Paper

Evaluating the Use of Electronic Door Seals (E-Seals) on Shipping Containers

Publication: International Journal of Applied Logistics

Volume: 1(4)

Pages: 13-20

Publication Date: 2010

Summary:

Electronic door seals (E-seals) were tested on shipping containers that traveled through ports, over borders, and on roadways. The findings showed that using these RFID devices could increase supply chain efficiency and improve the security of containerized cargo movements, particularly when E-seals replace common mechanical seals. Before the benefits of E-seals can be realized, several barriers must be addressed. A major problem has been a lack of frequency standards for E-seals, hindering their acceptability for global trade. Routine use of E-seals would also require new processes that might slow their acceptance by the shipping industry. Disposable E-seals, which decrease industry concerns about costs and enforcement agency concerns about security by eliminating the need to recycle E-seals, are not common because they need to be manufactured in large quantities to be cost effective. Compatibility with existing highway systems could also promote E-seal acceptance, as containers could be tracked on roadways.

Authors: Dr. Ed McCormack, Mark Jensen, Al Hovde

Recommended Citation:
McCormack, E., Jensen, M., & Hovde, A. (2010). Evaluating the Use of Electronic Door Seals (E-Seals) on Shipping Containers. International Journal of Applied Logistics (IJAL), 1(4), 13-29.

Technical Report

Washington State Freight System Resiliency

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URL: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/17237

Publication: Transportation Northwest (TransNow)

Publication Date: 2009

Summary:

The economic viability and well-being of Washington State is significantly influenced by the freight transportation system serving the region. An increased understanding of the vulnerability of this freight system to natural disasters, weather, terrorist acts, work stoppages and other potential freight transportation disruptions will provide the State with the information necessary to assess the resiliency of the transportation system, and provide policy makers with the information required to improve it. This research project: a) Identifies a set of threats or categories of threats to be analyzed. b) Assesses the likelihood of each event occurring within certain time horizons. c) With the threats and their probabilities, analyzes the resiliency of the Washington transportation system.

Authors: Dr. Anne GoodchildDr. Ed McCormack, Eric Jessup, Derek Andreoli, Kelly Pitera, Chilan Ta

Recommended Citation:
Goodchild, A., Jessup, E., McCormack, E., Ta, C., Pitera, K., & Andreoli, D. (2009). Washington state freight system resiliency (No. TNW2009-01). Transportation Northwest (Organization).

Technical Report

Requirements for a Washington State Freight Simulation Model

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URL: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/17431

Publication: Transportation Northwest (TransNow)

Publication Date: 2009

Summary:

In the face of many risks of disruptions to our transportation system, including natural disasters, inclement weather, terrorist acts, work stoppages, and other potential transportation disruptions, it is imperative for freight transportation system partners to plan a transportation system that can recover quickly from disruption and to prevent long-term negative economic consequences to state and regional economies. In this report we specify the requirements of a statewide freight resiliency model. We recommend a geographic information system (GIS)-based, multi-modal Washington state freight transportation network that can be augmented with complete state-wide commodity flow data. With this, the state will be able to improve freight planning and infrastructure investment prioritization. We provide recommendations regarding the scope of and methodology for a statewide freight model that will be developed from the GIS network. This model can be used to estimate the vulnerability of different economic industry sectors to disruptions in the transportation system and the economic impacts of those disruptions with in the State of Washington. The team interviewed public sector users to understand what applications are of value in a statewide freight model and applied the lessons learned through building the GIS and conducting two case studies to make recommendations for future work.

Over the last ten years, the U.S. transportation infrastructure has suffered from significant disruptions: for example, the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, the West Coast lockout of dock labor union members, and roadway failures following Hurricane Katrina. There is certainly an impression that these events are more common than in the past and that they come with an increasing economic impact. At the same time, supply chain and transportation management techniques have created lean supply chains, and lack of infrastructure development has created more reliance on individual pieces or segments of the transportation network, such as the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and Washington States’ ports of Seattle and Tacoma. Disruptions, when they occur to essential pieces of the network, cause significant impacts. In particular, they cause significant damage to the economic system.

