CAHNRS > People Directory > Eric Jessup

Eric Jessup

  1. Research Professor
Email Addresseric_jessup@wsu.edu
Location0301C Academic Faculty Office
Phone509-335-4987

Biography

Eric Jessup is Director of the Freight Policy Transportation Institute at Washington State University, a research institute focused on improving freight transportation efficiency. He is research professor at the School of Economic Sciences and has a breadth of industry experience after spending two years as Vice President with the global commodities consulting firm Informa Economics, Inc., leading the Transportation, Industrials and Energy group. Prior to joining Informa, Dr. Jessup was Honorary Professor within the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg, Germany. His career has included both public and private sector experience in the U.S., Asia and Europe and he has successfully developed, obtained, and managed large collaborative research projects over the past 25 years.

He holds a bachelor and master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kentucky and a doctorate from Washington State University. He has authored or coauthored 29 peer reviewed journal articles and presented more than 145 academic papers at professional conferences, both domestic and abroad.

Recent applicable studies can be found here focused on agricultural transportation and river freight movements:

  • U.S. Soybean Meal Supply Chain: Analysis & Identification of Supply Chain Chokepoints for
    the United States Soybean Board, May 2023.
    This analysis was conducted jointly with Higby Barrett LLC and provided a comprehensive analysis of world feed and food demand, U.S., expanding U.S. soybean crush capacity, domestic soybean meal consumption and U.S. soybean and soybean meal export demand. It also forecasted expanding U.S. biofuels and renewable fuel policies, including sustainable aviation fuel.
  • How Rail Constraints Impact U.S. Ethanol Producers, a study completed for the Renewable
    Fuels Association, December 2023.
    This analysis evaluated rail service challenges and the impact on U.S. ethanol producers who depend on transportation to and from production facilities.
  • The Importance of the Columbia-Snake River Navigation to U.S. Agriculture, USDA, January
    2024
    The analysis provided an economic impact of improving river navigation operations and modeling how transportation cost savings impacted the regional economy and industries dependent on the Columbia-Snake River system.
  • Derived Demand for U.S. Agricultural Shipments
    This study evaluated bulk grain and frozen commodity movements for truck and rail, estimating
    the cross-price elasticity and modal competition spatially.

Education

  • 1998 – Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, Ph.D. Agricultural Economics
  • 1992 – University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky, M.S. Agricultural Economics
  • 1988 – University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky, B.S. Agricultural Economics

Professional Experience

  • 2016-Current Washington State University, Pullman, WA Research Professor and  Director, Freight Policy Transportation Institute
  • 2014-2016   Informa Economics, Memphis, TN, Vice President, Transportation, Industrials and Energy
  • 2011-2014   Albert-Ludwig-University, Freiburg, Germany, Honorary Professor
  • 2002-2012  Washington State University Pullman, WA, Associate Research Professor, School of Economic Sciences
  • 1999 – 2002 American Express Phoenix, Arizona – Manager, International Risk Management, New Product Dev.
  • 1998 – 1999 American Express Phoenix, Arizona – Econometrician
  • 1994 – 1998 E. Washington Intermodal Study Pullman, Washington – Economist
  • 1996 Washington State University Pullman, Washington – Lecturer
  • 1993 – 1994 Washington State University Pullman, Washington – Graduate Research Assistant
  • 1991 – 1992 University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky – Teaching/Research Assistant
  • 1991 Farm Credit Services Lexington, Kentucky – Loan Analyst

Consulting

  • Northwest Container Services, Inc., Portland, Oregon
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, Oregon
  • Idaho Department of Transportation, Boise, Idaho
  • Port of Moses Lake, Moses Lake, Washington
  • Port of Whitman, Colfax, Washington
  • HDR Engineering, Inc., Bellevue, Washington
  • Idaho Wheat Commission, Boise, Idaho
  • Battelle Northwest Memorial Institute, Richland, Washington
  • Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, Fargo, North Dakota
  • Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia, Washington

Fields of Interest

  • Transportation Modeling and Economics
  • Freight Systems Modeling
  • Applied Econometrics
  • Marketing
  • Geo-Spatial Analysis

