Truck-Trip Generation at Container Terminals: Results from a Nationwide Survey

Abstract

Research conducted on truck-trip generation at marine container terminals based on a nationwide survey gathered data from 21 container terminals in the United States. The main features of the data are analyzed to provide a characterization of the problem. The data were used to generate trip-generation rates as a function of the area of the container terminal, and through a set of regression models of one-way truck traffic, as a function of a set of independent variables—most notably, the number of 20-ft-equivalent units and the number of container boxes handled by the terminal in a given year. The analyses of both trip-generation rates and the regression models indicate that there are statistically significant differences in the regional patterns of trip generation.