Principal Investigator(s):
Fred Beier, Professor Emeritus, Carlson School of Management
Project summary:
The purpose of the project is to determine the value of a real-time information system which would alert a range of commercial vehicle operators to congestion on the freeways of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Primary methods are personal interview of sampled carriers and survey of the broader population of carriers. Carriers are segmented according to nature of operation, e.g., truckload, less than truckload, etc. and measurements are taken within each group. Comparisons are also made across groups. Anticipated results of the project include a benchmark measurement, by carrier segment, of the ability of carriers to estimate congestion costs and their ability to avoid congestion when advised of its occurrence. The project will also produce a definition of the characteristics of a real time congestion information system which would be effective in allowing carriers to reduce congestion costs. The ability of each of the truck segments to effectively utilize such a hypothetical system is also discussed.