Stated Preference Study of Long-Haul Commercial Vehicle Route Choice Behavior

Highway ON-401 is among the most congested roadways in North America with a substantial mix of both passenger and commercial traffic. This trend is expected to worsen as e-commerce continues growing alongside population and economic development. Alternatively, tolled corridors such as Highway ON-407ETR have the potential to minimize congestion by re-distributing system-wide traffic and lowering negative environmental and economic impacts. Research on commercial vehicle route choice is needed to inform planners in developing strategies that balance mobility and sustainability. Potential factors developed from an exhaustive literature review are incorporated into a stated preference survey on routing decisions. The results of this survey are used to calibrate mixed multinomial logit models estimating the probability of route selection for trucks. Findings indicate heterogeneity in truck route choice where on average, they are willing to pay up to $81 (2020 CAD) to save one hour of their travel time.