Moving Beyond the World’s Largest Port: Spatiotemporal Patterns of Port Container Truck Flows Linked to the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port

As a globally leading port in cargo throughput, the operational efficiency of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port’s container transport system significantly impacts regional economic development. To deeply analyze the spatio-temporal patterns of container truck transportation, this study utilized GPS trajectory data from over 5000 container trucks between 27 October and 26 November 2024. Employing the DBSCAN algorithm and Prophet time series model, it identified transportation hotspots and abnormal trajectories while decomposing the temporal characteristics of collection and distribution operations. Findings reveal: Spatially, container truck movements exhibit a pronounced “core-periphery” structure, with East China as the primary hinterland (285,000 trips), followed by South and Central China (approximately 2000 trips each), while other regions recorded fewer than 700 trips. At the provincial level, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi constitute the high-frequency tier (97.48%), central provinces like Hubei and Hunan belong to the medium-frequency tier (1.99%), while other provinces fall into the low-frequency tier (0.53%). At the city level, core cities like Ningbo and Jinhua accounted for 92.20% of the total, with transport frequency showing a clear decline with increasing distance. Temporally, the daily peak period occurred between 6:00 and 17:00, while the off-peak period was 9:00–14:00. Weekly variations showed a continuous rise from Monday to Thursday, peaking on Thursday before gradually declining. This study employs big data analysis to validate the influence of economic geography on port hinterland patterns while revealing spatiotemporal dynamics inaccessible through traditional research methods. Findings provide empirical evidence for the “distance decay” theory. The research holds significant theoretical and practical value for optimizing port collection and distribution systems and promoting multimodal transport coordination, offering a scientific basis for smart port transformation.