Freight Routes: Improving Freight Routing Modeling Capabilities

DATE: 
Friday, June 1, 2012, 12:00pm to 1:00pm PDT
SPEAKERS: 
Anne Goodchild, University of Washington

The video begins at 2:09.

Abstract: The ability to fully understand and accurately characterize freight route choice is one that will support freight modeling frameworks, and regional and state transportation decisions. This ability, when combined with regional and state commodity flow data, can compose an effective statewide freight modeling framework. Typically, transportation network models take a shortest path assumption for truck routing both for strategic and operational routing decisions. The goal of this research was to determining how different subgroups of shippers, carriers, and receivers make route choices, and to understand how these approaches vary across types of routing decisions. We consider route changes of both a spatial and temporal manner. This talk presents the results of a survey of over 800 shippers, carriers, and receivers in Washington State, and recommends a framework for improving the modeling of routing decisions in existing network models.

Speaker Bio: Professor Anne Goodchild has worked and studied in the transportation field for more than 15 years. Her initial experience in management consulting for transportation providers was followed by the completion of a PhD at UC Berkeley and research experience while developing the freight transportation program at the University of Washington. In addition to a BS in mathematics and an MS and PhD in Civil Engineering, Dr. Goodchild completed minors in Economics and Operations Research. This, combined with her experience in consulting, has created a strong interest in the relationship between freight transportation activity, business practice and the economy. This has led her to engage in many projects that are working to integrate business practice or shipper and carrier behavior, into freight transportation models. Dr. Goodchild is chair of the Seattle Freight Advisory Board, and the paper review coordinator for the Freight Transportation Planning and Logistics, and Intermodal Committees of the Transportation Research Board.