MTC Asset Newsletter Winter 2007

Research

In Progress

Investigation into the Development and Adoption of Technologies, Policies, and Methods for Improving Fleet Fuel Performance

Carlo D. Smith, Missouri State University

Several new and forthcoming technologies, methods, and policies have been developed to improve fuel efficiency among motor carrier fleets. Technologies include advanced hybrid systems and drag-reducing body panels. Policies include restrictions on truck idling time. And the EPA’s SmartWaySM Transport Partnership helps motor carriers adopt new technologies and encourages shippers to consider fuel efficiency and environmental impacts.

This research will examine three areas: the current level of awareness of alternative solutions for improving fuel efficiency, the current state of adoption of the various solutions, and the anticipated extent to which current and future solutions will be adopted.

Optimization of Intermodal Logistics Operations in Disaster Planning

Mehmet Bayram Yildirim, Wichita State University

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 illustrated the incredible amount of logistical cooperation and planning required for immediate disaster relief operations. These operations require getting the right amount of materials at the right time to the places that need them.

This research will examine how intermodal transportation can help disaster planners minimize the time and costs of relief distribution and maximize the amount of relief distributed. The researchers will review the current literature on disaster relief operations, study intermodal transportation relief efforts during the 2005 hurricane season, and determine the current inventory of relief-related materials and the locations of depots, distribution centers, etc. A mathematical optimization or simulation that models the hurricane relief logistics will be developed and validated.

Investigation of Methodologies Used by Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Motor Carriers to Determine Fuel Surcharges

John L. Kent, Missouri State University

This research will investigate the less-than-truckload (LTL) motor carrier industry to
determine the methodologies for establishing and implementing fuel surcharges. The research goal will be to develop a national fuel surcharge index.

For over 20 years, fuel surcharges have been periodically added to transportation invoices so the provider can recover losses from spikes in fuel prices. For the past three years, however, fuel surcharges have constantly appeared on transportation invoices as fuel costs have continued to rise. Interviews with a third-party logistics company, whose core competency is LTL, revealed that an industry standard methodology accepted by both carrier and shipper for calculating fuel surcharges does not exist.

Researchers will review academic and popular literature regarding fuel surcharges and interview selected LTL carriers.

Managing Early Adaptation of Biodiesel by Commercial Fleets

Song-Charng Kong, Iowa State University

Commercial carriers face several issues regarding petroleum dependency and state and federal policies aimed at increasing the use of biodiesel. As a result, trucking fleets must decide when and how to integrate biodiesel over the next couple of years. The Iowa Motor Truck Association (IMTA) has assembled a coalition of Iowa-based fleets to study biodiesel in commercial service for one year and to identify strategies for managing early adoption.

This research will support the IMTA’s initiative by helping fleets interpret biodiesel field data. The data will be interpreted in the context of cost/benefit, fuel economy, maintenance variations, seasonal performance, and problem-solving strategies.

Completed Research

An Integrated Systems Approach to the Development of Winter Maintenance/Management Systems

James Noble (University of Missouri-Columbia)

Winter road maintenance operations involve five primary planning decisions: locating depots, designing sectors, routing service vehicles, scheduling vehicles, and configuring the vehicle fleet. Because of the complexity involved in each of these decisions, most research has approached each of the problems separately and sequentially, resulting in isolated and suboptimal solutions.

This research developed a systematic, heuristic-based optimization approach to integrate the five primary winter road maintenance planning decisions. The approach was tested using real-world winter road maintenance planning problems for a rural transportation network in Boone County, Missouri. The approach was developed and validated in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

When applied to the Boone County transportation network, the heuristic-based optimization approach delivered a more integrated and less sequential methodology for winter road maintenance planning. The integrated solution will allow MoDOT to maintain the same high level of service with significantly fewer resources. The results indicate that this methodology is a successful step towards solving realistic multiple-depot problems involving heterogeneous winter maintenance fleets.

For more information, see www.ctre.iastate.edu/mtc/projects/2005-03.htm.

Planning, Developing, and Implementing the Iowa Pavement Marking Management System

Neal Hawkins (Iowa State University)

This research analyzed existing pavement marking practices in Iowa and other states and organized the key components necessary to develop a prototype pavement marking management system (PMMS). The system, tailored to the pavement marking products and roadway and environmental conditions of the Iowa DOT, will help Iowa cities and counties manage their pavement marking resources.

The two primary components of a PMMS are (1) performance/life cycle curves for pavement marking products and (2) an application matrix tailored to the Iowa DOT’s pavement marking products and roadway and environmental conditions. Future research, to be completed by December 2007, will further refine and tailor both components to Iowa materials and conditions. The aim of this research will be to create a practical PMMS specific to the pavement markings required by the Iowa DOT.

For more information, see www.ctre.iastate.edu/mtc/projects/2004-02.htm.