Sample Outputs

Regional Goods Movement Patterns in the LA Basin

The two samples below show (a) drayage truck stops and (b) paths, color-coded by speed. Stop locations are perturbed to protect sensitive business data; ony broad regional patterns are evident. In the route map, blue lines represent 100 km/h, while green, orange and red lines show slower travel. The map indicates route preferences, showing the balance between freeway and surface streets. Unauthorized incursions and illegal parking, if present, can be detected. The base data can reveal the time of day (and day of week) at which these moves take place, and recurrent/anomalous activity patterns. The map is masked with yellow squares to protect business data; individual driver actions will not be disclosed.

2009-04 drayage truck stops (includes service and rest stops). Locations are perturbed to protect business data. Full-resolution maps are available to registered users.

2008-10 Fleet paths. Full-resolution maps are available to registered users.

Travel Time on Arterial Segments

Our travel time measurements are specific to the drayage fleet—in contrast to roadway loop detectors which measure the speed of all traffic. MeTrIS trackers reflect the slower acceleration, deceleration and average speed of trucks, and where applicable, the fact that trucks are restricted to certain lanes. The plots below reflect terminal gate hours and appointment systems, the PierPASS Off-Peak tariff effect, truckers' preferred times of day, and the time and severity of congestion peaks.

Based on 272 sampled trips from 2008-07-01 to 2008-07-31. Mean: 0:05:04. Min: 0:03:45.  Max: 0:15:27.

Path Analysis: Truck Routes and Traffic Distribution

Two ways to get from the ports to the Inland Empire are (a) I-605 to SR60 and (b) SR91 to SR57. This virtual rodeo, based on data from April 2009, pits the routes against each other, from the I-710/I-405 intersection to the SR-57/SR-60 intersection. Very few trips use the northern route, but the data show that it is comparable or faster. There aren't enough data in this single-month analysis to make a route recommendation (e.g. gradients differ, and these may have been empty-container runs). The long delays and travel time uncertainty at about 4 pm are a concern. We will soon offer participating drivers and dispatchers real-time traffic updates.

While conventional traffic counters (e.g. loop detectors) measure total flow at a given point, they have difficulty re-identifying vehicles and following them across the street network. MeTrIS trackers document the maneuvers of each subject vehicle, tracing exits, turns and detours.

The graphic below is based on analysis of traffic at intersections up I-710 Northbound, for trips beginning at the south end of I-710 (Ocean). The proportions reveal the distribution of port-originating trips on to freeways, intermodal connectors and other arterials. The I-405, Del Amo and SR-91 exits drain the majority of traffic off I-710, in almost equal proportions. Paths that exit and rejoin the freeway are not counted past the exit point.

Turn Time at Marine Terminals

Time is measured from when a truck joins the queue outside the terminal to when it has cleared the exit gate and is back on the street. From the two charts below it is clear that terminals differ considerably in their standard of service. Estimates of turn time have in the past been anecdotal, and varied widely due to competing viewpoints of drivers and terminal operators. Our measurements are unbiased, and our methods are uniform across all terminals.

Vehicle Reports

Analysis of vehicle movement shows basic summary statistics, and the days of the month (along the vertical axis; white backgrounds are weekends), and hours of day (horizontal axis) during which a vehicle was mobile. The height of the blue bar in each cell indicates the number of mobile records during that hour. Driver A shows a shift towards night hours over the course of this month of September 2008. He tends to work on Saturdays and to take Mondays off, though this could be due to availability of work rather than personal preference. Compare with the graph for Driver B, below, who starts his day at 3 AM and ends early, and works a regular and tight schedule, including all Saturdays. The only day Driver B skipped was September 1, Labor Day.

These analyses shed light on the working conditions of drivers, which are a crucial aspect of planning new freight facilities and arrangements. There are also safety issues inherent in working hours and driving speed. On the flip side, drivers complain that their daily driving limits do not consider the time they spend stationary and idle, mostly at port terminals. The analysis shows the degree to which this is true.

Driver A

Driver B

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