Carrier Agents and Interactions with Traffic Flows

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Gernot Liedtke; Professor Dr. Kai Nagel
• Subject Area: Traffic and Transport Systems, Intelligent and Automated Traffic
• Term: from 2017 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 323900421

The proposed project aims at the development of an operational multi agent (MA) model to simulate freight transport demand, with focus on urban areas. In the model, logistics decisions made by shippers, recipients, and agents in charge of organising and performing physical transports are considered. Special emphasis is put on the interaction of the demand and supply sides in the freight transport market. This is done by incorporating both logistics decisions (such as lot size choice) and market related decisions (such as carrier choice) into the MA model. Important innovations are a consistent representation of the whole chain of decision makers from the shipper of a consignment via the logistics service provider to the carrier, and the generation of vehicle tour patterns from observed data.This project is concerned with those parts of the process that are closer to the physical transport of the goods. Building on an already existing modelling infrastructure that allows for carriers and their fleets, it is concerned with congestion feedback to the carrier agents and their reaction to it, and the feedback of the carrier agents to the logistics service providers. It is also concerned with externalities beyond congestion, such as emissions and noise.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: South Africa
• International Co-Applicant: Professor Johan W. Joubert, Ph.D.