Affiliations: [a] IRTIC, University of Valencia, Catedrático José Beltran, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain | [b] University Jaume I. Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat, s/n Castellón de la Plana, Castellón 12071, Spain
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Jose F. García, IRTIC, University of Valencia, Catedrático José Beltran, 2, Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain. E-mail:jfgarcia@irtic.uv.es
Abstract: Freight transport has a high relevance in the
transportation domain. Regulations regarding driving times and rest periods
are very restrictive to ensure road safety. Truck drivers need to know the
parking availability in road rest areas in order to achieve their
destination respecting laws and contributing to road safety, and at the same
time, to a sustainable trip. This paper proposes a novel protocol based on
cascade negotiations among trucks and rest areas to help drivers in the
selection of areas to park for these long journeys. The cascade negotiations
are driven according to the parking preferences for each truck involved and
the features of the road network. The goal pursued in these negotiations is
to minimize the number of trucks that have to park illegally and maximize
the satisfaction of drivers with respect to their individual parking
preferences. The novel protocol is a combination of a reservation system
with a voting-based negotiation. This proposal has been implemented in a
Multi-Agent based simulation model. A real road section, the European E-15
road, has been modeled in the MAS using real traffic data. Results show that
illegal parking is reduced with respect to a situation without negotiation
just following a first-come first-served basis for trucks parking in
specific areas. The global satisfaction is enhanced when the protocol
results are compared to an approach without negotiation or with a
centralized version of the protocol.
Keywords: Intelligent truck parking, automatic negotiation, voting systems