The relationship between infrastructure and economic activity, however, is not well understood. The development of a statewide freight model will allow WSDOT to better understand this relationship, and improve transportation system resilience.

Authors: Dr. Anne GoodchildDr. Ed McCormack, Eric Jessup

Recommended Citation:
Goodchild, A. , Jessup, E. , and McCormack, E. Requirements for a Washington State Freight Simulation Model. TNW2009-11. Transportation Northwest, University of Washington, 2009.

Technical Report

Development and Analysis of a GIS-Based Statewide Freight Data Flow Network

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URL: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/39538

Publication: Washington State Department of Transportation

Publication Date: 2009

Summary:

In the face of many risks of disruptions to our transportation system, this research improves WSDOT’s ability to manage the freight transportation system so that it minimizes the economic consequences of transportation disruptions.

Faced with a high probability that major disruptions to the transportation system will
harm the state’s economy, the Washington State Department of Transportation
(WSDOT), in partnership with Transportation Northwest (TransNow) commissioned
researchers at the University of Washington and Washington State University to
undertake freight resiliency research to:

Understand how disruptions of the state’s freight corridors change the way
trucking companies and various freight-dependent industries route goods,
Plan to protect freight-dependent sectors that are at high risk from these disruptive
events, and
Prioritize future transportation investments based on the risk of economic loss to
the state

To accurately predict how companies will route shipments during a disruption,
this research developed the first statewide multimodal freight model for Washington
State. The model is a GIS-based portrayal of the state’s freight highway, arterial, rail,
waterway and intermodal network and can help the state prioritize strategies that protect industries most vulnerable to disruptions.

The report features two case studies showing the model’s capabilities: the potato growing and processing industry was chosen as a representative agricultural sector, and diesel fuel distribution for its importance to all industry sectors. The case studies are found in sections 5.2 and 5.3 in the report and show how the statewide freight model can:

Predict how shipments will be re-routed during disruptions, and
Analyze the level of resiliency in various industry sectors in Washington State

The two case studies document the fragility of the state’s potato growing and processing
sectors and its dependence on the I-90 corridor, while showing how the state’s diesel
delivery system is highly resilient and isn’t linked to I-90.

As origin-destination data for other freight-dependent sectors is added to the model,
WSDOT will be able to evaluate the impact of freight system disruptions on each of
them. This will improve WSDOT’s ability to develop optimal strategies for highway
closures, and prioritize improvements to the system based on the relative impact of the
disruption.

This research addressed several technical areas that would need to be resolved by any
organization building a state freight model. First, the researchers had to decide on the
level of spatial and temporal detail to include in the statewide GIS freight model. This
decision has significant consequences for data resolution requirements and results.
Including every road in Washington would have created a cumbersome model with a
large number of links that weren’t used. However, in order to analyze routing during a
disruption all possible connections must exist between origin and destination points in the model. While the team initially included only the core freight network in the model,
ultimately all road links were added to create complete network connectivity.

Second, as state- and corridor-level commodity flow data is practically non-existent, data
collection for the two case studies was resource intensive. Supply chain data is held by
various stakeholders and typically not listed on public websites, and it isn’t organized by
those stakeholders for use in a freight model. In most cases it’s difficult to assure data
quality. The team learned that the most difficult data to obtain is data on spatially or
temporally variable attributes, such as truck location and volume. So they developed a
method to estimate the importance of transportation links without commodity flow data.

Third, the freight model identified the shortest route, based on travel time, between any
origin and destination (O/D) pair in the state, and the shortest travel-time re-route for
each O/D pair after a disruption. The routing logic in the model is based on accepted
algorithms used by Google Maps and MapQuest. Phase III of the state’s freight
resiliency research was funded by WSDOT and will result in improved truck freight
routing logic for the model in 2011.

The two case studies showed how the state’s supply chains use infrastructure differently,
and that some supply chains have built flexibility into their operations and are resilient
while others are not, which leads to very different economic consequences. The results
of these case studies significantly contributed to WSDOT’s understanding of goods
movement and vulnerability to disruptions.

