Road Freight Transport Services Reform

Abstract

Cost-effective and high quality transport systems are key to modern logistics. Their role can only be expected to grow even as the global economy goes through profound transformation in terms of how, where and when goods are produced or distributed. In many economies and at many different geographical scales, road transport remains the predominant mode of transport and is an indispensable part of how economic agents interact in space. Consumer expectations and production requirements increasingly require that transport operators provide high-quality services that are also safe and affordable for their clients. However, in many countries logistics performance remains too low to effectively contribute to economic and social development. This is the challenge that this Guide seeks to meet, to offer paths to reforming the sector and making it suited to the needs of a highly connected world. The guide is organized in four broad sections. The first three set out the role of road transport in modern economies and the supply chains that characterize them, the principles of reform, and how to gather data and information to conduct a diagnostic and target those reforms. The fourth section offers options and possible paths available to agencies driving the reform process.