Drayage Activity in Texas October 2007 6
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Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA/TX-08/0-5684-2 Accession No. 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Drayage Activity in Texas October 2007 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Robert Harrison, Nathan Hutson, Jolanda Prozzi, Jason West, 0-5684-2 Juan Gonzalez and John McCray 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Center for Transportation Research 11. Contract or Grant No. The University of Texas at Austin 0-5684 3208 Red River, Suite 200 Austin, TX 78705-2650 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Texas Department of Transportation Technical Report Research and Technology Implementation Office September 2006- August 2007 P.O. Box 5080 Austin, TX 78763-5080 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. 16. Abstract The following report chronicles the first year’s findings of project 0-5684. The report characterizes Texas drayage activity while focusing principally on activity occurring at the Port of Houston Barbours Cut Container Terminal, the UP and BNSF rail yards located in Houston, and the border Ports of Laredo and McAllen. The seaport drayage component of the report draws upon information gained from interviews with dray managers and drivers as well as a database of truck activity provided by the Port of Houston. Patterns of delay at the port are broken into processing times that accrue outside and inside the port gates. The rail section describes the Pearland, Englewood, and Settegast yards in Houston. The border analysis relies on interviews with brokers and analysts in describing the emerging patterns of drayage. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Drayage, Cartage, Intermodal, Landside Access, No restrictions. This document is available to the Trucking, Port of Houston public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161; www.ntis.gov. 19. Security Classif. (of report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 86 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized DRAYAGE ACTIVITY IN TEXAS The University of Texas at Austin Robert Harrison Nathan Hutson Jolanda Prozzi Jason West The University of Texas at San Antonio John McCray Juan Gonzalez CTR Technical Report: 0-5684-2 Report Date: October 2007 Project: 0-5684 Project Title: Impacts of Dray System on Ports, Rail Yards and Border Ports of Entry Sponsoring Agency: Texas Department of Transportation Performing Agency: Center for Transportation Research at The University of Texas at Austin Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Center for Transportation Research The University of Texas at Austin 3208 Red River Austin, TX 78705 www.utexas.edu/research/ctr Copyright (c) 2008 Center for Transportation Research The University of Texas at Austin All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Disclaimers Author's Disclaimer: The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official view or policies of the Federal Highway Administration or the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Patent Disclaimer: There was no invention or discovery conceived or first actually reduced to practice in the course of or under this contract, including any art, method, process, machine manufacture, design or composition of matter, or any new useful improvement thereof, or any variety of plant, which is or may be patentable under the patent laws of the United States of America or any foreign country. Notice: The United States Government and the State of Texas do not endorse products or manufacturers. If trade or manufacturers' names appear herein, it is solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report. Engineering Disclaimer NOT INTENDED FOR CONSTRUCTION, BIDDING, OR PERMIT PURPOSES. Research Supervisor: Robert Harrison v Acknowledgments The authors express appreciation to Mo Moabed [Laredo], William Hale [Dallas], Duncan Stewart [RTI], Rakesh Tripathi [Houston], Jessica Castiglione [San Antonio], Antonio Santana [El Paso], and Augustine De La Rosa [IRO]. In addition, the team would like to thank Rick Maddox, Oscar Garay, Wade Battles, Roger Guenther, Joe Adams, and Nathan Huynh. vi Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2. Drayage Sector Serving Seaports ............................................................................. 3 2.1 CTR Analysis of Seaport Drayage .........................................................................................4 2.2 Typical Dray Trip Serving the Ports ......................................................................................4 2.3 Time-of-Day Distribution of Dray Traffic .............................................................................5 2.4 Major Drayage Firms Serving the Port ..................................................................................6 2.5 Firm Types .............................................................................................................................8 2.5.1 General Drayage ............................................................................................................ 8 2.5.2 Company Specific Dray Fleets ...................................................................................... 8 2.5.3 Container Freight Station-based .................................................................................... 8 2.6 Port Waiting Time .................................................................................................................8 2.7 Route Choice /Dispatch .......................................................................................................13 2.8 Compensation Systems ........................................................................................................14 2.9 Turnover ...............................................................................................................................15 2.10 Vehicle Age and Characteristics ........................................................................................15 2.11 Inspection and Maintenance Practices ...............................................................................15 2.12 Concluding Remarks ..........................................................................................................16 Chapter 3. Drayage Sector Serving Rail Intermodal Terminals ............................................ 17 3.1 Typical Dray Trip Serving the Ports ....................................................................................18 3.2 Time-of-Day Distribution of Dray Traffic ...........................................................................20 3.3 Firm Types ...........................................................................................................................22 3.4 Driver Characteristics ..........................................................................................................22 3.5 Compensation Systems ........................................................................................................22 3.6 Vehicle Age and Characteristics ..........................................................................................23 3.7 Trip Characteristics ..............................................................................................................23 3.8 Rail Terminal Waiting Times ..............................................................................................23 3.9 Concluding Remarks ............................................................................................................23 Chapter 4. Dray Operations at the Texas-Mexico Border ...................................................... 25 4.1 Background ..........................................................................................................................25 4.2 Laredo Dray Operations .......................................................................................................25 4.3 Further Research ..................................................................................................................27 Chapter 5. Defining Potential Community Concerns .............................................................. 29 5.1 Traffic Flow and Congestion ...............................................................................................29 5.2 Safety and Security ..............................................................................................................30 5.3 Air Quality Concerns ...........................................................................................................31 5.4 Noise and Vibrations ...........................................................................................................31 5.5 Pavement Deterioration .......................................................................................................32