Traffic congestion in the los angeles, san francisco, and san diego regions may cost individuals and industry as much as $2 billion a year in lost time and lost productivity. Much of this cost is borne by the trucking industry and its customers. A major study was conducted at the university of california to develop and evaluate strategies for reducing congestion delays incurred by less-than-truckload motor carriers in los angeles. It was found that surplus capacity exists in the los angeles freeway system throughout much of the day and that trucks naturally avoid congested highways. Though existing terminals tend to be well located, some areas--notably, west los angeles and the los angeles airport-el segundo area--are not well served.Further, a shortage of vacant land in the south-central industrial core may force carriers to build terminals in remote locations. It is proposed that motor carriers be encouraged to establish terminals in these areas and to consolidate and merge their pickup and delivery operations, which would facilitate service from more sites. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1320, Freeway operations, highway capacity, and traffic flow 1991.
Abstract