Cross-border shipment route selection utilizinganalytic hierarchy process (AHP) method

Abstract

Becoming a member of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Thailand expects a growth of cross-border trade with
\nneighboring countries, especially the agricultural products shipment. To facilitate this, a number of strategies are set, such as the
\nutilization of single check point, the Asian Highway (AH) route development, and the truck lane initiation. However, majority of
\nagricultural products traded through the borders are transported using the rural roads, from growing area to the factory, before
\ncontinuing to the borders using different highways. It is, therefore, necessary for the Department of Rural Roads (DRR) to plan
\nfor rural road improvement to accommodate the growth of the cross-border trades in the near future. This research, thus, aims to
\nselect potential rural roads to support cross-border shipment utilizing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Seven key
\nfactors affecting rural roads selection, with references from transport and other related literatures, are extracted. They include:1)
\ncross-border trade value, 2) distance from border to rural road, 3) agriculture and processed agriculture goods transported across
\nthe border, 4) compatibility with national strategies, 5) area characteristics around the rural road, 6) truck volume, and 7) number
\nof rural roads in the radius of 50 kilometers from the border. Interviews are conducted with the experts based on seven key
\nfactors to collect data for the AHP analysis. The results identify the weight of each factor with an acceptable consistency ratio. It
\nshows that the cross-border trade value is the most important factor as it achieves the highest weight. The distance from border to
\nrural road and the compatibility with national strategies are also found crucial when making rural road selection decision. The
\nDepartment of Rural Roads could use the results to select suitable roads, and plan for road improvement to support the crossborder
\nshipment when the AEC is fully implemented.