Freight Efficiency Research Articles

Exploring the relationship between urban freight demand and the purchasing behaviour of a University

IntroductionThis research was focused on the ‘receiver’ end of the supply chain that has, in recent years, emerged as a novel area of investigation by European urban freight researchers. The paper explores the importance of procurement policy and mechanisms in a higher education establishment in order to drive a sustainable approach to inbound logistics. There is little known of the purchasing behaviour at individual level within such organisations. A localised city logistics Delivery Service Plan, within a ‘coherent campus strategy’ for an academic campus was established at Newcastle University, located at the centre of a medium size British city.MethodPurchasing data and interviews with the purchasing manager demonstrated the current state of purchasing practice at the University, relative to the benchmarks established in the literature. In order to better understand the relationships between delivery services, the urban environment, and staff attitudes, a questionnaire was conducted with Newcastle University staff, addressing the purchasing of all goods to be delivered to the workplace.ResultMultivariate analysis of cross-sectional data, as well as qualitative analysis, shows that variable frequency in demand can be explained by: job type; the different ways to raise a purchase order (PO); type of goods purchased; expected delivery times; and from where the PO originates. The findings suggest that training within specific staff roles would benefit the University’s urban freight coordination and management. We can also see that a very small core of people raise most of the orders and that, through them, it should be possible to influence the majority of orders. Lastly, demonstrating to the University’s Executive that employee views on private purchasing directly influence the practice, has convinced the board that changing purchasing behaviour towards freight efficiency is a feasible option for a sustainable institutional organisation.ConclusionThe key contribution of this paper is demonstration of the important role of logistics receiver can make in delivering sustainable city logistics. This is especially true for large organisation with multi-sited and multi-level management (central vs local) that require multi-type of logistics in a city-centred bound historic built environment University. This paper shed light on identifying the key determinants of freight demand at University that can be managed and act as catalyst for accommodating urban freight in city planning.

Evaluation and Testing of Driver-Assistive Truck Platooning: Phase 2 Final Results

Phase 2 final results are described for the FHWA Exploratory Advanced Research project titled Heavy Truck Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control: Evaluation, Testing, and Stakeholder Engagement for Near Term Deployment, which evaluates the commercial feasibility of driver-assistive truck platooning (DATP). The project was led by Auburn University, in partnership with Peloton Technology, Peterbilt Trucks, Meritor WABCO, and the American Transportation Research Institute. DATP is a form of cooperative adaptive cruise control for heavy trucks (two-truck platoons). It takes advantage of the increasing maturity of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications (and the expected widespread deployment of V2V connectivity based on dedicated short-range communications over the next decade) to improve freight efficiency, fleet efficiency, safety, and highway mobility as well as reduce emissions. Notably, truck fleets can implement DATP regardless of the regulatory timeline for dedicated short-range communications. The Phase 2 analysis built on Phase 1 and included a testing program of a DATP prototype (with detailed SAE Type 2 fuel economy testing), wireless communications optimization, traffic modeling to understand the impact on roadways at various levels of market penetration, and additional analysis of methods to find DATP partners as well as aerodynamic simulations to understand drag on the vehicles. Detailed analysis of the fuel economy testing data is provided.

Fuel and Freight Efficiency - Past, Present and Future Perspectives

Fuel and Freight Efficiency - Past, Present and Future Perspectives

Domestic railroad infrastructure and exports: Evidence from the Silk Route

By exploiting a quasi-experiment affecting only non-monetary transport cost, this study tests the impact of an exogenous railroad speed enhancement and capacity expansion project (RSCP) on China's exports to Central Asia. The Longhai and Lanxin lines in China, linking the East and the West, were upgraded on October 21, 2000, improving freight efficiency between Eastern China and Xinjiang, the gateway from China to Central Asia. By employing a transaction-level export database, empirical results find that exports freighted on the upgraded rail lines increased in value by approximately 30%, compared with other freight modes. The results are robust by excluding specific observations with respect to the demand fluctuations and macroeconomic shocks, and including additional controls. The intensive margin, but not the extensive margin, played a major role in explaining the impact of railroad upgrades on exports. In addition, the project caused spatial reorganization in exporting activities. The share of Xinjiang exporters in the Central Asia market shrank, while Xinjiang's exports to other international markets expanded through better accessibility to the coast.

