This paper investigates the willingness of shippers to delegate control over the transportation mode in freight transportation, using discrete choice analysis. Data originate from a large survey among global shippers. The results show that, under certain conditions, most shippers are willing to hand over mode selection authority to the service provider. Using latent class analysis, we classify shippers into four market segments, each with a different degree of willingness against different types of performance improvements. Firms can use this characterization of freight transportation demand to design service packages that will meet the demands of global supply chains.

本文使用离散选择分析方法研究了托运人是否愿意将控制权委托给货运公司。数据来自全球托运人的一项大规模调查。结果表明，在某些条件下，大多数托运人都愿意将模式选择权移交给服务提供商。使用潜在类别分析，我们将托运人分为四个细分市场，每个细分市场对不同类型的绩效改进的意愿程度不同。公司可以利用货运需求的这种特征来设计服务包，以满足全球供应链的需求。