Flow control in capacity-constrained queueing systems with non-stationary arrivals

In this paper, we present a flow control policy to address the problem of service capacity constraints in queueing systems that face non-stationary customer arrival rates. The studied system concerns commercial trucks arriving at international border checkpoints for processing. Based on an extensive range of numerical examples, we quantify how the flow control policy of bringing arrival rates more in line with available capacity affects customer-oriented metrics and measures of efficiency in service capacity resources. We also quantify the expectations that the policy would place on arriving customers. How these quantitative outcomes are influenced by contextual parameters such as the pattern of customer arrivals and the tightness of capacity constraints is also clarified.