Benchmarking road freight transport: Review of a government-sponsored programme

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of the first ten years of the UKrnGovernment's "transport key performance indicator (KPI)" programme which benchmarks thernefficiency of road freight operations.rnDesign/methodology/approach - Documentation on nine benchmarking surveys is reviewed andrncombined with direct experience of programme's implementation to assess the general approach, thernsynchronised auditing procedure used, the choice of KPIs and resulting benefits to stakeholders.rnFindings - The programme illustrates how a benchmarking programme can become an instrumentrnof government policy heightening awareness of best practice in freight transport and potentialrnefficiency gains. It has been shown, across various industry supply chains, that similar distributionrnoperations can have markedly different energy intensity. The programme has, nevertheless, beenrndeficient in several respects. Too little attention has been given to the inter-relationship with otherrnlogistical activities, the causes of observed differences in efficiency and subsequent changes inrncompany behaviour.rnResearch limitations/implications - Most of the benchmarking exercises have lacked follow-uprnsurveys to enquire about the costs and benefits of company participation. Such surveys should becomernan integral part of future transport KPI projects.rnPractical implications - The UK Government has pioneered this form of transport benchmarking.rnOther governments and organisations can learn from its experience, particularly in dealing with thernpractical problems of recruiting companies, balancing government and industry requirements andrnensuring consistency.rnOriginality/value - The government-sponsored programme of freight transport benchmarkingrnreviewed in this paper is unique. This is the first attempt to summarise its achievements and findingsrnsince its launch in 1997.