Measuring Border Delay and Crossing Times at the U.S.–Mexico Border—Part II
Guidebook for Analysis and Dissemination of Border Crossing Time and Wait Time Data

Final Report

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June 22, 2012

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
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June 2012
FHWA-HOP-12-014

Notice

The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Department of Transportation.

This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

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The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. FHWA-HOP-12-014		2. Government Accession No.	3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle Measuring Border Delay and Crossing Times at the US/Mexico Border – Part II			5. Report Date June 22, 2012
			6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s) Rajat Rajbhandari, Juan Villa, Roberto Macias, William Tate			8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address Texas Transportation Institute 3135 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3135 Battelle Memorial Institute 505 King Avenue Columbus, OH 43201			10. Work Unit No.
			11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-06-D-00007/Task BA07-040
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590			13. Type of Report and Period Covered Final Report covering 12/21/17 to 5/28/2012
			14. Sponsoring Agency Code HOP
15. Supplementary Notes
16. Abstract The purpose of this guidebook is to describe to local, regional, and State agencies how to analyze and disseminate data collected by a radio frequency identification (RFID)-based system to measure travel times of commercial vehicles, which is referred to in this document as the RFID-based border crossing time and wait time measurement system. The guidebook includes recommended statistical analyses that can be used to support monitoring the performance of border crossings. The guidebook also describes available mechanisms to disseminate crossing times and wait times. These data include traveler information (e.g., current crossing and wait times) and archived information (e.g., performance measures, pre-coded reports and charts). The guidebook is not specific to one port of entry and hence is applicable to any border crossing deriving crossing time and wait time data similar to those collected by RFID-based systems that have been implemented at various U.S.–Mexico land border crossings in Texas.
17. Key Words ITS Technology, Border, Port of Entry, Traveler Information, Crossing and Wait Time, Guidebook		18. Distribution Statement No restrictions
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified	20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified	21. No. of Pages 62	22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

Table of Contents

 

• INTRODUCTION
  • Background
  • Purpose and Audience for the Guidebook
  • Organization of the Guidebook
• CREATING A FRAMEWORK
  • Key Steps for Developing a Framework
  • Setting Basic Definitions of Border Crossing and Wait Times
  • Identifying Characteristics of the Border Crossing
  • Identifying Factors That Influence Border Crossing and Wait Times
  • Obtaining Stakeholder Input for Data Analysis and Dissemination
• DATA ANALYSIS
  • Key Steps for Analyzing the Data
  • Processing Raw Data
    • Filtering Raw Data
    • Aggregating Raw Data
    • Reporting Sample Size
  • Analyzing Data for Traveler Information Purposes
    • Determining Current Crossing and Wait Times
    • Determining Predicted Crossing and Wait Times
  • Analyzing Data for Performance Measurement
    • Summary Statistics about Raw Data
    • Aggregating Raw Crossing and Wait Time Data
    • Determining Buffer Time and Indices
    • Determining Delay Measures
    • Determining Length of Peak Periods
    • Determining Percentage of Congested Trips
• INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
  • Key Steps for Data Dissemination
  • Disseminating Traveler Information
    • Identifying Preferred Mechanisms
    • Developing Policies and Procedures
    • Implementing Traveler Information
  • Disseminating Archived Data to Stakeholders
    • Identifying Preferred Mechanisms
    • Developing Policies and Procedures
    • Implementing Archived Data
• CONCLUSION
  • Conclusion
  • Key Steps for Data Analysis and Dissemination
  • Limitations of the Guidebook
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Dissemination
  • Future Improvements
• REFERENCES
• APPENDIX  DATA-SHARING AGREEMENT

List of Tables

 

• Table 1. List of Tables Used for Archiving and Aggregating Data from BOTA and Pharr Poes.
• Table 2. Example of Automated Filtering of Crossing Time Data.
• Table 3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Various Traveler Information Dissemination Mechanisms.
• Table 4. Advantages and Disadvantages of Various Archived Data Dissemination Mechanisms.

List of Figures

 

• Figure 1. Flowchart Describing Key Steps for Developing a Framework. 5
• Figure 2. Flowchart Describing Key Steps for Analyzing the Wait Times and Crossing Times Data. 10
• Figure 3. 15-Minute Average Crossing Time Measured at BOTA. 13
• Figure 4. Comparison of Daily Minimum and Actual Sample Size of Crossing Times at BOTA. 15
• Figure 5. Information Freight Carriers and Dispatchers Seek from Current and Predicted Crossing and Wait Times At Border Crossings. 16
• Figure 6. Histograms of Crossing Times of Trucks Entering the United States during October 2009. 18
• Figure 7. Daily Variation of Hourly Average Crossing Times of Trucks Measured at BOTA. 19
• Figure 8. Monthly Variations of Northbound Volume, Average Crossing Times, and Buffer Index. 21
• Figure 9. Daily Total Delay of Trucks Measured at BOTA. 22
• Figure 10. Average Delay per Truck at BOTA. 24
• Figure 11. Identification of Peak and Off-Peak Periods from 15-Minute Average Crossing Time Data. 25
• Figure 12. Percentage of Trips Congested Based on Average Crossing Time as Optimal Crossing Time. 26
• Figure 13. Key Steps for Disseminating Real-Time and Archived Information. 28
• Figure 14. Implementation Scenarios for Relaying Border-Related Traveler Information. 32
• Figure 15. Snapshot of an RSS Feed to Obtain most Recent Truck Crossing Times at BOTA. 33
• Figure 16. Snapshot of a Web Site Showing Crossing Times for Northbound Trucks at BOTA. 34
• Figure 17. Sample DMS Message to Relay Crossing and Wait Time at the Border for Northbound Trucks. 35
• Figure 18. Snapshot of Border Barometer and Northbound Traffic Trends Published Annually By BPRI/UB and TTI, Respectively. 42

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