Dataset: Spatiotemporal analysis of freight patterns in Southern California

There has been general trend to shift the location of warehouses and distribution facilities away from consumer markets (logistics sprawl) in Southern California. This shift has a negative impact on cost and the environment because freight vehicles have to travel longer to reach their destinations. However, during the last decade, this trend has not continued at the same pace, and it may have even reversed. Two main factors potentially explain this phenomenon: the 2008-2009 economic slow-down, and an increase in e-commerce activity. E-commerce impacts are relevant for freight planning because of the changes in vehicle size to distribute smaller shipments at higher frequencies, consumer proximity requirements to improve delivery times, and the redistribution of freight activity and supply chain configurations.

This research conducted spatio-temporal analyses of Caltrans Weigh-in-Motion data to validate some of these assumptions. There is evidence that during 2003-2015, the short-haul ...