Modal shift of palletized goods: a feasibility and location analysis for Europe

The modal shift of palletized goods to the inland waterways proved itself feasible for Belgium, but comes with a break-even distance. Geographical up-scaling should enhance the potential for such shift. The existing model is therefore enlarged to the European scale. Additionally, a Total Logistics Cost
model was included. Results show that the potential gains are lower than expected. Mainly because previous research included only direct transport costs. The incorporation of the total logistics costs enabled us to obtain new insights in which the relation between the profitability and different commodity characteristics influence the feasibility and to which extent analyse.