MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET SHARE, AND PROFITS IN THE SURFACE FREIGHT INDUSTRY

The surface freight industry was deregulated in 1980. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between profitability and market power in the trucking industry that transport agricultural commodities. Fulfilling this objective would allow us to determine whether the market structure that has emerged is one that is based on competition. The research method will be based on the structure-conduct-performance paradigm. Results of this study indicated that efficiency is the driving force behind performance of firms. These suggest that the 1980 Motor Carrier Act had produced its intended purpose in the agricultural commodities transport industry.