Aug 2026· International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management· pp. 1-26· 0 citations· 95 references
Abstract
This paper examines the impact of precision scheduled railroading (PSR), an efficiency-driven reform, on the safety and operational performance of US Class I freight railroads. Leveraging Competing Institutional Logics and Stakeholder Theory perspectives, the study explores how PSR institutionalizes efficiency logic while constraining safety logic, generating performance gains at the expense of elevated operational risk.
Using archival data from 2011 to 2024, the study employs a panel dataset of Class I railroads to assess changes in operational metrics (e.g. train length, locomotive utilization, workforce size) and safety outcomes (e.g. accidents, derailments) following PSR adoption. A difference-in-differences approach with carrier fixed effects and information-theoretic model comparisons is used to assess the robustness and heterogeneity of effects across rail carriers.
Results indicate that PSR is associated with improvement in operational efficiency through longer trains, increased locomotive utilization and workforce reductions; yet these improvements are accompanied by higher derailment and accident rates. The pattern reflects an institutionalized safety–efficiency paradox, where efficiency logic dominates organizational priorities, advancing shareholder interests while compromising safety considerations for frontline stakeholders. Notably, in the rail industry, the safety–efficiency paradox impacts extend beyond frontline operational workers, also negatively affecting communities where rail carriers operate.
Through integrating Competing Institutional Logics with Stakeholder Theory, the study reveals how PSR prioritizes efficiency logic while subordinating safety priorities, producing uneven outcomes across stakeholder groups. These insights refine the boundary conditions of the safety–efficiency paradox and offer theoretical and practical guidance for balancing operational performance and safety in infrastructure-intensive transportation systems.
The Indian electric vehicle (EV) industry has moved from an experimental phase to a phase of commercial scale-up, with annual registrations crossing twenty-five lakh units and overall penetration touching approximately 8.5 per cent of total vehicle registrations in FY 2025-26. This growth, however, has not been matched by a proportionate maturing of the manufacturing base. Manufacturers continue to confront a dual burden: operational constraints arising from import dependence, thin supplier depth, capacity under-utilisation, skill shortages and validation infrastructure gaps; and administrative constraints arising from procedural complexity, delayed incentive disbursement, policy discontinuity, multi-agency clearances and compliance costs. The present study examines these two constraint domains in an integrated manner. Primary data were collected from 120 respondents drawn from EV original equipment manufacturers and auto-component units located in the Pune-Chakan-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar industrial corridor of Maharashtra, using a structured five-point Likert scale instrument. The data were analysed through descriptive statistics, reliability testing, one-sample and paired-sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA and correlation analysis. The findings indicate that both operational and administrative constraints are perceived as significantly severe, that the difference between the two domains is not statistically significant, and that perceived severity varies inversely with firm size. Constraint severity is negatively correlated with capacity utilisation. The paper concludes with a set of strategic perspectives covering supply-chain de-risking, single-window administrative reform, predictable and time-bound incentive architecture, cluster-based shared testing facilities and skill formation, aimed at converting policy intent into manufacturing capability.
Kaveri Dattatray Suryavanshi and Dr. Mungi Ashlesh· International Journal of Adv...· 0 citations
Operational efficiency is the backbone of sustainable industrial performance. In engineering and process-driven environments, it defines an organization's ability to deliver consistent output while waste, downtime, and unplanned disruption. Yet across industries - from petroleum operations to manufacturing and construction - systemic inefficiencies persist, quietly consuming resources and eroding productivity. At the centre of many of these inefficiencies lies a factor that is consistently underestimated: the state of Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) practice within the organisation.
HSE is far more than a compliance checkbox. When robustly applied, it becomes a disciplined operational framework that shapes planning, execution, monitoring, and continual enhancement of work processes. Strong HSE fosters equipment uptime, skilled workforce performance, procedural reliability, and compliance assurance. Defective HSE does the opposite - it introduces disorder. Accidents increase, equipment degrades, rework multiplies, and downtime compounds. Organisations lose resources not from lack of effort, but from lack of structured prevention [13].
