Delays to road freight vehicles impose a very high cost on the nation. Delayed arrival time can occur for a variety of reasons. This report presents the findings of a Highways Agency funded study, which has investigated the user valuations of three different kinds of delay: a delay resulting from an increased journey time, with fixed departure time; an increase in the spread (or range) of arrival times for a fixed departure time; and a schedule delay where the departure time is effectively put back. The study centred on an interview survey of forty shippers, hauliers and third party logistics operators. Respondents were asked to consider one of their freight flows on the trunk road network in detail. The report presents user valuations of each kind of delay, estimated using the Leeds Adaptive Stated Preference (LASP) methodology. Various reasons why respondents value a high degree of predictability of journey times on the trunk road network are identified and discussed. (Author/publisher)
Abstract