MANAGING BARGE OPERATIONS FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY

Today the inland waterways industry confronts an environment that is vastly different from that faced by managers even a few years ago. Losses from ongoing operations, common even among the strongest carriers, result from recent precipitous declines in transportation demand and massive overbuilding of most segments of the barge fleet. In this depressed and uncertain setting, traditional rules of thumb concerning productivity-maximizing operating strategies may no longer be appropriate. Some largely theoretical work has been done on determining the principles that will allow operators to maximize productivity and profitability. However, there is little authoritative practical guidance on how to operate based on those principles. Tow operations are completely under the control of vessel pilots, who receive instructions from operations managers but respond primarily to riverine and weather conditions. In this research methods are being devised to bridge the gqp between strategic plans and tow operations, the objective being to develop an operations planning system that combines vessel performance data and strategic objectives. The vessel performance data are supplied by an onboard measurement and reporting system. The strategic objectives are based on data from the barge company's management information system. The operations planning system combines these two information sources and uses an onboard microprocessor to develop vessel control parameters that reflect the priorities set by company management.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1985/1015/1015-003.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=MANAGING+BARGE+OPERATIONS+FOR+IMPROVED+PRODUCTIVITY&author=M.+Bronzini&author=H.+Kinnison&author=C.+Philip&author=C.+Drobny&publication_year=1985
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/030903904
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Inland Water Transportation.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

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  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Bronzini, Michael S
  • Kinnison, Harry A
  • Philip, Craig E
  • Drobny, Charles J
• Publication Date: 1985

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 10-16
• Monograph Title: WATERWAY AND PORT PLANNING ISSUES
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1015
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barges; Fleet management; Guidelines; Inland waterways; Management information systems; Productivity; Profitability; Strategic planning
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fleets
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Highways; Marine Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00457864
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 030903904
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 31 1986 12:00AM