Introduction

This Winter 2013 issue of the Transportation Journal contains elements of both the history and the future of the journal. For the historical perspective, the issue begins with a tribute to a remarkable individual who, among his many other accomplishments, also played a role in the development of the American Society of Transportation and Logistics, the founding of the Transportation Journal, and the evolution of the transportation and logistics discipline—Dr. L. L. Waters. For the future perspective, we welcome a new co-editor, Dr. Thomas Goldsby of the Ohio State University, whose introductory message follows. We also welcome Dr. Mary Holcomb of the University of Tennessee, who fills the newly created editorial position of editor of the Industry Notes section. Mary will be providing more information about updates on the Industry Notes section in future issues of the journal. We will also continue to expand the Editorial Review Board. At this time I am pleased to welcome Dr. Peter Swan, assistant professor of logistics and operations management from Penn State Harrisburg, and Dr. Haozhe Chen, assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management and research fellow at East Carolina University. I am pleased to announce that we have implemented our automated manuscript submission system and thank you for your patience during the transition. We will finally begin to offer a Best Paper Award, beginning with the 2012 issues.

In this issue we present an interesting array of articles representing the diverse range of transportation and logistics research. In the first article, Mitra discusses a mode choice model for shippers of agricultural freight, who represent the largest user group of freight in the United States. In subsequent articles Harrod presents a method for formulating a strategic dispatch policy for train movement; Maloni and Paul examine different options to better utilize current port capacity across the entire network of US ports; and Manuj compares academic research with industry practice in the area of global sourcing risk management. In the Industry Notes section, Larson, Elias, and Viafara examine approaches to promote sustainability in the trucking industry. Kumar explores the benefits of online reverse auctions for both buyers and suppliers. Jeng and Su analyze the impact of high-speed rail on the domestic airline industry in Taiwan.

The issue concludes with two book reviews. In the first Cannella reviews a book authored by Francisco Campuzano, and Josefa Mula, titled Supply Chain Simulation: A System Dynamics Approach for Improving Performance. Yarusavage reviews a book edited by Dong-Wook Song, and Photis M. Panavides, titled Maritime Logistics: A Complete Guide to Effective Shipping and Port Management.

Respectfully,
Evelyn Thomchick
Co-editor

Introductory Statement

I am delighted to be joining Dr. Evelyn Thomchick as co-editor of Transportation Journal. The journal enjoys a storied history as one of the most prominent and longest-serving publications in transportation, logistics, and supply chain management. Moving forward, we aspire to build on this heritage of delivering timely, relevant, and impactful research. We hope to be recognized as the “outlet of choice” for researchers, making the essential connection between authors and consumers of interesting and valid research through a professional, user-friendly review process. Further, we seek to continue yielding research that is influential for practitioners and policymakers on matters related to transportation management. Professor Thomchick has instituted substantial innovation in her first three years as editor, and we look forward to introducing more innovations that favorably impact the journal’s various constituents. We welcome your suggestions and look forward to serving you as stewards of this outstanding journal. Finally, I would like to thank AST&L for the organization’s steadfast commitment to its academic mission, which includes its continued support of the Transportation Journal.

Respectfully,
Tom Goldsby
Co-editor