Mack-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Study Center

1. Mack-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Study Center October Meeting, 2001 John R. English, Ph.D., P.E. Professor and Head, INEG Director, The Logistics Institute

2. New Projects • 3 new projects • Web Ship Cost (Rossetti, Nachtmann) • Impact of Wireless Data Systems on the Transportation Systems of the Future (Mason, Kutanoglu) • Training and Course Materials for Transportation Applications of GIS (Rossetti, Cole)

3. Current Projects • 5 active projects • Efficient Timing of Pickup and Delivery Assignment Decisions (Kutanoglu/Taylor(UL)) 2013 • Determining Optimal Trailer Duty as a Function of Use and Age (Nutter(MEEG)/Cassady) 2017 • Modeling and Analysis of Transportation Flows Created by E-commerce Transactions (Kutanoglu/Cole/Bartolacci(PSU)) 2012 • On-line Benchmarking Database for Transportation Providers (Rossetti/Collins) 2015 • Economic Evaluation of the Impact of Waterways on the State of Arkansas-Phase Two (Nachtmann) 9208

4. New Projects: INEG

5. WebShipCost • PI: Manuel D. Rossetti • Co-PI: Heather Nachtmann • RA: Xuan Li • Industry Support: Nucor Steel, Arkansas Waterways Commission • Objective: Addresses the problem of Arkansas’s and other states’ underutilized waterway transportation networks.

6. Impact of Wireless Data Systems on the Transportation Systems of the Future • PI: Scott J. Mason • Co-PI: Erhan Kutanoglu • RA: Ghazi Magableh • Industry Support: Terion, Inc.

7. Impact of Wireless Data Systems on the Transportation Systems of the Future • Problem: What areas of current transportation systems could directly benefit from the incorporation of wireless data systems in terms of improved operational efficiency, time savings, and cost reduction? • Approach: Survey best practices, then develop models to help quantify benefits of wireless data systems • Objective: Assess current and future transportation applications of wireless data systems

8. Impact of Wireless Data Systems on the Transportation Systems of the Future • Current Activities • Data gathering and analysis • Assessing current best practices in wireless data system applications

9. Training and Course Materials for Transportation Applications of GIS • PI: Manuel D. Rossetti • Co-PI: Michael Cole • UG RA: John Sophabmixay, Yuri Bey • Objective: Develop a course and course materials on transportation applications of geographic information systems and intelligent transportation systems. The course will be available as an engineering technical elective primarily for civil and industrial engineering majors.

10. Training and Course Materials for Transportation Applications of GIS • Licensed ESRI ArcGIS, Arc Route Logistics • Currently learning software capabilities • Ordered Geoexplorer3c GPS Unit Academic Two Pack from Trimble • Course Development • Investigating textbooks, materials • Identifying project topics

11. Current Projects: INEG

12. Efficient Timing of Pickup and Delivery Assignment Decisions (2013) • PI: Erhan Kutanoglu, U of A • Co-PI: G. Don Taylor, U of Louisville • RA: Darsono Tjokroamidjojo • Industry Support: JB Hunt Transport

13. Efficient Timing of Pickup and Delivery Assignment Decisions • Problem: Find the best time for making load assignment decisions: Should one wait for last minute opportunities or preplan these activities? • Approach: Using simulation and optimization, quantify the trade-off between having an early plan and waiting for soon-to-arrive opportunities • Objective: Provide a simulation and optimization-based tool for this analysis

14. Efficient Timing of Pickup and Delivery Assignment Decisions • Past/Current Activities • Optimization: UA • Finished the majority of optimization experiments • A preliminary report is shared with JB Hunt • Simulation: UL • Finished most of the simulation runs • Target completion December 2001 • Team collaborating on two journal papers

15. Determining Optimal Trailer Duty as a Function of Use and Age (2017) • PI: Darin Nutter (MEEG) and Richard Cassady • RA: Chet Tuck Wong • Industry Support: Tyson Foods

16. Determining Optimal Trailer Duty as a Function of Use and Age (2017) • Objectives: • to model the operation and maintenance of a refrigerated transportation system • to use this model to optimize trailer duty assignment • Approach: • identification of system scope and economic performance measures • modeling of the failure and repair processes • construction of a simulation model • definition of a trailer duty assignment policy • optimization of policy parameters • generation of final report

17. Determining Optimal Trailer Duty as a Function of Use and Age (2017) • Current Activities • Data Analysis • Characterize MBTC #2005 trailer failure data • Model development and collection of research results • Simulation modeling of fleet performance • Economic analysis of trailer retirement decisions

18. Modeling and Analysis of Transportation Flows Created by E-commerce Transactions (2012) • PI: Erhan Kutanoglu, U of A • Co-PI: Mike Cole, U of A • Co-PI: Mike Bartolacci, Penn State • RA: Adam Ho • Industry Support: ABF

19. Modeling and Analysis of Transportation Flows Created by E-commerce Transactions • Problem: What is the effect of increasing e-commerce activities on the existing physical transportation network? • Approach: Estimate the amount of commerce generated by e-commerce using Gravity Models • Objective: Develop a modeling tool to help planners estimate e-commerce generated transportation flows and predict the effects on the transportation system

20. Modeling and Analysis of Transportation Flows Created by E-commerce Transactions • Past/Current Activities • Developed the most refined version of the gravity model using the collected data • Estimated the effects of e-commerce on the transportation flows using the new gravity model • Presented initial results in INFORMS San Antonio meeting in November 2000 • Shared the results with ABF • RA defended his thesis in Sep 2001 • Team is working on two journal papers

21. On-line Benchmarking Database for Transportation Providers • PI: Manuel D. Rossetti • Co-PI: Terry Collins • RA: Tat Yuen Sang • Objective: To support innovation and dissemination of knowledge within the area of benchmarking analysis for transportation carriers Target completion December 2001

22. On-line Benchmarking Database for Transportation Providers • Current Activities • Reviewing literature to develop comprehensive performance metrics for evaluating transportation providers • Developing list of transportation providers • Conceptual design of benchmarking database using Unified Modeling Language (UML) methodology

23. Economic Evaluation of the Impact of Waterways on the State of Arkansas-Phase Two • PI: Heather Nachtmann • Objective: Analyze and report the economic impacts of water transportation on the state of Arkansas • Task Plan • Review current literature • Data identification and collection • Estimate economic impacts of water transportation using input-output analysis • Report findings

24. Economic Evaluation of the Impact of Waterways on the State of Arkansas-Phase Two • Current Activities • Analysis has been completed • Final report has been submitted and approved •  Presentations have been made to: • AR River Regional Intermodal Facilities Authority Board of Directors • AR House and Senate Public Transportation Committee • AR House and Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee • Currently developing a brochure to present research findings to AR legislature

25. Other Notable Items • Malstrom MBTC Fellow • Julie Watson • Ph.D. candidate • Department of Industrial Engineering • Improved transportation cost modeling