Freight Performance Measures presented to FHWA Talking Freight

Freight Performance Measures presented to FHWA “Talking Freight” Seminar Series presented by Lance Neumann Cambridge Systematics, Inc. August 2005 Transportation leadership you can trust.

Overview Perspectives on Freight Performance Measures in NCHRP 8 -43 Selected Applications from Current Practice 1

Perspectives on Freight Performance Measures User needs versus system operator/planner needs Geographic scale Data and tools 2

Freight Performance Measures Different Stakeholders Use Different Measures States/MPOs Shippers Service cost, speed, reliability, security, visibility 3 Carriers Business profitability return on investment Congestion mobility, safety, security, efficiency, economy, environment Gateways and Corridors Chokepoints related to equipment, infrastructure, operations, information, regulation

Data and Tools Adaptations of passenger transport tools Much data are in private sector Analytical tools and methods for freight analysis still developmental • NCHRP 8 -43 “Methods for Forecasting Statewide Freight Movements” 4

Performance Measures in NCHRP 8 -43 Toolkit for state-level freight forecasting Performance measures tied to specific policy/planning and analytical needs Performance measures are • Forecastable • Use tools in the toolkit 5

What Are States’ Primary Freight Policy and Analytical Needs? Need 6 Response Frequency State Transportation Planning, including Multimodal Transportation Plans and/or Freight Plans High Project Prioritization, Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) Development High Modal Diversion Analysis High Pavement, Bridge, and Safety Management Medium Commodity Flow Analysis (Types, Values, and Economic Importance of Freight Movement) Medium Rail Planning Medium Trade Corridor and Border Planning Medium Project Development or Design Needs (e. g. , Forecasts and Loadings) Medium Bottleneck Analysis Medium Terminal Access Planning for Ports, other Intermodal Terminals, and Grain or other Heavy Commodity Terminals Medium

Matching Performance Measures to Policy/Analytic Needs Policy/Analysis Needs Statewide Policy and Planning Performance Measures • Freight System Supply per “Demand Unit” • Miles of Freight Routes with Adequate Capacity • Dollar Losses due to Freight Delays • Freight Mobility Index Modal Diversion • Cost per Ton and Ton-Mile by Mode • Delay per Ton-Mile Traveled • Average Shipment Time and Variability 7

What Tools Can be Used to Develop Freight Performance Measures? Performance Measure Administrative, Engineering, and Construction Cost/Ton-Mile (Owner Cost) Direct Factoring of Flows Direct Factoring of O-D Table Trip Gen Trip Dist Traffic Assign Average Circuitry for Truck Trips of Selected O-D Pattern Average Travel Time from Facility to Major Highway, Rail, or Other Network Delay per Ton-Mile Traveled (by Mode) Dollar Losses Due to Freight Delays Origin-Destination Travel Times (by Mode) Percent of Person/Freight Trips Occurring within Peak Periods Percent of Traffic on Regional Highway that is Heavy Truck 8 Mode Split

Applications Evaluating Truck-Oriented Infrastructure Improvements Multiregional freight planning program – San Joaquin Valley, CA Traffic assignment linked to post-processor (IDAS) Performance measures • Delay by vehicle class • Travel times for major freight center O-Ds • Incident delay on freeways (reliability) • Accidents by type and vehicle class • Emissions by vehicle class 9

Strategies Evaluated Package 1 – Upgrading east-west highways to freeways Package 2 A – Adding general purpose capacity Package 2 B – Truck lanes and truck bypass lanes Package 3 – Low emission trucks for through trips Package 4 – Improved access to major freight site 10

Applications Port Access and Impacts San Pedro Bay Ports Truck-Trip Reduction Strategies Trip generation model and travel demand model results linked to spreadsheet post processor Performance measures • Port truck-trips • Port truck-traffic by time period on I-710 • Port truck VMT • Net port transportation emissions (truck and rail) 11

Strategies Evaluated Extended gate hours Empty container management Expanded on-dock rail New near-dock rail Shuttle train to Inland Empire 12

Conclusion Wide variety of freight related performance measures available Data/tools constrain measures that can be used Need to strengthen connection between measures used in public sector with shipper/carrier perspective 13