The link between HSE excellence and operational efficiency is therefore not coincidental - it is causal and measurable. This paper examines that relationship through a notional, multidisciplinary framework, demonstrating how HSE Management Systems (HSEMS), structured around the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle [10], function as productivity control systems. By embedding leadership commitment, risk management, capacity-based training, and continuous improvement into routine operations, HSEMS eliminates the root causes of inefficiency before they escalate into incidents, shutdowns, or regulatory sanctions.
Okwor Chidinma K., Onwudi Praise Anyachukwu, Agu Samuel et al.· SPE Nigeria Annual Internati...· 0 citations
The monograph Improving the Operational Efficiency of Road Transport presents a systematic scientific, methodological, and applied framework for improv- ing the performance of road transport enterprises under contemporary operating conditions. Road transport is treated as an open socio-technical and production- service system whose results depend on the interaction of rolling stock, personnel, infrastructure, demand, maintenance resources, digital information flows, safety requirements, environmental constraints, and economic feasibility. The publication is intended for students, postgraduate students, researchers, lecturers, transport en- gineers, fleet managers, logistics specialists, public transport planners, maintenance managers, and professionals involved in digital fleet management.
The relevance of the study is determined by the growing complexity of road transport operations: higher traffic intensity, unstable demand, increasing fuel and energy costs, staff shortages, stricter safety expectations, environmental pressure, and expanding dependence on digital information systems. Under these conditions, management based only on delayed reports and average indicators is insufficient. Operational efficiency is therefore interpreted not merely as cost reduction, but as the ability of the transport system to provide stable, safe, reliable, economically justified, environmentally responsible, and socially useful service.
The object of the study is the operational activity of road transport enterprises. The subject of the study is the set of technical, organizational, economic, and information-analytical mechanisms that determine fleet productivity, technical availability, service quality, cost efficiency, safety, and adaptability. The purpose of the monograph is to develop an integrated approach to the assessment and improvement of road transport operational efficiency by combining performance indicators, maintenance models, route and timetable decisions, telematics data, economic evaluation, and implementation monitoring.
The monograph systematizes production, technical, economic, service- quality, reliability, safety, environmental, and integrated indicators. Particular attention is paid to vehicle productivity, fleet technical availability, mileage uti- lization, load factor, fuel and energy consumption, downtime, maintenance cost, regularity, punctuality, delivery reliability, environmental performance, and user satisfaction. Each indicator is considered as a management instrument that should have a data source, responsible unit, threshold value, decision rule, and verification procedure.
Technical availability and maintenance are analyzed as central prerequisites for efficiency. The study considers preventive maintenance, corrective repair, pre- dictive diagnostics, failure-risk assessment, component life, workshop capacity, spare-parts planning, and maintenance prioritization. The maintenance system is interpreted as a subsystem that must minimize not only direct repair costs, but also downtime, emergency failures, repeated defects, safety risks, service cancellations, and long-term degradation of rolling stock.
Organizational reserves are examined through route and timetable planning, rolling-stock utilization, dispatching, driver work organization, operational disci- pline, and coordination with external stakeholders. The monograph shows that many efficiency losses are organizational rather than purely technical: they arise from unbalanced schedules, excessive empty mileage, weak reserve-vehicle management, insufficient terminal or customer coordination, delayed managerial reaction, and lack of standardized procedures.
A separate group of issues concerns digital technologies in operational man- agement. Telematics, GPS/AVL monitoring, onboard diagnostics, fuel and energy sensors, driver-behavior recorders, electronic ticketing, maintenance information systems, transport management systems, mobile applications, cloud platforms, dashboards, and digital twins are considered as elements of an integrated digital management environment. The text explains how raw records are transformed into trajectories, trips, indicators, alerts, forecasts, and managerial recommendations, while also emphasizing data quality, interoperability, cybersecurity, backup, and reliability of digital services.
The scientific novelty of the monograph lies in the integrated interpretation of road transport efficiency as a balanced result of technical readiness, organiza- tional coordination, economic feasibility, service quality, digital data reliability, and feedback-based management. The practical value lies in the possibility of using the proposed indicators, formulas, tables, models, and management procedures for enterprise efficiency programs, maintenance improvement, telematics implementa- tion, route optimization, investment prioritization, and educational work in road transport specialties. Keywords: road transport; operational efficiency; fleet management; technical availability; predictive maintenance; telematics; transport enterprise; digital fleet management; route optimization; maintenance organization.
