Project number: MT-15-10

Funding source: Caltrans

Contract number: 65A0533

Funding amount: $35,000

Performance period: 8/15/2015 to 8/14/2016

Project description

The problem of truck routing and the choices associated with it is a major focus of concern in transportation agencies throughout the world. Unfortunately, there has been a minimal amount of value of time (VOT) and value of reliability (VOR) oriented research relating to this problem. This research initiation grant project is intended to fill the gap in the literature surrounding this problem. The purpose is to evaluate characteristics used by owner-operated trucks in Southern California when choosing from two or more different types of roads such as interstate freeways, state freeways, toll roads, and local roads. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the body of knowledge necessary for comprehensive benefit-cost analyses concerning toll roads. This report documents the development of a full research design based on six tasks such as the critical literature review on stated preference survey methods, clear and detailed statement of objectives for the stated preference survey, and development of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process technique. When developing the full research design based on the factor analysis results, the project team explores the number of alternatives and specific examples such as Interstates 110 and 710 during peak gate hours. Route choice attributes are considered using cost measure, reliability measure, travel time measure, safety measure, weather measure, time of day measure, scheduled delivery time measure, truck cargo price measure, truck gas mileage measure, and truck comfort measure. The project team designed and provided a number of scenarios with each respondent for their route choices.