Truck Emission Forecasting and Peak Mitigation in a Port Terminal

The objective of this work is to predict the emissions generated by trucks upon their arrival at a port terminal. This prediction is based on a forecast model that predicts truck arrivals, serving as a key input for the proposed methodology. By using the curve of truck arrivals within specific time intervals, an emission model is adopted to estimate the corresponding pollutant emissions. Then, a redistribution algorithm is designed to optimize the scheduling of truck arrivals, effectively mitigating the occurrence of possible peaks in emissions. The algorithm, which takes into account constraints about the truck operations inside the terminal, operates by redistributing the arrival patterns of trucks in a smooth way in order to also consider the truck operators' reluctance to change the existing schedule. The case study of export flows in the PSA Genova Pra' (PSA GP) terminal is addressed in the paper.