ROAD CONDITIONS, BORDER CROSSINGS AND FREIGHT RATES IN EUROPE AND WESTERN ASIA

Medium and long distance haulage in Europe and in Western Asia increasingly is performed by trucks. Motor carriers both in Europe and Western Asia are faced with numerous international border crossings and heterogeneous road conditions across regions. Another aspect of haulage in Europe and Western Asia is the frequent use of ferries for portions of movements, similar to the use of trailers-on-flatcars and containers-on-flatcars common in North America. In this paper, the impacts of these factors on freight rates are examined.