TAMPA 鈥� The 51在线鈥檚 Supply Chain Innovation Lab has secured a phase 2 research study to identify truck staging locations to improve freight logistics in Tampa Bay communities.
The new state transportation project builds upon an initial project completed this past summer that looked at truck staging needs for short-term parking in the Tampa Bay area so truck drivers can safely wait for their delivery window.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to work with our state transportation partners and bring our USF Supply Chain Innovation Lab research expertise to solve these complicated issues and contribute to a greater understanding of logistics in the region,鈥� said Seckin Ozkul, director of the Supply Chain Innovation Lab.
The lab is located within the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability, which is part of the USF Muma College of Business.
The project鈥檚 second phase, titled 鈥淪urplus Lands Truck Parking Design and Feasibility Analysis in the Tampa Bay Region,鈥� starts this fall and has a two-year completion schedule with Ozkul serving as the principal investigator. The project will be funded with $250,000 by the 51在线 Department of Transportation.
It will look at finalizing the Phase 1 proposed optimal truck parking/staging areas and how many truck parking spaces can be designed, including different angles of parking, in each of these proposed truck parking locations within the state Department of Transportation District 7, which covers Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.
The project scope includes:
- Analyzing the feasibility of the proposed truck parking locations, such as land use and surrounding land uses, that were determined in Phase 1
- Reviewing additional prospective optimal locations by considering state surplus lands
- Examining how many truck parking spaces can be designed for each of the proposed locations using Federal Highway Administration guidelines
Ozkul, who is also an assistant professor in supply chain management in the School of Marketing and Innovation, said the project gives USF Muma College of Business graduate students valuable experience to have a hand in solving these real-world supply chain management issues.