Data Collection Methodology for Container Truck Traffic in Inland Port Cities

This paper describes a data collection methodology to address insufficient data sources for estimation of urban container truck traffic (drayage) volumes. The methodology is sensitive to the characteristics of drayage and offers a systematic approach for acquiring container truck traffic data for constructing models to estimate drayage volumes. The methodology consists of (a) acquiring urban truck traffic estimates and national and provincial- or state-level container traffic databases, (b) characterizing shippers and carriers through field investigations and surveys, and (c) designing a container truck data collection program. Short-term manual truck classification intersection turning movement counts were conducted to obtain body style and axle configuration data for articulated trucks. Temporal expansion factors were developed and applied to short-term count data to produce average daily container truck traffic volume estimates and reveal temporal, physical, and spatial distribution differences between container trucks and other articulated trucks. The paper provides a rationale for selecting count station locations and their temporal characteristics, choosing the number of counts and their duration, determining the types of data to collect, and identifying container generators. The methodology is generally applicable to North American inland port cities. The data feed a model that is intended to assist transportation engineers in understanding urban drayage operations and quantifying the exposure of these trucks.