Urban Freight Performance Evaluation Using GPS Data

Urban freight transportation is crucial to the quality of life which at the same time also produces significant externalities. This paper proposes procedures and methods of using second-by-second GPS data for urban freight performance evaluation. The evaluation targets on three important measures of urban freight activities, including mobility, fuel consumption, and emissions. Based on detailed GPS trajectories, the vehicle mobility can be characterized using measures such as the number of deliveries made, service times at delivery stops, and the trip segment travel time between delivery stops, and between delivery stops and the warehouse. The fuel consumption and emissions can also be estimated using micro-scale emission models. A case study is conducted using GPS data provided by a grocery company with chaining stores in the New York metropolitan area. The case study justifies the feasibility of using GPS data for freight performance evaluation. The results also reveal that certain innovative freight policies (such as off-hour deliveries) could help improve the efficiency of urban deliveries and reduce vehicle fuel consumption and emissions.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABJ90 Freight Transportation Data.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Yang, Xia
  • Sun, Zhanbo
  • Ban, Xuegang (Jeff)
  • Wojtowicz, Jeffrey
  • Holguin-Veras, Jose
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Data collection; Data quality; Delivery service; Exhaust gases; Feasibility analysis; Freight transportation; Fuel consumption; Global Positioning System; Mobility; Performance evaluations; Service time; Urban areas
• Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; I15: Environment; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01520314
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-4470
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 27 2014 3:38PM