Excerpts from the report Preface: At the request of the Maine Potato Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Transportation conducted this study in cooperation with the Cooperatives Program of Economics, Statistics, & Cooperatives Service. Maine growers and shippers are vitally concerned with availability of rail and truck equipment to transport fresh and processed potatoes to major markets throughout the Eastern United States. Based on the request, study objectives were designed to: A. Develop a profile of the present transportation and handling system. B. Evaluate service requirements for shippers, receivers, and products. C. Develop a best estimate of total truck, water, rail, and piggyback operating costs between the Maine and major eastern markets. D. Determine the freight rate, service level, and volume required to offset the costs of owning (or leasing) and operating a private fleet of highway trucks, and/or trailers for use in trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) rail service. E. Develop an organizational structure to implement a feasible transportation system.