Honors

  • 2008 Academic Vice President for the Transportation Research Forum
  • Best Paper Award at the 2006 International Economics and Business Research Conference, titled “Transportation Usage and Characteristics of Washington State Warehouse/Distribution Center Businesses.”, Siena, Italy, May, 2006.
  • Best Paper Award at the 2004 International Applied Business Research Conference, titled “Business Decisions in a Cooperative Environment”, San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 2004.
  • Selected as Student of the Year from the Northwest Region University Transportation Center Program, 1996.
  • President, Agricultural and Rural Transportation Chapter, National Transportation Research Forum, 1995-1996.
  • Selected as an Eno Fellow by the Eno Transportation Foundation’s Board of Regents at the Transportation Leadership Development Conference, Washington D.C., 1994.
  • Inducted into the Gamma Sigma Delta National Honor Society, 1993.

Publications

Recent Journal Articles

  • Spinelli, Raffaele, Fabio De Francesco, Lars Eliasson, Eric Jessup and Natascia Magagnotti.  “An Agile Chipper Truck for Space Constrained Operations.” Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 81, Pages 137-143, October, 2015.  ISSN: 0961-9534
  • Wang, Zun, Jeremy Sage, Anne Goodchild, Eric Jessup, Ken Casavant. “A Framework for Determining Highway Truck-Freight Benefits and Economic Impacts.” Journal of the Transportation Research Forum, Vol. 53, No. 1, Summer 2013.
  • Andreoli, Derik, Anne Goodchild and Eric Jessup. “Estimating Truck Trips with Product Specific Data: A Disruption Case Study of Washington Potatoes.” Transportation Letters: The International Journal of Transportation Research. Volume 4, Issue 3, July 2012. ISSN: 1942-7867Andreoli,
  • Nguyen, Diem, Vicki McCracken, Ken Casavant and Eric Jessup. “Geographic Location,
    Ownership and Profitability of Washington Log Trucking Companies.” Regional Science Policy and Practice. Volume 3, Issue 2, p. 115-125, June 2011.
  • Casavant, Ken, Eric Jessup, Marvin E. Prater, Bruce Blanton, Pierre Bahizi, Daniel Nibarger,
    Johnny Hill and Isaac Weingram. “Rail Rate and Revenue Changes Since the Staggers Act.” Journal of the Transportation Research Forum (JTRF). Vol. 50. No. 1. Spring
    2011, p. 55-78.
  • Prater, Marvin, Ken Casavant and Eric Jessup. “Rail Competition Changes Since the Staggers Act.”
    Journal of the Transportation Research Forum (JTRF). Fall 2010.
  • Khachatryan, H., Eric Jessup and Ken Casavant. “Derivation of Crop Residue Feedstock Supply
    Curves Using Geographic Information Systems.” Journal of the Transportation Research Forum (JTRF), Vol. 48. No. 1, Spring 2009, p. 5 – 21.
  • Peterson, Steve and Eric Jessup. “Evaluating the Relationship between Transportation
    Infrastructure and Economic Activity: Evidence from Washington State.” Journal of the Transportation Research Forum. Vol. 47, No. 2, Summer 2008, p. 21-39.
  • Kahachatryan, Hayk and Eric L. Jessup. “Spatial Investigation of Mineral Transportation Characteristics in the State of Washington.” Article accepted for publication in the Journal of the Transportation Research Forum, Spring, 2008.

Research Publications – Proceedings

  • Everett, Jamie N., and Eric L. Jessup. “Investigating the Demand for Warehouse Space and the Spatial Attributes Influencing Those Decisions.” Proceedings, Canadian Transportation Research Forum, Winnipeg, Canada, June, 2007.
  • Khachatryan, H., and Eric L. Jessup. “Payload Weights and Hauling Distances: The Potential Effects on Highway Deterioration.” Proceedings, Canadian Transportation Research Forum, Winnipeg, Canada, June, 2007.
  • Galloway, H., Ken Casavant and Eric L. Jessup. “Projections of British Columbia-Washington Truck Freight Border Crossings Based on Commodity Trade.” Proceedings, Canadian Transportation Research Forum, Winnipeg, Canada, June, 2007.
  • Jessup, Eric L., Cullen, K., and Jerry Lenzi. “Washington State All-Weather Road GIS Mapping: Improved Statewide Freight Flows and Connectivity.” Proceedings, Transportation Research Forum Annual Meetings, Boston, MA, May, 2007.