This 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 drawn 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 a lot size choice) and market related decisions (such as carrier choice) into the MA model. In a transport market simulation, both sides of the transport market adjust their behaviour mutually while the agents are trying to maximise their individual welfare. Activity chains for commercial vehicles are generated based on observed data. The integration of freight transport into the traffic flow simulation software MATSim is pursued in order to study the reactions of the involved parties to actualities on the physical traffic network including congestion and policy measures. The main innovations consist in 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 in the generation of vehicle tour patterns from observed data.

DFG: German Research Foundation

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Prof. Dr. Kai Nagel, TU Berlin

Kai Martins-Turner, Wiss. Mitarbeiter

Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Gernot Liedtke, DLR, Abteilung Wirtschaftsverkehr

Prof. Dr. Johan Joubert, University of Pretoria