Freight Travel Demand Analysis

Freight flows have an important impact on traffic volumes, and the mix of traffic, on roadways. Travel demand modeling, however, has not focused as much attention on freight movement as on passenger movement. Freight movement is typically modeled using aggregate-level and relatively simple spreadsheet-like methods. Further, almost all freight modeling efforts to date have been pursued in the context of trying to statistically replicate existing flows among spatial districts. The objective of this ongoing research is to formulate (and estimate) disaggregate models for freight movement that will be policy-sensitive in their representation of shipper and carrier freight movement decisions. It is anticipated that this research will be useful for several reasons. For example, proposed economic land development patterns might lead to shifts in freight movement patterns which have to be anticipated in advance for designing efficient transportation infrastructure. In addition, understanding shipper decisions regarding freight movement will enable proactive intervention on the part of transportation planners to achieve desired mobility/accessibility goals. The proposed research will also facilitate the design and development of a dynamic transportation system to support economic growth and trade.