Perceived Benefits of Congestion Pricing for Trucks

Empirically derived value-of-time distributions are used to calculate the perceived benefits from the time saved by trucks in using toll lanes. The conditions on the SR-91 congestion pricing facility in California are used in a case study. Assuming that the value of time for trucks is lognormally distributed, the probabilistic truck mode share for the toll lanes was estimated separately for in-house and for-hire trucks. The mean values of time for toll-lane users and nonusers were estimated using Monte Carlo simulations. The benefits were calculated as the value of travel time savings that accrue for both toll-lane users and nonusers. The analyses found that the opening of the congestion pricing facility in 1995 has resulted in more than $2 million in annual savings for trucks. Trucks would realize an added $660,000 annually if the toll lanes were open to trucks. The disproportional share of the benefit goes to a few trucks with very high values of time, especially when the toll is expensive. Also, forhire trucks receive, on average, greater benefit than in-house carriers because of higher values of time.