Daniel investigated how shared logistics can be implemented in urban areas. This article focuses on one of the main findings from his research.
We recently wrote about investing in urban logistics. About how you, as a carrier, are expected to contribute to the environmental sustainability and liveability of cities. The article is based on the internship final report of Daniel Goud, a 3rd-year Logistics Management student at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Daniel investigated how shared logistics can be implemented in urban areas. This article focuses on one of the main findings from Daniel's research, namely that the willingness to share vehicles is not yet as high as desired.
For his research, Daniel participated in the Shared Logistics Project at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Goods from various parties were received at a hub in the Spaanse Polder on the outskirts of Rotterdam. These were consolidated from the hub and delivered to customers in the city centre. Electric delivery vans and electric cargo bikes were used for this purpose. These Sevic Cargo 500 delivery vans and Urban Arrow XL cargo bikes operated with RougiGo's route optimization software.
Sharing vehicles is a future-oriented solution to reduce city centre traffic, according to one of the conclusions in Daniel's research report. Within a shared logistics concept, vehicles, personnel, and information systems are shared to achieve more efficient logistics with fewer trips and reduced CO2 emissions. A prerequisite for this is that a sharing hub must be profitable. This requires enough carriers to (dare to) participate and share. However, vehicle sharing is still not as common as desired for optimal and profitable implementation of shared logistics in cities.
There is still much to gain in the field of shared logistics. Daniel's research shows that in 2019, only 16% of trade and production companies used a shared logistics initiative, such as a logistics platform. Through such a platform, supply and demand are brought together. The shipper can indicate how much needs to be transported, and the platform shows which carriers can transport a load. The platform also indicates the price of transport, and the carrier can be "booked" directly. An example of such a platform is Quicargo. By combining the strengths of various carriers, Quicargo has access to over 10,000 trucks. Plenty of room to share, then. "Make use of these opportunities," is Daniel's recommendation. Carriers still have many doubts about outsourcing their orders. The most prominent concern is whether orders will be handled in the same or correct manner by the other party. There is also uncertainty surrounding the sharing of electric vehicles. The main concerns are that shared vehicles might not be available on time, their range might be insufficient because they are not charged on time, or even that vehicles could break down. To avoid all these concerns, carriers in cities currently continue to drive neatly in succession, and there is little use of sharing hubs. This therefore calls for a continuation of the Shared Logistics research.
Recently published www.logistiek.nl an article about the Sharing Logistics Project. This article can be read at:https://www.logistiek.nl/distributie/artikel/2021/03/sharing-logistics-project-deeleconomie-aanjager-zero-emissie-stadslogistiek-101177534?fbclid=IwAR281PO2GY-zFheCmbj8-O7To_N4Zzjiht103wIvcrHwMcW4cBrGan1APw8&_ga=2.76231637.1331344551.1615977087-11447220.1615977087
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