An Economic Assessment of Surface Freight Transportation Deregulation (Classic Reprint)

Book excerpt: Excerpt from An Economic Assessment of Surface Freight Transportation Deregulation Regulatory reforms during the late 1970 sand early1980s dramatically transformed the structure and performance of the U.S. surface freight transportation industry. After four decades of gradual decline, the number of firms in the interstate trucking industry exploded, increasing from 16,000 in 1975 to more than 33,000 in 1985. Real trucking rates fell nearly 20 percent over the same period. Deregulation of the rail industry led to mergers and consolidations that have slashed the number of large (Class I) carriers from 73 in 1975 to 26 in 1985. At the same time that real average revenue per ton-mile declined by 21 percent, real net railway operating income rose by over 160 percent. The structural and performance changes associated with transport "deregulation" generated substantial redistributions of wealth among carriers, labor, shippers, and final customers and dramatically altered the costs and organization of transportation services. Many of these consequences were anticipated in the debate over deregulation; others have emerged during the regulatory transition. In general, economic deregulation has led to net social benefits. However, three issues-- motor carrier safety, railroad pricing for captive shippers, and increased concentration in both industries-- have attracted growing public attention and raised questions about the desirability of competitive transportation industries. This study surveys the current state of the U.S. trucking and railroad industries and discusses developments that may merit policy attention. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.