JFK congestion solution found in truck flow management system
A truck flow management system (TFMS) on a mobile app could alleviate ongoing challenges with trucking congestion and inefficient dock scheduling at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), reducing wait times, costs and diesel emissions.
MRZ Trucking at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Photo / MRK Trucking
Truckers and ground handlers would use the app to schedule docking, thereby reducing truck dwell times by around 38% and saving an estimated $2.5 million to $16 million annually in direct trucking costs by reducing labor and, fuel while optimizing operational efficiency, according to a March study by Rutgers University’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT). A TFMS could also reduce the climate impact of idling trucks and diesel emissions by 80 to 512 tonnes, the study found.
“Implementing a TFMS airport-wide can play an important role in reversing the domino effect that JFK airport’s lost market share has had on revenues, jobs and quality of life in the area,” Frank Liggio, chairman at nonprofit GatewayJFK, told Air Cargo World. “With the support and sustained attention it requires, New York’s air cargo sector has the potential to grow with industry trends and not miss out on the opportunity to preserve and increase jobs, strengthening its economic significance overall.”
Cargo tonnage at JFK has significantly decreased over the past decade, dropping from third-highest U.S. tonnage in 2000 with 1.6 tonnes to eighth in 2021 with 1.1 tonnes, according to the Port Authority’s air traffic report.
Efficiencies in modernization
Freight forwarders noted problems with communication between truckers and ground handlers and idle trucks, as well as issues of undertrained ground-handling staff, according to the study.
“We work from our off-airport location to satisfy an unrealistic 24-hour pickup window, and risk incurring costly storage fees at the airport,” said Mike DeVivo, president of Jamica, N.Y.-based MRZ Trucking, which has coordinated logistics at JFK for years. “There must be a serious effort to expand, modernize and fully integrate the cargo handling facilities on airport, with all the benefits modern technology offers.”
Implementing a TFMS is not the first proposed solution to improving JKF’s cargo efficiency. In March, Kale Info Solutions shared plans to implement a cargo community system (CCS) at JFK after running a pilot truck slot and dock management system.
In turn, JFK and the Port Authority “felt the need to improve communication relationship management between the on-tarmac and off-tarmac world between the air cargo community,” Liggio told Air Cargo World. “And that’s why we commissioned the study: to help find the bottlenecks and delays in the cargo operations from both view points. And we wanted to help the Port Authority find efficiencies in modernization and technology.”
Phase 1 of the feasibility study focused on the business proposal, weighing the cost benefits of a TFMS. Phase 2 will focus on airport-wide changes involving all parties at JFK, Liggio said.
JFK ranked No. 25 in Air Cargo World’s most recent Top 50 Cargo Airports ranking, based on 2020 throughput.
The Air Cargo Tech Summit, the new airfreight logistics event presented by Air Cargo World, will take place LIVE in Miami from June 6-7. Learn more and register here.
JFK congestion solution found in truck flow management system
A truck flow management system (TFMS) on a mobile app could alleviate ongoing challenges with trucking congestion and inefficient dock scheduling at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), reducing wait times, costs and diesel emissions.
MRZ Trucking at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Photo / MRK Trucking
Truckers and ground handlers would use the app to schedule docking, thereby reducing truck dwell times by around 38% and saving an estimated $2.5 million to $16 million annually in direct trucking costs by reducing labor and, fuel while optimizing operational efficiency, according to a March study by Rutgers University’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT). A TFMS could also reduce the climate impact of idling trucks and diesel emissions by 80 to 512 tonnes, the study found.
“Implementing a TFMS airport-wide can play an important role in reversing the domino effect that JFK airport’s lost market share has had on revenues, jobs and quality of life in the area,” Frank Liggio, chairman at nonprofit GatewayJFK, told Air Cargo World. “With the support and sustained attention it requires, New York’s air cargo sector has the potential to grow with industry trends and not miss out on the opportunity to preserve and increase jobs, strengthening its economic significance overall.”
Cargo tonnage at JFK has significantly decreased over the past decade, dropping from third-highest U.S. tonnage in 2000 with 1.6 tonnes to eighth in 2021 with 1.1 tonnes, according to the Port Authority’s air traffic report.
Efficiencies in modernization
Freight forwarders noted problems with communication between truckers and ground handlers and idle trucks, as well as issues of undertrained ground-handling staff, according to the study.
“We work from our off-airport location to satisfy an unrealistic 24-hour pickup window, and risk incurring costly storage fees at the airport,” said Mike DeVivo, president of Jamica, N.Y.-based MRZ Trucking, which has coordinated logistics at JFK for years. “There must be a serious effort to expand, modernize and fully integrate the cargo handling facilities on airport, with all the benefits modern technology offers.”
Implementing a TFMS is not the first proposed solution to improving JKF’s cargo efficiency. In March, Kale Info Solutions shared plans to implement a cargo community system (CCS) at JFK after running a pilot truck slot and dock management system.
In turn, JFK and the Port Authority “felt the need to improve communication relationship management between the on-tarmac and off-tarmac world between the air cargo community,” Liggio told Air Cargo World. “And that’s why we commissioned the study: to help find the bottlenecks and delays in the cargo operations from both view points. And we wanted to help the Port Authority find efficiencies in modernization and technology.”
Phase 1 of the feasibility study focused on the business proposal, weighing the cost benefits of a TFMS. Phase 2 will focus on airport-wide changes involving all parties at JFK, Liggio said.
JFK ranked No. 25 in Air Cargo World’s most recent Top 50 Cargo Airports ranking, based on 2020 throughput.
The Air Cargo Tech Summit, the new airfreight logistics event presented by Air Cargo World, will take place LIVE in Miami from June 6-7. Learn more and register here.
