Demand Oriented Dynamic Lane Allocation Model of a Container Terminal Entry Gate

As the bottleneck of a container terminal, entry gates have operating issues that have become highly important. Previous research about entry gates mainly focus on the queuing system and the truck arrival appointment system. This paper first tests that the arrival time, service time, and departure time distributions that conform with the M/G/K model in queuing theory using field data at Yangshan Port. Considering the different arrival, service, and departure times of trucks with and without containers, a dynamic lane allocation model is developed based on demand. This model not only can minimize the number of entry gate lanes with low truck arrival flow, but also can maximize the entry gate capacity with high truck arrival flow. A dynamic lane allocation model is tested in the case of Yangshan Port. It can be applied to the exit gate of the container terminal and provide references for lane restriction and management measures.