Information exchange in differentiated access management for intermodal freight transportation

Paper in proceeding, 2016

This study focuses on the information attributes (i.e. the actual transmitted information) that could be exchanged between an intermodal terminal and a haulier in order to increase efficiency in loading and unloading of intermodal transport units (ITU:s). Among the problems that have been identified are deficiencies in the information exchange between the actors, and lack of high quality real-time data. Differentiated Access Management - DAM is aimed at smaller organisations with limited resources for investing in larger ICT-systems. With DAM, a haulier could qualify for a higher level of differentiated access to an intermodal terminal based on digital information exchange in advance (or even in real-time). The purpose of this study is to identify the information attributes that could be exchanged between intermodal terminal and haulier to enable DAM. A literature review on the topic is followed by semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, resulting in a classification framework for the actual information attributes that are transmitted in interactions between haulier and intermodal terminal. Individual parameters are identified and classified according to source and category (static, historical or dynamic). This compilation of parameters could help hauliers’ transport planners and intermodal terminal’s transport planners when applying DAM in order to improve the information exchange which in turn hopefully could help to make the transportation operations more efficient. The work has been focused solely on the interaction between intermodal terminal and haulier and has left out all other interactions and transportation modes that may be involved in intermodal freight transportation. Future research is of interest that investigates the needs of other information attributes by collecting empirical data from the industry.