This report by the US National Cooperative Freight Research Program provides final results of research on public and private sector interdependence in freight transportation markets.

The report is intended as a primer for public agencies involved in freight planning issues, giving them a basic understanding of private sector decision making and the interdependence between public and private sector decision making in freight transportation.

The report describes the complex relationships between public sector and private sector stakeholders in the freight transportation industry. It provides background on the freight industry using examples and case studies and presents issues facing public and private investment decision makers. In particular, it describes the differences between the public and private sector in freight transportation and discusses approaches to overcome those differences.