Truck travel time performance measures and their association with on- and off-network characteristics

Abstract

Trucks transport a significant amount of freight and are susceptible to traffic congestion related delays. Practitioners are interested in identifying suitable truck travel time performance measures and examining their association with on-network (road) and surrounding off-network (land use and demographic) characteristics for planning, designing, and building better transportation facilities. The focus of this research is on the investigation of truck travel time performance measures and their association with on-/off-network characteristics using Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. Truck travel time data for the year 2019 and on-network and off-network characteristics captured using geospatial methods were considered for 501 links in Mecklenburg County, Buncombe County, and Wake County in North Carolina, USA for this research. The average travel time (ATT), planning time index (PTI), buffer time index (BTI), and travel time index (TTI) were selected based on the correlations within the truck travel time performance measures. Road functional class, number of through lanes, area type, annual average daily traffic (AADT), and speed limit are significantly but lowly associated with the truck travel time performance measures. The agriculture, light commercial, and residential land uses in the near vicinity have a moderate to strong association with the truck travel time performance measures. The associations varied with the truck travel time performance measure, day of the week, time of the day, and buffer width to capture off-network characteristics. The methodology and findings assist in identifying potential corridors/areas for the implementation of truck exclusive lanes, truck signal priority at intersections, decentralized delivery locations, or other unconventional strategies.