Author: Meagan Burgio

Dr. Paul Kent is Major Contributor to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics Annual Transportation Statistics Report

Posted on by Meagan Burgio

Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) issued its 2022 edition of its Transportation Statistics Annual Report. By legislative mandate, BTS is required to address the state of the U.S. transportation system, freight logistics, transportation economics, safety, energy and sustainability, and the state of transportation statistics. COVID-19’s effects on transport modes are covered throughout the report.

Dr. Paul Kent, Monument’s Port and Logistics expert, was the main contributor for the Annual Report’s Chapter 3 — Freight and Supply Chain. Using BTS data, he showed that U.S. East Coast Asian container volumes for the first time exceeded U.S. West Coast Asian freight volumes in 2021, likely due to improved U.S. East Coast connectivity to liner shipping networks, enabling the diversion of some Asian trade volumes from the U.S. West Coast to U.S. East Coast ports. Among Chapter 3’s other highlights:

  • Nearly 40% of the U.S. gross output in 2020 (valued at about $12.22 trillion) relied on the Nation’s transportation and logistics sector, itself contributing an output of $565 billion;
  • In terms of freight value, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Chicago airports were ranked as 2020’s top two international freight gateways, with the U.S.-Mexico land border post in Laredo and the Port of Los Angeles ranked 3rd and 4th, respectively;
  • Trucks transported 12 billion tons in 2019, or 67 percent of total domestic freight volume — about 10 times more than that of rail, the United States’ third-ranked mode by freight volume;
  • Substantial foreign direct investment in Mexico in 2022, particularly from the nearshoring of U.S. companies, will likely mean an increase in cross border trade flows, with trucking continuing its modal dominance and a shifting of some freight flows from U.S. coastal ports to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Dr. Kent’s chapter can be read here. The entire report is available at https://www.bts.gov/tsar. Also, BTS provides an impressive range of transportation statistics for all transport modes online (https://data.bts.gov/). Data addressing COVID-19’s impact on freight transport are available here: https://lnkd.in/esBJ-JqD

From Nobel Laureates to the Cellular Supply Chain: Unveiling Logistics Concepts to Foster Wider Understanding of Scientific Research

Posted on by Meagan Burgio

Have you ever wondered how logistics concepts can unlock new perspectives and advancements in scientific research? Monument Economics Group’s Dr. Paul E. Kent and co-author Dr. Hercules Haralambides, in their paper From Nobel Laureates to the Cellular Supply Chain: Unveiling Logistics Concepts to Foster Wider Understanding of Scientific Research, explore the fascinating parallel between logisticians’ endeavors to optimize systems and drive progress in logistics and how scientists, including Nobel laureates, are dedicated to enhancing the performance and efficiency of the processes and systems they investigate. Nobel laureates applied logistics principles to unravel the intricate mechanisms of cellular transport. The authors mention that specialists in their fields can use their unique logistics lens to interpret breakthroughs in drug delivery systems and apply logistics-inspired thinking to explain scientific findings. Importantly, the authors point out that that the general population due to COVID-related supply chain issues has greater awareness of logistics and hence could better understand scientific processes if they are explained in those terms. Obviously, this increased understanding has implications for the clarity medical patients need to comprehend treatment plans, leading to better treatment adherence, patient satisfaction, and overall well-being.

This paper marks the first of Dr. Kent’s For the Love of Logistics series, a series of short papers that delve into the fascinating intersections between logistics and various scientific and technological disciplines. The series aims to showcase how the principles of logistics enable groundbreaking advancements, optimize processes, and revolutionize our understanding of complex systems, driving progress in diverse fields.

Click Here to read the full paper.