The current fragmentation of the logistics services sector in countries such as Ireland continues to undermine the nation's competitiveness. The overwhelming majority (89%) of products transported across Ireland are carried by the road haulage industry. An essential element in underpinning Irish industrial and economic performance is, therefore, the accurate measurement of vehicle utilisation, operating costs and efficiency of the logistics services sector. Much of this study involved the development of a comparative analytical framework facilitating cross-national and cross-sectoral assessments on efficiency. Data collection and collation on all such issues, alongside vehicle utilisation costs enabled an international best practice "benchmarking" process of the Irish road haulage industry as a whole. Up to 70% of the licensed sector of over 3,200 companies is comprised of one or two man operations. Amongst the more ambitious operators, the emphasis is now on providing a wide range of ancillary services such as warehousing and stock control. This paper also explores the impact of legislation on costs elsewhere, e.g. UK and the rest of Europe, including impending policy directives for 2006 on distance-based costing in the UK. This paper addresses the central question of the extent to which the transport services available to Irish industry facilitate logistics strategies demanded by the contemporary market by (1) addressing the logistics requirements of industry in Ireland and (2) elucidating the capacity of the indigenous logistics industry to accommodate the alterations in the industry necessary for improving competitive advantage. The relationships between customers and logistics service providers, including selection criteria and contractual terms are also explored. This review into the structure of the Irish road haulage industry is thought to be the most extensive undertaken. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.
Abstract