As a carrier, you are expected to do your part to improve liveability in large cities. Curious how to do that and how to adapt your resources accordingly?
You park your car on the pavement. Hazard lights on, just quickly deliver your package. Further down, a delivery van is unloading a sofa. A moving ladder blocks the road. In your side mirror, you see a stream of cyclists approaching. Drive away quickly? Forget about it. A Monday morning in a city centre. The number of cars is countless, and fresh air seems a thing of the past. It's no coincidence that environment and liveability are on the agendas of urban planners. Consider, for example, the zero-emission plan of the municipality of Rotterdam, where by 2030 CO2 emissions must be 49% lower than in 2021. Or shared logistics projects, where trips are combined to reduce the number of vehicles in cities. So, a lot of effort is being put into solutions to keep cities liveable. In the near future, as a carrier, you are also expected to contribute to this. But how do you do that? What do you need to consider, and how do you adapt your resources accordingly? Efficient route planning for urban logistics is your first step.
In urban logistics, there is talk about the environmentally friendly last mile. This last mile is the final stretch – in this case, in the city centre – that a package travels to reach the consumer. And that's precisely where the problem lies: cities are overcrowded, parcel services drive around with too many delivery vans, there's little space, little efficiency, and CO2 emissions exceed desired limits. Therefore, more and more research is being conducted into solutions for that urban last mile. Combining trips, deploying electric vehicles, and "smart" driving are intended solutions.
As a carrier, you want to contribute to these solutions within urban logistics. In fact, it's expected of you if you want to continue delivering in urban areas in the near future. That requires good planning. It won't surprise you that route planning plays a very important role in this. With route planners you can easily plan optimal routes and drive the short distances between different stops. This means you ensure lower CO2 emissions and fewer vehicles in the city.
But when it comes to urban logistics, not all route planners prove suitable for optimal route planning in cities. For example, for driving in the city, you need to be able to input different vehicle types into your planner. Think of a bicycle profile for bike routes in the city centre or routes with charging stations for your electric vehicles. Furthermore, for your time planning, it's important that your route planner takes into account different vehicle speeds or expected unloading times, so you can maintain a detailed ETA. It's also important to be able to communicate well with the recipient; in the city, it can easily happen that you are delayed due to traffic.
Even if you use the most advanced route planner for urban logistics, there are still some bumps on the urban roads. For example, regulations within cities are often unclear. Consider, for instance, the different time windows that cities use for deliveries. The infrastructure within cities is also not yet optimally designed for new urban distribution solutions. For example, cities are not set up for easy delivery to shops, there are too few loading and unloading zones, and there are still few opportunities to efficiently and quickly charge electric vehicles. End recipients also don't make it easy for you. Shops open on Monday mornings – an important delivery time – only at 11:00 AM, while the delivery time window for the street expires at 12:00 PM.
Despite the aforementioned causes of inefficiency in urban logistics, it's wise to keep investing. In thought, in possibilities, and of course, in resources like good route planners. In other words, don't be discouraged. Trends and developments within urban logistics show a favourable picture for the future. For example, in the future, routes can be optimally planned using real-time traffic data, also indicating which loading and unloading zones are available. Furthermore, the focus remains on zero-emission plans, making "clean transport" increasingly popular. Electric trucks, delivery vans, and cargo bikes will therefore appear more frequently in the urban landscape. This will lead to more charging stations, or, for example, bicycle paths will be widened to promote the use of electric cargo bikes for deliveries.
Our advice? Invest in the future and stay ahead of your time. If you want to continue delivering in urban areas, seek advice on urban logistics. Can we help you, or do you have questions about this article? Then contact RoutiGo , we'd be happy to help you get started!This article was based on the research by Daniël Goud, “The best use of RoutiGo in urban logistics and sharing logistics concepts”, 2021.
.jpg)
