Intermodal
Freight Transportation Planning Using Commodity Flow Data
Final Report
Yunlong Zhang
Department of Civil
Engineering
Mississippi State University
Royce O. Bowden, Jr.
Department of Industrial
Engineering
Mississippi State University
Albert J. Allen
Department of Agriculture
Economics
Mississippi State University
2003
Acknowledgment
This study was sponsored by the National Center of
Intermodal Transportation (NCIT), the Mississippi Department of Transportation
(MDOT), and Mississippi State University. The following graduate students have
contributed significantly to the study and this report:
Haiyuan Wang
Civil Engineering/Industrial Engineering
Aaron Tan
Industrial Engineering
Yingjie Zhou
Civil Engineering
Porfirio Fuentes
Agricultural Economics
Liping Long
Agricultural Economics
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
3.2 Statewide Passenger
Transportation Planning vs. Freight Transportation Planning
3.3 Intermodal
Transportation Planning in Practices
3.3.1 Statewide and
Regional Practices
3.3.3 Intermodal
Transportation Related Simulation Practices
3.4.2 Reebie Associates
TRANSEARCH Database
3.4.5 County Population
and Employment Data
3.4.6 Vehicle Inventory
Use and Survey (VIUS)
3.4.8 Comprehensive Truck
Survey Database
4 METHODOLOGY
AND BASE YEAR STUDY
4.1 Summary Description
of the Study
4.2.1 CFS Database
Application
4.2.2 TransCAD Database
Application
4.2.4 Cargo Density
Database Application
4.2.5 Ground Counts
Database Application
4.3.1 Highway Network for
Traffic Assignment
4.4.1 Treatment of Missing
Data in the CFS Database
4.4.2 Commodity Flow
Generation
4.4.3 Commodity Flow
Analysis Results
4.5 Commodity Flow
Disaggregation
4.6 Commodity Flow
Distribution
4.7.1 Commodity Flow
Assignment
4.7.2 Assignment Results
Analysis
4.8 Conversion from
Commodity Flows to Truck Trips
4.8.4 Discussion on Truck
Trips Conversion
4.9 Model Validation and
Calibration
5.2 Methodology for
Forecasting
5.3 Limitation of the
Methodology
5.4 Forecasting Results
Analyses
6 FURTHER
ANALYSIS USING SIMULATION TOOLS
6.1 Simulation O&D
Data Preparation
6.2 Building of the
Simulation Transportation Network
6.3 Simulation
Assumptions/Considerations
6.3.5 Fuel Consumption
Assumption
6.6 Performance Measures
Implemented
6.6.1 Link Average Speed
and Congestion
6.6.3 Zone Utilization of
Highways
6.7 Scenarios for
Simulation Model
6.7.1 Scenario 1: Base
Condition
6.7.2 Scenario 2: Future
2X Increase in Overall Tonnage Transported
6.7.3 Scenario 3: Future
2X Increase in Overall Tonnage Transported with Intermodal Shifts
6.7.4 Conclusion from
Simulation Scenario Results
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4‑1 The City List in
Neighboring States
Table 4‑2 Tonnage Carried of
Different Components by Commodity Type
Table 4‑3 The Percentage of
Commodity Carried by Truck or Rail (Single Mode)
Table 4‑4 List of Principle
Commodities
Table 4‑5 Mode Share Analysis
for Commodity 25 & 26
Table 4‑6 Two-digit SCTG &
Four-digit SIC Code Matching Results
Table 4‑7 Speed Limit Used in
Shortest Travel Time Traffic Assignment
Table 4‑8 Distribution of Tons
of Freight by Type of Highways in Mississippi
Table 4‑9 Truck Capacity by Type
Table 4‑10 SCTG code and VIUS
code Matching Results
Table 4‑11 Commodity Density
Carried by Truck
Table 4‑12 Payload by Truck Type for Different
Commodities (Before Payload Limit Consideration)
Table 4‑13 Payload by Truck Type
by Commodities (After Payload Limit Consideration)
Table 4‑14 Truck Type
Distribution by Commodity
Table 4‑16 Estimate Yearly Truck
Usage by Truck Type
Table 4‑17 Comparison Results (Model
Results vs. Ground Counts)
Table 5‑1 Matching between SCTG
Code and Two Digit SIC Code
Table 5‑2 Base Year and Forecasted
Years Transportation Comparison
Table 6‑1: Color Code for
Network Links
Table 6‑3: Passenger Car
Equivalents on Extended General Highway Segments
Table 6‑4: Color Coding for
Truck Entity in the Simulation Model
Table 6‑6: Summary of Results
for Base Condition (Scenario 1) Simulation
Table 6‑7: Summary of Average
Traveling Speed and Congestion Statistics for the Base Condition
Table 6‑8: Summary of Results
for Scenario 2 Simulation (2X Increase)
Table 6‑9: Summary of Average
Traveling Speed and Congestion Statistics for Scenario 2 (2X Increase)
Table 6‑10: Summary of Results
for Scenario 3 Simulation (With Intermodal)
Table 6‑12: Overall Summary of
the Four Scenarios
Table 6‑13: Summary of Results
for Scenario 4 Simulation (With Intermodal)
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2‑1 Components and
Relationships in the Study
Figure 4‑2 Structured Analysis
Procedures for Transportation Analysis
Figure 4‑3 Structured Approach
and Databases Used in the Planning
Figure 4‑4 Highway Network in
the Nation Level for Truck Flow Analysis
Figure 4‑5 Cities in Neighboring
States
Figure 4‑6 Traffic Analysis
Zones for Transportation Analysis in Mississippi
Figure 4‑7 Highway Network for
Traffic Assignment in Mississippi
Figure 4‑8 Mode Share Analysis
for Commodity 25 and 26
Figure 4‑9 The Methodology to
Disaggregate State Level Data to County Level
Figure 4‑10 Total Commodity Flow
in the State of Mississippi (based on tons)
Figure 4‑11 Wood and Wood
Products in the State of Mississippi (I-I) (based on tons)
Figure 4‑12 Wood and Wood
Products in the State of Mississippi (E-I) (based on tons)
Figure 4‑13 Wood and Wood
Products in the State of Mississippi (I-E) (based on tons)
Figure 4‑14 Methodology for
Converting Commodity Flow to Truck Trips
Figure 4‑15 Average Daily Truck
Traffic (ADTT) in the State of Mississippi
Figure 4‑16 Comparison between
ground counts and model results
Figure 4‑17 Major locations
index used in comparison
Figure 5‑1 Forecasting
Procedures