FREIGHT CAR UTILIZATION: DEFINITION, EVALUATION AND CONTROL. FINAL REPORT. TASK FORCE 2

This Task Force was charged with developing a definition of utilization that would recognize not only the physical and economic aspects of freight car use, but also clarify the interaction and control of these aspects of car utilization. It recommends a coordinated set of physical and financial measures to monitor and control freight car utilization. Despite growing financial pressure to improve utilization, the group found limited evidence of effective car-utilization systems. There has been no correlation between changes in utilization and a railroad's financial condition. No single measure is adequate for all purposes; railroads need to use several measures in a well-defined manner to relate physical utilization to financial performance. Effective utilization involves more than efficient empty car distribution or movements. Although both the operating and marketing/traffic departments make decisions affecting utilization, the operating department is generally responsible for utilization. Utilization control systems must enable officers to evaluate tradeoffs among operating expenses, investment costs and car ownership costs.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Report on "Freight Car Utilization Research--Demonstration Program."
• Corporate Authors:

  Association of American Railroads

  50 F Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001-1564
• Publication Date: 1977-3-1

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Tables;
• Pagination: 23 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Car distribution (Railroads); Car operations (Railroads); Car supply (Railroads); Car utilization (Railroads); Economic analysis; Information systems; Management information systems; Operating costs; Standards
• Old TRIS Terms: Car cycles; Car supply
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Economics; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00157698
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Association of American Railroads
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA/OPPD-77-6 Final Rpt., AAR-R-257
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FR-65146
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 15 2003 12:00AM