Mr. Barker assists shippers, producers and transport entities in developing solutions to operational problems that occur during the transportation of products from raw material to final distribution. Specifically, Mr. Barker has designed and developed various economic and operating models used to evaluate and test operating problems e.g., ATSF's quality problems with purchased track material. The railroad formed a task force including Mr. Barker, to review product procurement practices and evaluate the feasibility of manufacturing the track products at ATSF's railroad facilities. The task force mandate included reviewing the methods used to install track material. The end result was the development of a material manufacturing system producing superior track products and provided the railroad with additional time windows for track maintenance. Mr. Barker undertook the Indonesian project at the request of a coal producer. A portion of coal produced on Kalimantan, Indonesia is burned at a new power station on Java. The financial institutions funding the power station requested that the coal producer have an independent party review and develop the expected volumes which could be transported by truck and barge to the mouth of the Java Sea. The volume estimate results for the project considered the use of double trailer trucks and increased dredging of the Barito River.

Mr. Barker has designed and conducted field trips to develop on-site information for the movement of commodities by rail, truck and water. His studies have included rail shipments in single car, multiple car, trainload and unit train movements. His experience in the industrial engineering and operating departments of ATSF provided him with expertise in the area of operating policies and procedures utilized by railroads in their normal course of business.

Mr. Barker is familiar with the economic formulas used to estimate costs for transportation entities with particular emphasis on the impact of changes in costs given changes in output. He has assisted clients in the evaluation and acquisition of transportation equipment used to transport different products. T hese assignments forecast equipment maintenance during the expected life of the assets, as well as monitoring equipment component performance.

Mr. Barker has designed and developed computer software that is used to monitor train and railcar movements which captures real-time cycle times, repair costs and utilization of the equipment. This economic/operational model is known as Railman. Mr. Barker was the primary author of a report entitled Coal Transportation Risks For Fuel Switching Decisions, Volume 2, Electric Power Research Institute, January 1992. He also has presented both oral and written testimony before federal and state regulatory agencies related to transportation costs and operations.