Where Truck Drivers Stop – Application of Vehicle Tracking Data for the Identification of Rest Locations and Driving Patterns

Abstract

Road transport plays an essential role in freight transport throughout Europe, therefore, conditions that may hinder seamless operations in this sector require thorough consideration for evidence-based action. Critical amongst these key conditions is how, when, and where truck drivers stop, as a common set of rules strictly regulates their driving times and rest periods, which causes mandatory interruptions in the supply chains. However, approximating reliable estimations of freight traffic flows and road infrastructure usage constitutes a considerable challenge for researchers. This paper presents a robust data processing approach to designate rest area stops and to calculate the pertaining driving and rest times. Drawing on the abundance of navigation information provided by private fleet toll registration services, a comprehensive spatial-temporal truck stop database on all major rest areas along the toll road network in Hungary has been compiled. Based on the assessment and comparison of driving and rest times, driving and parking times have been analysed, including micro-scale analysis of particular rest areas. Both the methods applied and the results achieved can be of strategic interest to better understand truck driving patterns, as well as to develop targeted and cost-effective measures to streamline freight transport operations in other contexts.

Keywords

• gnss tracking
• truck rest areas
• mandatory rest time
• truck traffic regulations
• truck driving patterns
• road freight transport