In container terminal operations, the delay of containers delivery is a common problem that confronts both the terminal operator and the customers represented by the trucking companies. One source of this delay is due to the long waiting time of the transporting trucks at container terminals (CTs). In this paper, the problem of long turn time for external trucks is studied. An extensive review of the previous work available in the literature that focused on landside problems in CTs is presented. After identifying some gaps, we conclude that the arrival pattern of external trucks and its impact on the truck turn time needs to be more understandable. A discrete event simulation model is developed to study the effect of various truck arrival patterns on the truck turn time in CTs. The simulation results showed how the arrival patterns influence the turn time of external trucks. Moreover, we suggest how CT operators can reduce the turn times without reducing the terminal gates’ productivity and recommend how to consider the arrival pattern in designing an appointment system for external trucks in CTs.
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