Csx Railroad Competitive Advantage

“People think about trucking as a meat and potatoes business where you pick something up and then deliver it to a destination, but it’s not that simple, it’s a highly competitive business, and in order to thrive, firms need to implement innovations that will give them a competitive edge.”

I do not believe I need to tell you that the company's standing with DOT is not great. Saying this truck is ready for safe operation is completely unacceptable. Furthermore, my life, my safety, and my family's financial well-being, as well as every other driver, depends on proper maintenance of the equipment. The cutting of corners and shoddy work, just to get the job done, does a disservice to every person who operates equipment at this company, those of us who show up and do our jobs properly. I did my job, I did a

A two tiered deal was made by CSX because of the heavy regulation Pennsylvania has for mergers and to provide financial considerations for Conrail’s shareholders.

railroad has allowed the rail industry to provide a more tailored service to its customers. It has also

Not only are exports happening, but imports as well; 171 million tons of chemicals, intermodal, farm/food, forest products, metal, vehicles, et cetera (Document F). The railroad industry also accounts for 40% of the USA’s total freight network, providing 221,000 jobs (Federal Railroad Administration). Many creations become outdated after only a few years, but the Transcontinental Railroad still influences global economy today. Carrying millions of tons of goods, railroads are vital to the US

Intermodal. Intermodal is the form of moving freight utilizing multiple modes of transportation. One of the most common is rail and truck. Typically, a trucking company will pick up a trailer or a container at a customer’s facility, take the product to a railroad intermodal yard to normally be shipped several hundred miles away (although shorter hauls are becoming more common) to arrive at another railroad intermodal yard to be unloaded and picked up by a trucking company to take the goods to the final destination. The nation’s railroads have focused on this segment of business in the last several years due to a sharp decline in hauling coal. Coal has always been one of CSX’s main sources of revenue. “Railroads wrung efficiencies out of their costs, and discovered that if you make even a little money on a lot of volume, you're soon talking big bucks.” (Frailey, 2011, p. 1) CSX has utilized their own trucking brand to deliver trailers from or to intermodal yards cutting out the additional company in many instances. In this segment of the business strategy, CSX was behind its competitors. The main competitor is Norfolk Southern which operates in the eastern United States just as CSX does. The reason that this information is important is due to investments in infrastructure. Many people do not know that generally the railroad have to fund most of their track maintenance and improvements out of their

6.2.3. Profitability – on average Conrail appears to be profitable than the comparables and Conrail is less levered as well.

CSX Corporation “engages in the provision of rail-based transportation services including traditional rail service and the transport of intermodal containers and trailers.” (The Wall Street Journal, 2016). The company began in 1827 and started with horse-drawn rail cars covering only 13 miles in one state. Present day, the corporation command electric locomotives is capable of moving tons of cargo on a daily basis. The main headquarters is in Jacksonville, Florida. CSX Corporation, together with all its subsidiaries, is one of the nation's leading transportation suppliers.

The company has a broad customer base. Their fleet consists of more than 3,500 trucks, all of which serve thousands of points throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. They also international transportation services to roughly 100 different countries and more than 300 foreign destinations around the world. The majority of their business is located in the southern and eastern part of the country. Their customer base is mainly large retailers and automobile industry, but also you’re well known third party logistics companies

Thus, by the 1870s, this company controlled the mail route between Denver and Santa Fe, and operated a tangled cobweb of lines that linked the San Luis Valley and the San Juan mountains to the railroads. This allowed for better communication throughout Colorado, as well as improved transportation for people and goods. Naturally, this was a great improvement, so it is to no surprise that soon the company was the largest stage line in the

CSX(Chesapeake-Seaboard-X merger) provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services in many markets. CSX serves the energy industry including coal and liquefied petroleum and gas products. They transport industrial and construction materials along as well as agricultural products. CSX has a wide foot print stretching into consumer goods and some say that many of the consumer goods we each enjoy have, at some point been on a CSX train(CSX employee interview Georgia Public Broadcasting). Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation's population resides. It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and small farming towns alike.

Some of the reasons why CSX wants to buy Conrail are, to increase the consolidation in the Railway industry. Further consolidation typically means lower cost for the consolidators fx because economies of scale and synergies and ….

1. CSX wanted to merge with Conrail, because the consolidated company would have more than $8.5 billion in rail revenue and almost 70 % of the Eastern market. Gain in Operating Income from Cost Reduction would bring additional $370 million by the year 2000. Total gain from revenue increase would result in additional $180 million. And from the operating income would reach $550 million. Another important point in CSX-Conrail merger is the better competitive position in both long-haul and short-haul routes through cost reduction. The last reason for buying the Conrail was the fear of CSX Company to lose competitive advantage and as a result to lose a lot of revenue, if Conrail merge with

In an industry beset by limited options to consolidate domestic rail traffic, CSX looked at Conrail as an avenue to increase market share and gain access to the North East rail network. With air travel, road travel and trucking taking an increasing share, significant revenue growth became difficult. As Conrail became profitable, Congress explored ways of privatizing it, giving CSX an opportunity to acquire Conrail. Though Conrail suffered from performance inefficiencies it had certain strengths relative to CSX and Norfolk with respect to highest revenue per mile of track operated, per carload originated etc. Conrail with operating revenue of $3,686

To remain competitive a company must consider who their biggest competitors are while considering its own size and position in the industry. The company should develop a strategic advantage over their competitors’