Enabling the freight traffic controller for collaborative multi-drop urban logistics: practical and theoretical challenges

There is increasing interest in how horizontal collaboration between parcel carriers might help alleviate problems associated with last-mile logistics in congested urban centers. Through a detailed review of the literature on parcel logistics pertaining to collaboration, along with practical insights from carriers operating in the United Kingdom, this paper examines the challenges that will be faced in optimizing multicarrier, multidrop collection, and delivery schedules. A “freight traffic controller” (FTC) concept is proposed. The FTC would be a trusted third party, assigned to equitably manage the work allocation between collaborating carriers and the passage of vehicles over the last mile when joint benefits to the parties could be achieved. Creating this FTC concept required a combinatorial optimization approach for evaluation of the many combinations of hub locations, network configuration, and routing options for vehicle or walking to find the true value of each potential collaboration. At the same time, the traffic, social, and environmental impacts of these activities had to be considered. Cooperative game theory is a way to investigate the formation of collaborations (or coalitions), and the analysis used in this study identified a significant shortfall in current applications of this theory to last-mile parcel logistics. Application of theory to urban freight logistics has, thus far, failed to account for critical concerns including (a) the mismatch of vehicle parking locations relative to actual delivery addresses; (b) the combination of deliveries with collections, requests for the latter often being received in real time during the round; and (c) the variability in travel times and route options attributable to traffic and road network conditions

Developments in the Dutch Urban System on the Basis of Flows

Limtanakool N., Schwanen T. and Dijst M. Developments in the Dutch urban system on the basis of flows, Regional Studies. In this study, the 1992, 1995, 1999, and 2002 Netherlands National Travel Surveys are employed to examine the change in the configuration of the urban system on the basis of commute and leisure flows between 23 daily urban systems (DUSs). The results for commuting flows provide some evidence of smaller differences in the importance of DUSs in the system over the ten-year period in the Dutch urban system. Leisure flows, however, do not reveal clear evidence of such development. It is found that the development process occurs very slowly and the developments between DUSs in close proximity to one another take place at a faster pace than between those located further away. [image omitted] Limtanakool N., Schwanen T. et Dijst M. Le developpement du systeme urbain neerlandais sur la base des flux, Regional Studies. A partir des enquetes de 1992, 1995, 1999 et 2002 sur les trajets quotidiens aux Pays-Bas, menees au niveau national, cette etude cherche a examiner l'evolution de l'ossature du systeme urbain sur la base des migrations quotidiennes entre vingt-trois Daily Urban Systems (DUS; systemes urbains quotidiens) pour se rendre au travail et au loisir. Pour ce qui est des migrations quotidiennes pour se rendre a la zone de travail. Les resultats laissent voir de faibles differences quant a l'importance des DUS dans le systeme urbain neerlandais sur une periode de dix annees. Cependant, les migrations quotidiennes pour se rendre a la zone de loisir ne font pas preuve d'un tel developpement. Il s'avere que le processus de developpement evolue tres lentement et que les developpements entre DUS a proximite evoluent plus rapidement que ne le font ceux qui sont entre DUS a plus grande distance. Systeme urbain Flux urbains Polycentrisme Pays-Bas Limtanakool N., Schwanen T. und Dijst M. Entwicklungen im hollandischen urbanen System auf der Grundlage von Stromen, Regional Studies. In dieser Studie werden mit Hilfe der nationalen Verkehrserhebungen in den Niederlanden von 1992, 1995, 1999 und 2002 die Veranderungen in der Konfiguration der urbanen Systeme anhand der Verkehrsstrome zu Arbeits- und Freizeitzwecken zwischen 23 Einzugsgebieten untersucht. Die Ergebnisse bei den Verkehrsstromen von Berufspendlern liefern einige Anzeichen fur kleinere Unterschiede hinsichtlich der Bedeutung der Einzugsgebiete im System uber den zehnjahrigen Zeitraum des hollandischen urbanen Systems. Bei den Verkehrsstromen zu Freizeitzwecken werden hingegen keine klaren Anzeichen fur eine solche Entwicklung sichtbar. Wir stellen fest, dass der Entwicklungsprozess ausserst langsam vonstatten geht und dass sich die Entwicklungen zwischen nahe beieinander liegenden Einzugsgebieten schneller vollziehen als die zwischen weiter voneinander entfernt liegenden Gebieten. Urbanes System Urbane Verkehrsstrome Polyzentrismus Niederlande Limtanakool N., Schwanen T. y Dijst M. Desarrollo en el sistema urbano holandes segun los flujos, Regional Studies. Con ayuda de las encuestas nacionales sobre el trafico en los Paises Bajos de 1992, 1995, 1999 y 2002, en este ensayo analizamos el cambio en la configuracion del sistema urbano en funcion de los flujos de desplazamiento por motivos laborales y de ocio entre veintitres sistemas urbanos de movimientos pendulares diarios. En los resultados de los flujos de desplazamientos por motivos laborales se observan pequenas diferencias en cuanto a la importancia de los sistemas urbanos diarios en el sistema durante un periodo de diez anos en el sistema urbano holandes. Sin embargo, los flujos de ocio no indican una clara evidencia de tal desarrollo. Observamos que el proceso de desarrollo ocurre muy lentamente y los desarrollos entre los sistemas urbanos diarios que estan proximos entre ellos tienen lugar a un ritmo mas rapido que entre los que estan mas lejos. Sistema urbano Flujos urbanos Policentrismo Los Paises BajosUrban system, Urban flows, Polycentrism, the Netherlands,