Using time-varying tolls to optimize truck arrivals at ports

An analytical point-wise stationary approximation model is proposed to analyze time-dependent truck queuing processes with stochastic service time distributions at gates and yards of a port terminal. A convex nonlinear programming model is developed which minimizes the total truck turn time and discomfort due to shifted arrival times. A two-phase optimization approach is used to first compute a system-optimal truck arrival pattern, and then find a desirable pattern of time-varying tolls that leads to the optimal arrival pattern. Numerical experiments are conducted to test the computational efficiency and accuracy of the proposed optimization models.

► A fluid-based approximation method is adapted to model time-dependent queues. ► Improved computational efficiency compared to Monte Carlo simulation methods. ► We construct a system-optimal truck arrival flow assignment model. ► Time-of-day tolls are used to optimize truck arrival pattern at seaports.