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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>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>THE ECONOMICS OF SHORT-LINE RAILROADS IN NORTH DAKOTA</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/304731</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Three sets of light density lines in North Dakota were analyzed with respect to the potential economies to be gained from short line operation.  The three networks consisted of:  (1) a single, 81-mile branch line with a density of nine cars per mile; (2) a 667-mile regional network with 20 cars per mile; and (3) a 211-mile network with 35 cars per mile.  Each network was analyzed first as a light density subsystem of the Burlington Northern Railroad, and then as an independent short line operation.  The results of the study in general suggest that some economies of size and/or density are necessary in order to operate short line networks profitably.  The single, light density branch line failed to show any improvement in profitability under short line operation.  However, the regional network showed a simulated cost savings of 26% in on-line operating, maintenance, and capital cost.  The 211-mile network with a relatively high traffic density also fared well under simulated short line operations, showing a potential gain of 31% in on-line costs.  The conclusions of the comparative analysis are that short line operations are not likely to make a substantial difference in profitability on single branch lines of very light density.  But on larger, regional networks or medium-sized networks with sufficient economies of density, short line operations can offer significant gains in railroad efficiency.  The principal gains in efficiency under short line operations came from a reduction in train crew size and crew wage rates.  Other simulated efficiencies were derived from maintenance of way costs, a lower cost of capital, and other transportation costs.  Some increases in operating costs were noted.  These included primarily administrative costs, but were overshadowed by efficiencies in other areas.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 1990 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPETITION: LABOR ISSUES</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/306568</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper identifies the labor requirements applicable when transportation organizations want to increase competition through subcontracting or service contracting and suggests methods for meeting those labor requirements.  The paper defines subcontracting and service contracting, identifies the major sources of labor requirements and the organizational types that are affected by each source, discusses the labor requirements in detail, and suggests ways of effectively dealing with the requirements.  Although the paper specifically addresses those labor requirements that must be met in order to increase competition through subcontracting and service contracting, the discussion is also relevant to other organizational modifications that change the number or identification of transit service providers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 1990 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/306568</guid>
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      <title>HANDBOOK FOR INCREASING COMPETITION IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BY RECOGNIZING AND DEALING EFFECTIVELY WITH LABOR REQUIREMENTS</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/285895</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This handbook identifies the labor issues most frequently encountered in an effort to increase competition and suggests methods for dealing with them.  Its purpose is to assist local decisionmakers to clearly understand what labor requirements face their agency, carefully plan their future course of action, and resolutely continue the commitment to increasing competition.  The document considers the common and straightforward situations and provides the general knowledge necessary to familiarize the reader with key labor requirements.  Part 1 of this handbook introduces the various types of labor requirements imposed on attempts to increase competition in transit.  Part 2 discusses the requirements from collective bargaining agreements, and Part 3 examines the requirements from Section 13(c) of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 as amended.  Part 4 of this document discusses some general conclusions about the influence of labor requirements on attempts to increase subcontracting and contracting for service.  It then summarizes the sections on what decisionmakers should do in one integrated agenda for action.  Overall, this research study attempts to show that it is possible to accomplish a great deal of subcontracting and contracting for service under current law and requirements.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 31 Aug 1988 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/285895</guid>
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      <title>DOMESTIC CONTAINERIZATION: OVERVIEW OF TERMINAL DESIGN AND OPERATING ISSUES</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/283921</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Containerization of U.S. domestic intermodal shipments is receiving new interest as a result of lower line-haul costs that can be achieved with double-stack rail cars in large-volume trains.  One of the key challenges in pursuing domestic containerization is the ability of the current system of trailer-based intermodal terminals to adapt to container-based systems.  This paper provides an overview of terminal design and operating issues that trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) terminal managers and designers will face with a transition to domestic containerization.  The issues covered include management and control of chassis, terminal mechanization requirements, alternative highway and rail transfer methods, labor requirements, and requirements for container and chassis staging and parking.  In each of these areas, terminal managers and designers will face a variety of trade-offs in selecting operating techniques to maximize the utilization of labor, equipment, and fixed facilities. For the most part, domestic containerization will not require radical redesign of major TOFC terminals or heavy investment.  It will, however, result in increased terminal operating costs and a significant challenge for terminal managers to effectively coordinate and control the increased complexity of equipment.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 1988 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/283921</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>JOINT COST, PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND OUTPUT DISAGGREGATION IN REGULATED MOTOR CARRIERS</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/82563</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The study uses a sample of 252 Class I Instruction 27 Motor Carriers (Instruction 27 carriers earned at least 75 percent of their revenues from intercity transportation of general commodities over a three year period) of general freight that existed continuously during the period 1965-1974 to estimate a long run cost function for the regular route, general freight section of the motor carrier industry. The functional form of the estimated equation belongs to the class of flexible, second order approximations to any cost function that are referred to as transcendental logarithmic or 'translog' functions. This class of functions does not make any prejudgments about the proper functional form, or the nature of the economic technology that motor carriers use to produce output; the functions may be derived from a Taylor's series expansion. The outputs are: (1) truck load ton-miles; (2) less-than-truck load ton miles; (3) pick up and delivery tons per hour and (4) terminal-platform tons. The inputs for which prices were included in the cost function are: (1) labor-salaried, clerical and other; (2) labor-linehaul; (3) labor-pickup and delivery and terminal platform; (4) other inputs not elsewhere classified; (5) purchased transportation; (6) owner-operators; (7) materials; (8) fuel, and (9) capital. The estimated cost function shows that there are no economies of scale in the domains for which the function was estimated, and that the usual representation of cost, using a Cobb-Douglas or CES function, is a serious misspecification because the true underlying function is non-separable and therefore the composition of output is a function of the level of factor prices.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Mar 1979 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/82563</guid>
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