Hinterland transport chains: A behavioral examination approach

A hinterland transport chain is the transport network on the landward side of a seaport, over which cargo moves to/from the seaport. A hinterland transport chain choice is jointly determined by seaports, dry ports, intermodal carriers, importers and exporters. In this paper, determinants of sea/dry port choice, shipper choice and intermodal carrier choice are deduced to also be determinants of hinterland transport chain choice. Furthermore, a behavioral model is presented that describes the joint choice of a hinterland transport chain, accounting for each of the above parties' objectives: sea/dry ports seek to maximize throughput; intermodal carriers seek to maximize profits; and shippers seek to minimize logistics cost. The behavioral model is used in the analysis of unexplored areas in the hinterland transport chain literature, i.e. the fundamental issues of the existence and uniqueness of such chains.