PRODUCTIVITY IN INTERCITY TRUCKING: A REJOINFRT

The authors rebut a criticism of the Bureau of Labor Statistics statistics on productivity trends in intercity trucking by Darwin W. Daicoff. They maintain that ton-miles is an efficient measure of productivity because it represents the total output of pickup and delivery, platform work, billing and collecting and linehaul. Separate productivity measures, as opposed to the BLS adjustments for mix of commodities, are neither available nor practical. The adequacy of adjustments by class and type of carrier in terms of employment are clarified. The use of labor inputs as the denominator for the input-output ratio indicates the relative efficiency with which labor, as a factor of production has been used over time. Adjustments of employment figures are further explained and the long time period of the study defended. The authors maintain that if Daicoff's suggestions were implemented there would be a downward bias in the measurement of the labor productivity of the industry.