Feasibility of Advanced Vehicle Control Systems for Freight Terminals

Within the freight transportation system, transfer facilities provide automated vehicle control systems (AVCS) to yield significant efficiency benefits. Freight movement operations often require goods to pass through several transfer points between an origin and a destination. Because these transfer terminals can limit system throughput, a variety of intelligent transportation systems technologies are now under consideration by the freight industry to reduce processing inefficiencies. Among those technologies, AVCS is potentially significant, even though it is also the least known within the industry. Given the controlled nature of freight terminals, as well as the dependence on human labor for performing even the simplest and most repetitive vehicle movements, AVCS is a logical improvement for terminal operations. Through a detailed examination of freight movement operations and available vehicle control technologies, opportunities for AVCS to improve the operational efficiency of freight terminals are explored and future directions for developing new systems are recommended.