[NTC2015-MU-R-04] Development and Demonstration of Advanced Methods for Quantifying Freight Truck Activity, Energy Use, and Emissions

Heavy duty trucks are a key freight transportation mode and are responsible for substantial consumption of energy, emissions of pollutants harmful to human health including nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2). Freight trucks operate as part of a mix of vehicles, and thus interact with vehicle traffic in complex ways. This project has the following objectives: (1) develop and demonstrate a new capability for the DTAlite dynamic traffic assignment model to simulate heavy duty freight trucks, including estimation of 1 Hz speed trajectories; (2) extend the capabilities of a simplified microscale vehicle emissions model, MOVES Lite, to estimate energy use and emissions of heavy duty freight trucks; (3) couple DTAlite and MOVES Lite; (4) calibrate and evaluate the modeling framework; (5) apply the modeling framework to demonstrate capability; and (6) disseminate new capabilities to practitioners.

We will demonstrate how the energy use and emissions of freight trucks can be assessed with respect to the impact of traffic and transportation control measures, changes in fuels (e.g., biodiesel versus diesel), and changes in vehicle technologies (e.g., impact of technologies to reduce vehicle energy use, such as planned under U.S. fuel economy standards). Thus, we can provide a comprehensive picture for decision makers regarding policy options that can be effective in reducing energy use and emissions.