In the future, Washington State will need corridor-level commodity flow data to
implement the research findings and complete the state freight model. In 2009, the
National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) funded development of new
methodology to collect and analyze sub-national commodity flow information. This
NCFRP project, funded at $500,000, will be completed in 2010 and provide a mechanism for states to accurately account for corridor-level commodity flows. If funds are available to implement the new methodology in Washington State, the state’s freight
model will use the information to map these existing origin destination commodity flows
onto the freight network, evaluate the number of re-routed commercial vehicles, and their increased reroute distance from any disruption. This will allow WSDOT to develop
prioritized plans for supply chain disruptions, and recommend improvements to the
system based on the economic impact of the disruption.

This report summarizes 1) the results from a thorough review of resilience literature and resilience practices within enterprises and organizations, 2) the development of a GIS-based statewide freight transportation network model, 3) the collection of detailed data regarding two important industries in Washington state, the distribution of potatoes and diesel fuel, and 4) analysis of the response of these industries to specific disruptions to the state transportation network.

The report also includes recommendations for improvements and additions to the GIS model that will further the state’s goals of understanding the relationship between infrastructure availability and economic activity, as well as recommendations for improvements to the statewide freight transportation model so that it can capture additional system complexity.

Authors: Dr. Anne GoodchildDr. Ed McCormack, Eric Jessup, Derik Andreoli, Kelly Pitera, Sunny Rose, Chilan Ta

Recommended Citation:
Goodchild, Anne V., Eric L. Jessup, Edward D. McCormack, Derik Andreoli, S Rose, Chilan Ta and Kelly Pitera. “Development and Analysis of a GIS-Based Statewide Freight Data Flow Network.” (2009).

Paper

Activity Modeling of Freight Flows in Washington State: Case Studies of the Resilience of Potato and Diesel Distribution Systems

Download PDF (0.62 MB)

Publication Date: 2009

Summary:

This paper describes the development and use of a network model using publicly available industry data to analyze the resilience of two important Washington state industries. Modeling of freight activity in support of the potato and diesel industry in Washington state demonstrates how individual industries utilize the road network and how they are affected by a transportation disruption. We estimate the potato industry, which relies entirely on trucks for intra-state deliveries, generates about 50 cross-Cascade truck trips per day. Roughly 90 percent of the trucks deliver potatoes from processing facilities on the east side of the state to markets on the west side, while 10 percent carry fresh potatoes from the west to the east for processing. The coupled origins and destinations do not vary unless there is a disruption to the network. The diesel distribution system in Washington state also relies heavily on trucks, but only for the final segment of the logistics chain because both barge transport and pipelines are more cost effective modes. By necessity, trucks deliver from terminals to racks, but there is an established flexibility in these distribution operations as routes and travel distances regularly change because of variations in commodity price at each terminal and the presence of multiple terminals. As a consequence, we demonstrate that the diesel distribution system is much more resilient to roadway disruptions, especially those which occur along the cross-Cascades routes. These examples demonstrate the necessity of understanding industry practice as it relates to analyzing needed infrastructure and operational improvements to reduce economic impacts resulting from transportation disruptions.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Sunny Rose, Derik Andreoli, Eric Jessup.

Recommended Citation:
Goodchild, Anne. Sunny Rose, Derik Andreoli, and Eric Jessup. "Activity Modeling of Freight Flows in Washington State: Case Studies of the Resilience of Potato and Diesel Distribution Systems."

Technical Report

Developing a System for Computing and Reporting MAP-21 and Other Freight Performance Measures

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URL: https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/844.1.pdf

Publication: Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC)

Publication Date: 2015

Summary:

This report documents the use of the National Performance Monitoring Research Data Set (NPMRDS) for the computation of freight performance measures on Interstate highways in Washington state. The report documents the data availability and specific data quality issues identified with NPMRDS. It then describes a recommended initial set of quality assurance tests that are needed before WSDOT begins producing freight performance measures.

The report also documents the initial set of performance measures that can be produced with the NPMRDS and the specific steps required to do so. A subset of those metrics was tested using NPMRDS data, including delay and frequency of congestion, to illustrate how WSDOT could use the freight performance measures. Finally, recommendations and the next steps that WSDOT needs to take are discussed.

