Towards intermodal freight transport system in Ethiopia : evaluation of Ethiopian shipping and logistics service enterprise multimodal freight transport performance by customers and employees

Abstract: With today’s globally integrated economy the role of transportation has got immense attention in international trade and development. Freight transport is an integral part of transportation system and it moves freight of huge value all over the world. For instance, in 2008, more than $16 trillion of exported freight was transported worldwide (Global highlight, 2010). With such contribution freight transportation service is getting increased attention during this era. Particularly, a system of freight transport that is environmentally safe, minimizes costs, and increases conveniences has become the agenda worldwide. Intermodal transport service is a system with such objectives of efficient, effective and environmental friendly freight mobility (Brewer, et.al, 2001). This study was made with the main objective of assessing the multimodal freight transport performance in Ethiopia through customer satisfaction and employee evaluation. The literature review and case study approaches were used. The review of literature shows that freight transport practices in general and the implementation of multimodal freight transport system in Ethiopia have been hindered by various problems. These problems include poor existing infrastructure and lack of basic infrastructures, inefficient and ineffective freight vehicles, and long and repetitive custom checking points. The case study on multimodal freight transport performance of Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Service Enterprise showed that majority of customers were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with many of the performance indicators. The employees evaluated the organization relatively more positively. Overall, the enterprise was doing well in terms of transport documentation performance indicators but in terms of cost and convenience the performance was unsatisfactory.