From road freight transport outsourcing chains to complex collaborative networks: a case study

Abstract

Outsourcing processes in road freight transport constitute one of the most relevant operational features of this sector. However, the organisational articulation of these processes has not yet been studied in detail, due both to the opacity surrounding the collaborative relationships between companies and to their enormous complexity. Thus, this paper sets out, on the one hand, to identify the main subcontracting structures and information channels between companies and, on the other, to analyse the interdependent relationships between agents in road freight transport systems. In order to achieve these objectives, a case study was carried out using data from a survey of transport professionals in an area with a high concentration of logistics companies located on the border between Spain and France. The results reveal the enormous importance of outsourcing for the sector, where hierarchical structures and the selective transfer of information prevail over horizontal collaboration. They also show the existence of a complex network of collaborations, where some companies play central dynamising roles as opposed to other more peripheral roles.