This report describes the outcome of the initial exploration of the National Performance Research Monitoring Data Set (NPMRDS), supplied by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to state transportation agencies and metropolitan planning organizations for use in computing roadway performance measures.

The NPMRDS provides roadway performance data for the national highway system (NHS). The intent of the NPMRDS was to provide a travel time estimate for every 5-minute time interval (epoch) of the year for all roadway segments in the NHS. The NPMRDS data are derived from instantaneous vehicle probe speed data supplied by a variety of GPS devices carried by both trucks and cars. The data are supplied on a geographic information system (GIS) roadway network, which divides the NHS into directional road segments based on the Traffic Message Channel (TMC) standard.

The report describes the availability, attributes, quality, and limitations of the NPMRDS data on the Interstates in the state of Washington.

Based on the review of the NPMRDS data, this report recommends a set of performance metrics for WSDOT’s use that describe the travel conditions that trucks moving freight within the state experience. It describes specific steps for computing those measures. And it uses a subset of those measures produced with the NPMRDS to illustrate how WSDOT can use those measures in its reporting and decision-making procedures.

Authors: Dr. Ed McCormackSaravanya (Sara) Sankarakumaraswamy, Mark E. Hallenbeck

Recommended Citation:
Hallenbeck, Mark E., Ed McCormack, and Saravanya Sankarakumaraswamy. Developing a system for computing and reporting MAP-21 and other freight performance measures. No. WA-RD 844.1. Washington (State). Dept. of Transportation. Research Office, 2015.

Report

Travel Costs Associated with Flood Closures of State Highways near Centralia/Chehalis, Washington

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URL: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/832.1.pdf

Publication: The State of Washington Department of Transportation

Publication Date: 2014

Summary:

This report discusses the travel costs associated with the closure of roads in the greater Centralia/Chehalis, Washington region due to 100-year flood conditions starting on the Chehalis River. The costs were computed for roadway closures on I-5, US 12, and SR 6, and are based on estimated road closure durations supplied by WSDOT. The computed costs are only those directly related to travel that would otherwise have occurred on the roads affected by the flooding closures. The computed costs do not include the economic losses associated with delayed delivery of goods or services, losses in economic activity attributable to travelers being unable to reach their intended destinations, or economic losses associated with the loss of goods because they could not be delivered. The reported costs do include the added costs of time and vehicle mileage associated with available detour routes. Costs were also estimated for each trip that will be abandoned. That is, this study estimated the number of trips that will not be made as a result of road closures. The researchers also conducted a sensitivity analysis of the findings for the I-5 cost computation. Sensitivity tests were conducted for the value of time, the speeds and level of congestion assumed to occur on the routes used for detours, the values associated with trips that are not made via the expected detours, the percentage of personal trips made for work/business purposes versus those being made for personal reasons, the fraction of cars and trucks willing to detour, the effects of flood closure during the weekend or the summer, and growth in traffic volumes on I-5.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Mark Hallenbeck, Jerome Drescher

Recommended Citation:
Hallenbeck, Mark E., Anne Goodchild, and Jerome Drescher. Travel costs associated with flood closures of state highways near Centralia/Chehalis, Washington. No. WA-RD 832.1. Washington (State). Dept. of Transportation. Research Office, 2014.

Paper

Review of Performance Metrics for Community-Based Planning for Resilience of the Transportation System

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URL: https://doi.org/10.3141/2604-06

Publication: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Volume: 2604

Pages: 44-53

Publication Date: 2017

Summary:

Community resilience depends on the resilience of the lifeline infrastructure and the performance of the disaster-related functions of local governments. State and federal resilience plans and guidelines acknowledge the importance of the transportation system as a critical lifeline in planning for community resilience and in helping local governments to set recovery goals. However, a widely accepted definition of the resilience of the transportation system and a structure for its measurement are not available. This paper provides a literature review that summarizes the metrics used to assess the resilience of the transportation system and a categorization of the assessment approaches at three levels of analysis (the asset, network, and systems levels). Furthermore, this paper ties these metrics to relevant dimensions of community resilience. This work addresses a key first step required to enhance the efficiency of planning related to transportation system resilience by providing (a) a standard terminology with which efforts to enhance the resilience of the transportation system can be developed, (b) an approach to organize planning and research efforts related to the resilience of the transportation system, and (c) identification of the gaps in measurement of the performance of the resilience of the transportation system.

