intermediary by investigating the legal status of online logistic platforms in the context of the provision of online services and management of transport data. Furthermore, the paper provides a practical support for contract creation in a digitalized context.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:51:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2526317</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Channel structures and ESG initiatives for logistics service providers</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2519406</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Supply chain disruptions have caused notable transport capacity volatility, prompting the rise of logistics service providers with hybrid sales in the freight market. This study investigates transport capacity channel structures and evaluates the merit of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives for logistics service providers. The authors consider two dual-channel structures for logistics service providers and freight forwarders: a combination of direct selling and reselling, or direct selling and agency selling. The findings indicate that an increase in cross-price sensitivity escalates selling prices within each channel and direct sales volume, but negatively impacts the agency sales volume. Furthermore, their analysis debunks the prevailing belief about pricing discrimination demonstrating that heightened consumer awareness of the direct selling channel does not invariably result in lower agency selling prices. It depends on the commission rate, which is a critical factor influencing logistics service providers’ selection of an optimal channel structure. Surprisingly, the interactive analysis demonstrates that ESG initiatives prompt logistics service providers to prefer a structure that combines direct selling with reselling. On the other hand, as the agency selling channel’s commission rate escalates, the willingness of logistics service providers to invest in ESG decreases. In summary, logistics service providers using a dual-channel structure should ensure consistent service features across channels and provide flexible transport capacity. Moreover, it is necessary for logistics service providers to assess the impacts of the commission rate and ESG level on channel structures and ESG initiatives for enhanced financial returns.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2025 09:06:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2519406</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Logistics service quality satisfaction and impacts on financial performance</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2491072</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purposes of this research are to explore shipper satisfaction about logistics service quality (LSQ) of freight forwarders, to evaluate resource allocation efficiency for LSQ, and to explore the effects of LSQ on financial performance of shippers. A modified SERVQUAL with additional cost dimensions was used to collect data from 237 furniture exporters in Thailand. Descriptive statistics, gap analysis with paired sample t-test, importance-performance analysis (IPA), priority nonconformity index (PNCI) and multiple regression were utilised for data analysis. It was found that there was significant shipper dissatisfaction with overall LSQ, every dimension and indicator. Shippers were dissatisfied most and least about cost and tangibles, respectively. Although the IPA revealed no over performed or underperformed LSQ dimensions, PNCI further suggested transfer of resources from reliability and tangibles to improve cost and assurance. Reliability, tangibles, responsiveness and cost significantly increased sales. However, no LSQ dimension had a significant effect on shipper profitability.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 2025 10:12:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2491072</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Integrated Synchromodal Transport Planning and Preference Learning</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2499494</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A comprehensive understanding of shippers’ preferences can help transport freight forwarders create targeted transport services and enhance long-term business relationships. This research proposes an integrated approach to learn shippers’ preferences in synchromodal transport operations and optimize transport services accordingly. A preference learning method was developed to capture shippers’ preferences through pairwise comparisons of transport plans. To model the underlying complex nonlinear relationships and detect heterogeneity in preferences, artificial neural networks (NNs) were employed to approximate shippers’ utility for a specific plan. Leveraging the learned preferences, a synchromodal transport planning model with shippers’ preferences (STPM-SP) was proposed, with the objectives of minimizing the total transportation cost and maximizing shippers’ satisfaction. A case study based on the European Rhine-Alpine corridor was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results demonstrated that artificial NNs have the capacity to identify complex (i.e., nonlinear and heterogeneous) relationships in shippers’ preferences. The planning results showed that the STPM-SP effectively found solutions with a significant satisfaction improvement of 37%. This research contributes to learning shippers’ preferences in the transport operation process and highlights the importance of incorporating these preferences into the decision-making process of synchromodal transport planning.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:23:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2499494</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Carrier encroachment vs forwarder agency: co-operations in the freight market</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2483202</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In the freight forwarding market, carriers may provide transportation through traditional forwarders or by establishing an online booking platform to encroach the original freight market. Meanwhile, forwarders may cooperate with carriers through exclusive agency or mixed agency. This study applies a game-theoretical model to understand the interactions between carrier encroachment and forwarder agency strategy. The authors observe that only if the carrier with less potential market encroaches could it exist a situation that the forwarder originally linking to the carrier with larger potential market becomes the only choosing mixed agency. Beyond that, the probabilities of two forwarders considering mixed agency simultaneously are relatively small only if the agency fee is low or the substitution degree is high is satisfied. However, the factors influencing whether each carrier encroaches are significantly different. For the carrier with smaller potential market, the agency fee is the most important determinant, whereas the other pays more attention to the substitution degree.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Feb 2025 08:45:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2483202</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Carrier channel encroachment and forwarder order sequence: an equilibrium analysis of shipping service supply chain</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2445296</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In the post-epidemic era, with the economic deterioration of global situation and the efficiency recovery of shipping market, the maritime industry is falling into the recession. Affected by this situation, the competition of maritime supply chain not only comes from the horizontal among forwarders to order sequence, but also includes the vertical brought by the carrier encroachment in freight forwarding business. Under this setting, the authors introduce the independent forwarder and subsidiary forwarder into the maritime supply chain to explore the interaction between carrier channel encroachment and forwarder order timing. From the outcome, the authors observe that the channel encroachment is not always the best choice if the encroached cost is high relatively or the subsidiary forwarder order capacity simultaneously. Further, the cooperation degree between the carrier and subsidiary forwarder also plays a key role in the choice of encroachment strategy, where the channel encroachment is adopted once the carrier excessively relies on the subsidiary forwarder.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Dec 2024 11:45:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2445296</guid>
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