The Impact of the Freeway Differentiated Tolling Scheme on Truck Traveling Behavior: A Case in Ninghu Freeway of Jiangsu Province

The freeway tolling policy, which aims at regaining the cost of freeway construction and maintenance, is prevailing in China. The increase in traffic volume and the variety of vehicle types result in traffic congestion, accidents, and pollutions. In response to this, China has implemented an adjusted road pricing approach, i.e., the differentiated truck tolling policy. This study conducted a stated preference (SP) survey of truck driver responses to the potential differentiated truck tolling schemes. A discrete choice experiment was conducted on Ninghu Freeway of Jiangsu province, China. Based on the multinomial logit (MNL) model, the departure time choice model and the route choice model were established. The results indicate the impact of various charging combinations and incentives on the truck drivers' choice. The proposed method would be an auxiliary analysis tool for policy makers to assess truck drivers' reactions to the introduction of freeway differentiated tolling policies.