Another view of freight forecasting modeling trends

Abstract

This paper reports on current freight forecasting models used inside and outside of the U.S. Our study first classifies available models into seven classes, and describes important modeling concepts and case studies applying these models. Our study summarizes primary independent variables (inputs) and outputs for these freight models in order to help understand the current status of freight forecast modeling. In addition, we found that a common characteristic of the case studies shows that freight modeling is not always done as a single project at one point in time nor do the most successful studies rely on a single class of the model. Due to resource constraints or evolving freight needs, public agencies can opt to stage their freight model development or combine and remove portions of certain classes as they see fit. Our paper concludes by discussing three types of hybrid models involving commodity supply chains, urban logistics tours, and economic tours which are considered for the future modeling trends.