Preferable Mode Selection towards Sustainable Freight Transport: A Case Study of Laem Chabang Port in Thailand

An increasing demand for domestic freight transport to and from major seaports, such as Laem Chabang Port (LCP) in Thailand, by motorized vehicles entails intensified fuel combustion. This would lead to both environmental and socio-economic impacts, including GHG emissions, air/noise pollution, traffic congestion, and accidents. Consequently, strategies to support shifting towards more ecologically friendly options must be addressed to mitigate these impacts. The present study aims to identify key enablers and barriers to a modal shift, as well as to reveal manufactures’ preferences on the mode selection under specified scenarios. Data collection is carried out using the mixed approach—a qualitative in-depth interview with stakeholders in the freight industry and a quantitative questionnaire survey with manufacturers in three selected industrial estates. Outcome of 16 interviews indicates 20 significant factors categorized to five main groups—policy, operation, infrastructure, economy, and communication. The nested logit (NL) model uncovers several key aspects influencing freight transport choices for factories. These include mode characteristics, factory size, freight management, and, most importantly, time and cost considerations. However, the results of mode share preferences imply that even all infrastructure and facilities of the LCP phase 3 have been installed, the common truck and the tollway truck continue to hold the highest popularity. The present study concludes with the challenging measures to overcome the obstacles as well as enablers or motivational measures towards sustainable freight transport from the perspective of interview respondents.