INTRODUCTION
Truck transportation has overwhelmingly dominated freight transportation in Thailand. Over
90% of domestic freight movement measured in ton-kilometers have traditionally been
served by trucks. Over almost 10 years prior to 1997, the nation experienced an
unprecedented economic boom and the supply of motor carrier services was enormously
expanded to cater the ever-increasing needs for the services. Unfortunately, following the
economic bust occurred in 1997, the demand for trucking services abruptly and substantially
shrunk while the carriers were unable to size down their service capacity fast enough to
match the reduced demand. Given the heavily excessive supply of trucking services, the
competition among motor carriers has become very fierce and motor carriers have been
struggling to find ways to enhance their competitive positions. To deal with current intense
competitive pressures, carriers must be able to customize services to suit customer
requirements at competitive rates. Thorough appreciation of shippers' logistics needs and
about the critical criteria used by shippers in selecting motor carriers is therefore crucial to
carriers' long-term business success.