Vehicle (LV) fleet management optimisation - process transformation

A key component of the initiative is Process transformation, which put a focus on optimisation of fleet of Global Organisation’s (GO) including processes in specific functional areas through re-engineering, realignment and standardization. In this paper we will try to determine the functional areas and processes that would benefit from this re-engineering. The spotlight will be given on process transformation in plant and property equipment (PPE) that will define the specific processes for improvement, with an indepth analysis of performance, bottlenecks, and the root causes of any performance gaps. This will facilitate the development of potential improvement mechanisms and proposed recommendations, in addition to guiding the establishment of a comprehensive monitoring plan to track progress for functional area planning and strategy. While understanding that key processes which are mainly carried out in GO headquarters, we will try to expand the efforts beyond and seek possibilities for further improvements on efficiency and effectiveness in the country offices. This will ultimately remove much of the transactional burden from field offices globally and certainly will help increase the effectiveness and efficiency in reaching the beneficiaries which is the ultimate goal of this research

High-level Architecture and Compelling Technologies for an Advanced Web-based Vehicle Routing and Scheduling System for Urban Freight Transportation

The search for a more efficient routing and scheduling, the improvement of service’s level and the increasing complexity of real-world distributive contexts are contingent variables that generate the need for a system’s architecture that may be holistic, innovative, scalable and reliable. Hence, new technologies and a lucid awareness of involved actors and infrastructures, provide the basis to create a more efficient routing and scheduling architecture for enterprises

Towards Sustainable Collaborative Logistics Using Specialist Planning Algorithms and a Gain-Sharing Business Model:A UK Case Study

This paper introduces the FreightShare Lab Platform (FSLP) and its embedded business model, aiming to facilitate and encourage horizontal collaboration in freight logistics. The idea of the FSLP is to create collaborating clusters of freight operators, and corresponding collaborative operational plans, via specialised decision support algorithms and multi-fleet optimisation. Further, a gain-sharing business model embedded within the FSLP algorithms ensures that participants, mainly logistics service providers and freight operators, can retain their own profit margins and fairly share the efficiency gains from collaboration. A case study is presented, centred on a large UK freight operator, to evaluate the key FSLP algorithms in a realistic context. The results evidence the potential for significant financial and environmental benefits for industry and society

Freight-Truck-Pavement Interaction, Logistics, and Economics: Final Phase 1 Report (Tasks 1–6)

This pilot study applies the principles of Vehicle-Pavement Interaction (V-PI) and state-of-the practice tools to simulate and measure peak loads and vertical acceleration of trucks and their freight on a selected range of typical pavement surface profiles on the State Highway System. Outputs from the pilot study are expected to provide input for planning and economic models to enable an improved evaluation of the freight flows and costs in selected regions. The San Joaquin Valley corridor, a major production and transportation corridor in California, is identified as well-suited to be the pilot area for the remainder of this project

Indirect structural health monitoring (iSHM) of transport infrastructure in the digital age

Workshop reportCopyright © Joint Research Centre (European Commission). The existing European motorway infrastructure network is prone to ageing and subject to natural events (e.g. climate change) and hazards (e.g. earthquakes), necessitating immediate actions for its maintenance and safety. Within this context, the structural health monitoring (SHM) framework allows a quantitative assessment of the structural integrity, serviceability and performance, facilitating better-informed decisions for the management of the existing infrastructure. The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) established the exploratory research project MITICA (Monitoring Transport Infrastructures with Connected and Automated vehicles) to investigate the opportunity to use novel methods for infrastructure motoring, aiming at the efficient maintenance of the European aging road infrastructure. This report summarizes the discussion and the outcomes of a workshop held at the JRC in Ispra (Italy) on June 6-7 2022, as part of the MITICA project. Considering the EU priority “A Europe fit for the digital age”, the workshop was dedicated to SHM and its application to civil infrastructure, focusing on innovative indirect structural health monitoring (iSHM) approaches that rely on the vehicle-bridge interaction and the deployment of sensor-equipped vehicles for the monitoring of the existing bridge infrastructure. The report aims to become a reference document in the area of iSHM using passing vehicles, for both scholars and policy makers

A Review of Rail Research Relevant to the Case for Increased Rail Investment.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of rail transport research which has a bearing on the case of increased rail investment. The paper focuses on research which has been conducted on the demand for rail travel, both passenger and freight, rather than the supply side or new technology. The aim is to identify where we believe there to be significant gaps in knowledge and key areas in which further research is required are outlined. The paper deals with the following issues: the investment and funding mechanisms that currently exist for rail; the extent to which changes in the fare and service quality of rail affect the demand for rail travel and also the demand for air and road travel; the environmental and congestion benefits of diverting traffic from road and air to rail; and the links between rail investment and economic development. Where appropriate, the discussion considers inter-urban travel, suburban travel, light rail transit and freight transport separately

Project BeARCAT : Baselining, Automation and Response for CAV Testbed Cyber Security : Connected Vehicle & Infrastructure Security Assessment

Connected, software-based systems are a driver in advancing the technology of transportation systems. Advanced automated and autonomous vehicles, together with electrification, will help reduce congestion, accidents and emissions. Meanwhile, vehicle manufacturers see advanced technology as enhancing their products in a competitive market. However, as many decades of using home and enterprise computer systems have shown, connectivity allows a system to become a target for criminal intentions. Cyber-based threats to any system are a problem; in transportation, there is the added safety implication of dealing with moving vehicles and the passengers within