Examining Truck Platoon Configurations to Maximize Operational, Safety, and Environmental Performance

The efficient movement of freight is crucial for the sustainability of the US economy and for improving its environmental impact. Truck platooning involves several trucks closely following each other in a platoon using connected and automated vehicles technology and is a promising solution to increase freight movement effectiveness and decrease fuel consumption and labor expenses. Despite recent studies exploring the influence of truck platooning on fuel efficiency and traffic movement, it remains unknown how this technology affects traffic operation and safety and what best-performing vehicle platoon configurations are particularly at waving segments. This study proposes a comprehensive and novel approach to optimize truck platoon configurations during peak and off-peak phases on highways to improve its operational performance, safety, and positive environmental impacts, using microsimulation and economic analysis. Underlying this objective is to investigate the potential of using machine-learning models to predict economic costs (including traffic operational, traffic safety, and environmental costs of truck platooning) considering different configurations. The results show that truck platooning can improve traffic flow and have a positive environmental impact. However, it can negatively affect traffic safety during peak hours. This study explores the best-performing truck platooning configuration at various market penetration rates (MPRs) and during both peak and off-peak periods. For example, at 25% MPR, it was found that during the peak hour, the preferred truck platoon consists of three trucks with a headway of 0.3 s. However, during off-peak periods, the best-performing configuration is four trucks per platoon with a headway of 0.7 s between trucks. Furthermore, the study shows that machine learning models, particularly the XGBoost model, can accurately predict the economic cost of different truck platoon configurations. The study findings demonstrate the potential of truck platooning technology in enhancing freight movement efficiency and reducing environmental impact, contributing to achieving more sustainable transportation systems.