## 3 Methodology
All the research was conducted by traffic and travel experts, but this led to an unfortunately narrow view that did not consider small but critical complications that may be obvious to those in other fields. While the model can always be improved and refined, its necessity in ensuring a complete holistic view of the problem should always be considered. With the purpose of testing the AHP model set, the research itself needs to be summarized. The research set out to study the effects of ETPL implementation through a simulation model, VISSIM. The VISSIM 10 software was advanced enough to calculate driver-to-driver interactions, thus creating a model that could account for changes on a micro level due to the manipulation of several parameters, such as traffic volume, truck percentage, and speed limit. The resulting data from this study are too large to include here, so only the highlights of this study will be listed. When ETPL strategies were implemented, the data showed the following:  
* Average speed and acceleration of standard passenger vehicles were overall lowered, increasing average travel time by approximately 0.8%. * Average speed of freight trucks was increased, while acceleration was set at zero due to the CACC systems maintaining a constant speed. This would lower average travel time by approximately 16%. * Due to the exclusion of passenger vehicles from the ETPL, the lack of interaction between the two types would overall reduce the risk of crashes. In addition, the CACC technology will help reduce driver fatigue, further reducing the risk of crashes. * Since the platooning would reduce the effect of drag force and wind resistance on the subsequent trucks in the convoy, overall fuel efficiency would be improved, therefore lowering total greenhouse gas emissions. With these findings, alternatives to evaluate the efficacy of the ETPL were decided. The first alternative was the base scenario, wherein no ETPL implementation was present. The second alternative involved ETPL implementation at a speed limit of 55 mph, while the final alternative involved implementation at 75 mph. With the overall goal and alternatives established, the individual perspectives and criteria must also be determined. The research decided on four perspectives, with eleven total criteria split among them. In order, the four perspectives were as follows:  
1. Economic Perspective;
2. Safety Perspective;Environmental Perspective;
* 4 Mobility Perspective. These perspectives are detailed as follows: 1. The Economic Perspective involves all decisions involving payment and funding. Those involved would be parties such as federal road agencies, taxpayers, and those in charge of the freight who gain revenue from the transportation. The criteria to be weighted are as follows:
* 5 Vehicle Operating Cost: The travel time has direct and indirect impacts on the economy due to the loss of personal time and the cost of delaying delivery of goods. Thus, governmental and economic analysts use travel time to compare investments in transportation planning and management. According to a mobility report (2015), the cost of delay associated with congestion is $101 per hour for trucks and approximately $17 per hour for other vehicles. * 6 Initial and Maintenance Cost: This criterion considers the direct costs of building new lanes, as well as continuous costs for operation and maintenance. * 7 Goods Cost and Productivity: Trucks are considered the main mode of share because all goods are moved by trucks at some point. Enhancing the performance of trucks on highway systems can increase productivity and reduce the cost of delivering goods. 2. The Safety Perspective involves all decisions pertaining to the management of roads to prevent damage and loss of life. Those involved would be parties such as policy-makers and law enforcement. The criteria to be weighted are as follows:
* 7 Traffic Conflict Points: The potential of a collision occurring rises with higher traffic volume, as that presents more opportunities for a mistake to occur.