This paper presents a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) of proposed high-capacity cycling corridors in the wider Ljubljana area, representing the first such evaluation in Slovenia, where comparable infrastructure has not yet been implemented. The low baseline cycling demand presents methodological challenges for accurately forecasting user response. To address this, a discrete mode choice model calibrated with regional data was applied to estimate modal shifts from private car and public transport to cycling, based primarily on anticipated travel time savings. Long-term projections incorporate behavioral responses to improved infrastructure, such as enhanced comfort, continuity, and perceived safety. The analysis accounts for capital investment, land acquisition, maintenance, and renewal costs, while quantifying external benefits including public health improvements, reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions, and travel time savings. Conservative assumptions were applied throughout, and a detailed sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the robustness of results under alternative cost and uptake scenarios. Findings indicate that the investment shows positive economic performance under the baseline and in most tested scenarios, with greater sensitivity to demand-side parameters than to cost variations. These results highlight the importance of integrating infrastructure planning with complementary policy measures to stimulate early adoption and maximize societal benefits. The study proposes a framework that could be transferable for the appraisal of transformative cycling infrastructure and contributes to the growing body of evidence on active mobility in emerging markets, particularly within Central and Eastern Europe.
I. Trček, R. Rijavec· European Transport Research...· 0 citations
With an investment gap of $3.7 trillion, according to the American Society for Civil Engineers
(ASCE), US infrastructure is literally begging for help. This situation is so extensive across the US,
the richest economy in the world, that the reputable ASCE has assigned–based upon evidence and
trends–an unflattering letter grade of C for the nation’s infrastructure. Multiform and vast
challenges are omnipresent throughout the entire spectrum of infrastructure nationwide, ranging
from roads, bridges, dams, electric grids, railroads to airports, ports, drinking water delivery
systems, transit, and broadband access networks, among others. This paper attempts to explore
avenues of solutions by looking into the impacts of infrastructural investments on state and local
revenues. Using the most recent annual time series, spanning the 2009-2024 period, within a vector
auto-regression (VAR) framework, the study uncovers that infrastructural investments are strongly
revenue-stimulative in the long run. This is an incentive for state and local governments to reassess
and reorient policies toward prioritizing such investments. Doing so will durably and effectively
address two woes–namely, disintegrating infrastructures and persistent revenue shortfalls–in one
economic policy stroke.
A. Adom· IIARD International Journal...· 0 citations
This case study examines fleet sustainability challenges within the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Police Department, a multicampus public safety agency operating aging gasoline vehicles central to daily patrol and administrative functions. Rising maintenance costs, increased vehicle downtime, and extensive idling created both operational strain and avoidable environmental impacts. Aging internal-combustion vehicles contributed to elevated emissions and fuel consumption, particularly under high-heat conditions and equipment demands typical of campus policing. Telematics monitoring indicated that approximately 48% of total engine-on time consisted of idling, highlighting a substantial source of avoidable fuel use and emissions. The study employed a qualitative case study design that triangulated multiyear maintenance records (FY2019–FY2024), telematics data from a 56-day observation period across eight vehicles, and semi-structured interviews with sworn, administrative, and technical personnel. Findings revealed that aging vehicles exhibited disproportionate repair frequency, increased emissions potential, and extended downtime, while idling emerged as a major driver of inefficiency. Electrification was feasible for administrative roles but remains constrained for patrol operations due to range limitations, charging infrastructure requirements, and duty-cycle demands. Governance gaps further limited evidence-based sustainability planning. The case demonstrates that sustainable fleet management in public safety contexts requires alignment between operational practices, technological capabilities, and governance structures. Role-based electrification, idle-reduction initiatives, lifecycle-based replacement, and structured fleet oversight offer practical pathways for reducing emissions while maintaining operational readiness.
Van Slusser· Case Studies in the Environm...· 0 citations