Container Volume and Truck Trip Generations at Marine Container Terminals: Behavioral Analysis

As world container volume continues to grow, the issue of infrastructure improvement and expansion becomes an urgent one. Unlike some of the major ports in the West Coast such as the Port of Long Beach/Los Angles and Seattle that large percentage of their containers are destined for inland and East Coast regions via intermodal rail, the Port of New York/New Jersey has more than 80% of their cargo distributed locally. The tremendous amount of truck trips generated at marine container terminals (MCTs) has a direct bearing on the local highways and arterial roads. Anticipating the completion of Panama Canal expansion by 2015, the Port is expected to have much larger size of containerships, the issue of land access becomes more pronounced. This study provides a detailed statistical analysis of vessel traffic patterns, truck pick-up and delivery process, and the causal relationship between truck trip generation and container activities at a MCT in the Port of New York/New Jersey. The results of the analysis will help in the understanding of the relationship between container volume and truck trip generation, potential impacts on local access roads, and the regional highway network.