Using Archived Truck GPS Data for Freight Performance Analysis on Interstate I-94/I-90 from the Twin Cities to Chicago

Project summary:

Interstate I-94 is a key freight corridor for the transportation of goods between Minneapolis and Chicago. This project used freight performance measures (FPM) data from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) to study this corridor. Researchers processed data on heavy truck trips (mainly commercial Class 8 vehicles over 20,000 pounds) along the corridor from May 2008 to April 2009, and analyzed freight performance with respect to duration, reliability, and seasonal variation, including truck speed, speed variation, truck volume variation, distribution of destinations, stop location, and rest duration, and developed methods to measure the level of congestion and travel-time reliability along the corridor. The resulting analysis will be useful in planning for freight transportation between Minneapolis and Chicago, such as measuring truck travel-time reliability and the impact of congestion on the cost of freight, determining where truck stops or parking facilities are needed, and evaluating how traffic volume affects cars and trucks differently. In addition, the analytic process used could be potentially expanded and implemented on the country's significant freight corridors.