Purchasing of transport services: A survey among Swedish shippers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the purchasing of transport services by the largest shippers of goods in Sweden. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents empirical results from a survey conducted in 2012 on manufacturing and wholesale companies in Sweden with more than 100 employees. Respondents were employees responsible for the purchase of goods transport services. In total, 586 companies were asked to participate in the survey, and 175 responses were received, which is a response rate of 30%. Findings The results include an increased knowledge of the purchase of goods transport services in Sweden. This paper presents a general picture of companies purchasing transport services that generate a large share of the goods flows in Sweden. The findings include a description of the transport buyers and their customers, the function of the decision-makers, the selection of transport modes, demands on the services and the relation with transport providers in terms of contracts, and environmental aspects of transport purchasing. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) This paper presents a limited selection of data from the survey, which is mainly analyzed by univariate data analysis. The survey is planned to be repeated every two years to make it possible to study changes in demand for transport purchase. This work forms a baseline for future surveys. Practical implications The result is available for transport buyers and transport companies, and can be used as benchmarking of their activities related to logistics and purchasing of transport. Social implications – Improved awareness of the role of transport purchasing process in contributing to put focus on environmental sustainability will have a long term effect on minimising negative effects on the environment. Originality/value The extensive empirical data add to the general knowledge of the structure of demand for transport services among the largest transport buying manufacturing companies and wholesale companies in Sweden