Freight transport systems deviate from passenger transport systems in various ways, accounting for multiple dimensions in mode-choice models, freight generation models, trip estimation and other key decision-making models. For policymakers, businesses and stakeholders, understanding freight transport’s unique needs is crucial in making efficient and effective choices. The concept of freight transport systems is unique as it considers various vital players, including production, inventory, transport logistics, consumption and trade, particularly international and inter-regional freight transport.
In recent years freight transport modelling has gained much attention from researchers, particularly in freight demand modelling. Given these developments, this research seeks to apply a set of models to gain insight into the factors that play vital roles in international and interregional commodity freight generation and consumption. However, in practice, freight demand models rely on aggregate approaches that are insensitive to economic behaviour at the level of the firms that make decisions. As a result, many recent researchers have concentrated on disaggregate models, such as behavioural freight modelling, which examines the economic behaviours of firms (agents) that act as decision-makers, with little emphasis on optimisation at the aggregate zone-to-zone level. Moving forwards, models that integrate aggregates and disaggregate models are needed to present a unique perspective on freight commodity transport modelling.
