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MPC Research Reports
Filter by Author21 report(s) found for John Bitzan Partial deregulation of the railroad industry substantially eased regulatory impediments to consolidation. Since partial deregulation, there has been a massive consolidation of firms in the railroad industry, which has been premised on efficiency gains, network rationalization, and service quality. In... This research focuses on the long-standing relationship between the rail industry and production agriculture. It will investigate the differential effects of policy change, considering factors that have influenced pricing service for corn, wheat and soybeans in a deregulated rail industry. The study demonstrated that short lines could achieve greater cost savings if they were to increase their density (revenue ton miles per mile) and their size (mile of road). Size is an important criterion that a short line must examine when evaluating the purchase of a new section of track. However... The study provides information to aid transportation decision makers in planning and programming for future commodity transportation needs. The study describes recent trends in potato production and processing within the state; examines the logistics of potato transportation, storage, and processing... In an attempt to provide some of the information that will enable North Dakota firms and policymakers to make better decisions, this project addressed four transportation issues, which are critical to the future of the state's agricultural sector: (1) the impact of 110-car shuttle trains on the marketing... North Dakota's grain producers rely on an efficient rail system to move their products to export and domestic markets. A recent shift to larger grain hopper cars may threaten the viability of the state's light-density branch line network. This study simulates the impacts of handling larger rail cars... Future customer demands, service availability, and industry investment decisions will shape the modal marketing decisions of the grain marketing sector. The Delphi survey technique is used to engage a cross-section of grain industry experts in sharing opinions regarding future trends for service, investment... The 100+ car rates are a recent innovation in rail grain pricing. Although the rates have been available via contract, a public offering last fall initiated much of the current interest in these larger units. The objective of this study is to provide an informational base that hard red spring wheat market... The balance of this report will examine the experiences U.S. production agriculture has had with deregulation of the transportation industry. It will highlight the evolution of the procurement segment of grain marketing, concentrating on the wheat origination region, as it is an important export commodity... This study examined LTL carriers in the mountain-plains region of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. Many rural communities rely on the LTL industry for freight movements in and out of the region. The level of LTL service in the mountain-plains region is unknown in a post regulated environment. |
