Port gate: enter truck volume, get the lanes you need
Enter the number of trucks entering the port/ICD each day, gate opening hours and peak-hour surge level — click Optimize to see how many lanes are needed for a manual, OCR or card gate. Below are five stages that explain why.
What the model calculates, and what it doesn't
Simulated second by second a 12-hour shift (6:00–18:00): trucks arrive at random according to an hourly distribution (evenly spread, or morning-heavy with the first 3 hours of the shift accounting for 44% — a shape assumed by the game), join one shared queue, and the lanes serve them in parallel. Service time per truck: manual 180 s (assumed), OCR 60 s, pre-registered card 20 s — the last two figures come from supplier and port announcements cited on the page. Appointments: scheduled trucks are spread evenly across the shift, while the rest still follow the natural distribution. The main metric is waiting time that 90% of vehicles do not exceed — the average hides the peak hours.
Lane/OCR/card cost (1/2/3 units) is an assumption for comparison, not a quote. Not calculated: outbound trucks (only the entry gate is simulated), random customs inspections, trucks with faulty documents having to turn back, access roads outside the port, no-show rate.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the average capacity enough, yet trucks still queue for so long?
Because trucks don't arrive evenly. 1,200 trucks in 12 hours is 100 trucks/hour; two lanes at 180 s/truck handle 40 trucks/hour — already short; but even if capacity matched the average, peak hours would still be double the average and the queue would build up over the whole shift. Look at the wait time at the 90th percentile, not the average.
Should we open more lanes or install OCR?
Each manual lane handles only 20 trucks/hour; OCR raises that to 60 trucks/hour on the same footprint. When gate land is limited, cutting the time per truck is almost always cheaper than expanding. Scheduling truck arrivals is cheaper still but requires driver discipline and a booking system.
Have real project parameters? Send them to CGD and get feedback on the design scope
This simulation stops at the principle. For a specific project, CGD builds the model on real operating data and floor plan drawings.
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