Using Truck Fleet Data in Combination with Other Data Sources for Freight Modeling and Planning

This project investigated the use of large streams of truck Global Positioning System (GPS) data available from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) for the following statewide freight modeling and planning applications in Florida: (1) Average truck speed data were developed for each (and every) mile of Florida’s Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) highway network for different time periods in the day. (2) Algorithms were developed to convert raw truck GPS data into a database of truck trips. The algorithms were applied to convert four months of raw data, comprising 145 million GPS records, into more than 1.2 million truck trips traveling within, into, and out of Florida. (3) The truck trip database developed from ATRI’s truck GPS data was used to analyze truck travel characteristics, including trip duration, trip length, trip speed, and time-of-day profiles, for different regions in the state. Further, distributions of origin-destination (OD) truck travel times were derived for more than 1,200 OD pairs in the Florida Statewide Model (FLSWM). (4) ATRI’s truck GPS data were evaluated for their coverage of truck traffic flows in Florida. At an aggregate level, the data were found to capture 10 percent of heavy truck volumes observed in Florida. (5) The data were used to develop OD tables of statewide freight truck flows within, into, and out of Florida. To do so, the truck trip database developed from ATRI’s truck GPS data was combined with observed truck traffic volumes at different locations in Florida and other states using OD matrix estimation procedures. The OD tables were developed for the spatial resolution of traffic analysis zones used in FLSWM. (6) Preliminary explorations were conducted with ATRI’s truck GPS data for analyzing truck travel routes between different locations and for analyzing truck flows out of seaports.