Authors: Dr. Anne GoodchildJosé Luis Machado León

Recommended Citation:
Machado, Jose Luis, and Anne Goodchild. Review of Performance Metrics for Community-Based Planning for Resilience of the Transportation System. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Transportation Research Record, 2604(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.3141/2604-06

Student Thesis and Dissertations

Economic Implications of the Use of Technology in Commercial Vehicle Operations

URL: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/handle/1773/21986

Publication Date: 2012

Summary:

The effective and efficient movement of freight is essential to the economic well-being of our country but freight transport also adversely impacts our society by contributing to a large number of crashes, including those resulting in injuries and fatalities. Technology has been used increasingly to facilitate safety and operational improvements within commercial vehicle operations, but motor carriers operate on small profit margins, limiting their ability to make large investments without also seeing an economic benefit from such technologies. This dissertation explores the economic implications associated with using onboard monitoring systems to enhance safety in commercial vehicle operations.

First, to better understand how electronic on-board systems work, paper-based methods of recording driver hours of service are compared to automated (or electronically recorded) hours of service for three motor carriers using process analysis. This analysis addressed the differences between manual (paper-based) and electronic methods of recording hours of service, specifically as they relate to the frequencies and magnitude of the errors. Potential errors are categorized by operations within an information-based process and the findings suggest that a reduction of errors can be achieved with an electronic system.

A benefit-cost analysis provides a better understanding of the economic implications of onboard monitoring systems from the perspective of the carrier. In addition to the benefits of reduced crashes, benefits associated with electronic recording of hours of service, reduced mileage, and reduced fuel costs are considered. A sensitivity analysis is used and demonstrates that on-board monitoring systems are economically viable under a wide range of conditions. Results indicate that, for some fleet types, reducing crashes and improving hours of service recording, provides a net benefit of close to $300,000 over the five-year expected lifespan of the system. Furthermore, when exploring additional benefits such as reduced fuel consumption and reduced vehicle miles, benefits can be upwards of seven times more than safety-related benefits. This research also shows that net positive benefits are possible in large and small-sized fleets. Results can be used to inform policies for motivating or mandating carriers to use such systems and to inform carriers regarding the value of system investment.

Authors: Kelly A. Pitera

Recommended Citation:
Pitera, Kelly Ann. "Economic Implications of the Use of Technology in Commercial Vehicle Operations." PhD diss., 2012.

Thesis: Array

Paper

Effect of Tsunami Damage on Passenger and Forestry Transportation in Pacific County Washington

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URL: https://doi.org/10.3141/2604-11

Publication: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Volume: 2604 (1)

Pages: 88-94

Publication Date: 2017

Summary:

The outer coast of Washington State is exposed to significant seismic and tsunami hazards. A Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) event is expected to cause high earthquake intensities and tsunami inundation resulting in considerable infrastructure loss, inundation of developed land, and degraded functioning of coastal communities.

One area of particular concern is Pacific County, located in southwest Washington, where over 85% of the population is expected to experience severe shaking intensities.

This paper establishes the pre-disaster passenger and freight transportation patterns and the damaged post-disaster road network in Pacific County. The hazard used in the analysis is the CSZ magnitude 9.1 earthquake and resulting tsunami. Passenger travel is compared to forestry travel along the following characteristics: overall change in travel distance, percentage of trips that are longer, the percentage of trips that are no longer possible, and the distributions of travel distance.

Because passenger and freight travel have different purposes and patterns, understanding how they are affected differently can serve as a foundation for community-based disaster recovery planning to increase community resilience to earthquakes and tsunamis.

Authors: Dr. Anne Goodchild, Maura Rowell

Recommended Citation:
Rowell, Maura, and Anne Goodchild. "Effect of Tsunami Damage on Passenger and Forestry Transportation in Pacific County, Washington." Transportation Research Record 2604, no. 1 (2017): 88-94.