Truck Docking and Maneuvering Area
Once again, these requirements will be highly dependent on the operational characteristics of the user. Since multi-tenant facilities should be planned and designed with flexibility in mind, sufficient area must be allocated on the landside of the facility to accommodate large tractor-trailer movements.
Some trucking companies require an area 150 or 200 feet wide adjacent to the building in which to maneuver rigs, depending on the frequency of movements as well as the spacing of dock doors. This large amount of truck maneuvering and queuing space often accounts for the relatively small cargo terminal facility in terms of total site requirement (i.e. floor-to-site area ratios of 20% or less). This is further aggravated by multi-tenant facility users.
An aspect that is often overlooked in the design of the cargo complex is the provision of adequate turning radii at intersections of cargo roads, as well as at the entrance to individual cargo lots. Primary access roads to various facilities within the complex must be designed in consideration of the types and volumes of vehicles servicing the facilities. It is advisable to design in consideration of an average peak scenario since it can be extremely disruptive to the overall operation of the complex if remedial repairs must be undertaken to the roadway as a result of inadequate initial standards.
Employee/Customer Parking
Scarcity of land and development economics often result in design solutions whereby developing customer/employee parking areas becomes challenging. Nevertheless, these should not be shared with landside areas that are also used for truck docking and maneuvering. This often results in circulation conflicts, especially between infrequent facility visitors unfamiliar with circulation patterns. If possible, planning and design solutions should separate customer/employee parking and truck maneuvering areas to improve the efficiency of operations and to promote safer conditions.
Access Roads
Access roads must be planned such that the long-term circulation characteristics of the complex are properly addressed. In conjunction with the conceptual subdivision plan, a system of local access, collector, and arterial roads must be identified and sufficient land area dedicated to provide efficient ingress and egress for the various types of vehicles accessing the facilities. Based on the classification of road, adequate design standards must be established to ensure uninterrupted operation for a reasonable cycle.
Future Considerations
Due to the growth of deferred express services and increasing focus on cost control in recent years, the integrated carriers are expanding their ground networks, which could entail the construction of additional surface hub or "cross-dock" facilities at strategic locations throughout the U.S. In other words, the biggest change in air cargo at airports will be increased trucking activity.