Long-Haul Truck Sleeper Heating Load Reduction Package for Rest Period Idling

Annual fuel use for sleeper cab truck rest period idling is estimated at 667 million gallons in the United States, or 6.8% of long-haul truck fuel use. Truck idling during a rest period represents zero freight efficiency and is largely done to supply accessory power for climate conditioning of the cab. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's CoolCab project aims to reduce heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) loads and resulting fuel use from rest period idling by working closely with industry to design efficient long-haul truck thermal management systems while maintaining occupant comfort. Enhancing the thermal performance of cab/sleepers will enable smaller, lighter, and more cost-effective idle reduction solutions. In addition, if the fuel savings provide a one- to three-year payback period, fleet owners will be economically motivated to incorporate them. For candidate idle reduction technologies to be implemented by original equipment manufacturers and fleets, their effectiveness must be quantified. To address this need, several promising candidate technologies were evaluated through experimentation and modeling to determine their effectiveness in reducing rest period HVAC loads. Load reduction strategies were grouped into the focus areas of solar envelope, occupant environment, conductive pathways, and efficient equipment. Technologies in each of these focus areasmore » were investigated in collaboration with industry partners. The most promising of these technologies were then combined with the goal of exceeding a 30% reduction in HVAC loads. These technologies included 'ultra-white' paint, advanced insulation, and advanced curtain design. Previous testing showed more than a 35.7% reduction in air conditioning loads. This paper describes the overall heat transfer coefficient testing of this advanced load reduction technology package that showed more than a 43% reduction in heating load. Adding an additional layer of advanced insulation with a reflective barrier to the thermal load reduction package resulted in a 53.3% reduction in the overall heat transfer coefficient.« less

Opportunity Cost for Society Related to U.S. Truck Size and Weight Regulation: Freight Efficiency

Improvements in truck freight efficiency through such measures as optimized logistics and truck loading, the utilization of other transportation modes, and the reform of federal truck size and weight policy are expected to require fewer truck trips to move the nation’s freight. This reduction in truck travel distance should bring with it reductions in fuel consumption, emissions, and casualties as a result of reduced exposure. This paper discusses truck size and weight policy domestically and internationally and contrasts U.S. mass efficiency with that of the country’s North American Free Trade Agreement partners and, more broadly, with countries outside of North America. The analysis reveals the outdated nature of U.S. federal size and weight policy compared with other nations. The inability of U.S. federal policy to remain current with other countries is a result of a freeze on policy change that has been in place since 1982. An analysis of the societal benefits associated with improvements in truck freight efficiency is provided. Rather than estimating the precise benefits associated with the many options available, the analysis examines the benefits associated with a 10% reduction in truck travel distance. In this way, the paper provides insight into the significance of improved freight efficiency that reduces total truck travel distance, which in turn provides fuel savings, a reduction in emissions, and a reduction in truck crash frequency. The analysis concludes that a 10% reduction in truck distance traveled for a fixed national freight task would generate approximately $16 billion, save 330 lives, and prevent approximately 4,000 injuries per year.

Estimating Truck Aggressiveness Using a Multilinear Fatigue Model and a Viscoelastic Pavement Model

AbstractTo increase freight efficiency, trucks are allowed to transport heavier loads without adding extra axles. The impact of this practice on infrastructure damage needs to be evaluated. This involves evaluating the fatigue life of asphalt pavements under multiple axle configurations. In mechanistic pavement design, the asphalt thickness is generally determined using a fatigue model calibrated in the laboratory by applying a continuous sinusoidal signal with different strain levels. The classical fatigue relationship gives fatigue life as a function of the strain level. However, results from literature show the influence of the loading wave shape on the fatigue life of bituminous mixtures. Real loading signals under multiple axle configurations are more complex in shape than sinusoidal pulses. Moreover, real strain signals have different shapes in the longitudinal and transverse directions. This paper presents an approach using a multilinear fatigue model that takes into account the shape of the loadin...

Complete Vehicle Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucking: Optimizing Freight Efficiency Benefits to Meet U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards

Complete Vehicle Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucking: Optimizing Freight Efficiency Benefits to Meet U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards

INFORMATION SUPPORT TRANSPORTATION PROCESS MULTIMODAL SYSTEM

Background: is to improve information support for the organization and functioning of multimodal systems delive-ry modes of transport in the northern regions of the Russian Federation on the basis of the development of theoretical and methodological and practical provisions, criteria, methods and mathematical models. Method or methodology of the work: a methodology placement vehicle logistics center (TLC) in the Nordic region, providing links all transport modes involved in the delivery of energy, developed a model to optimize the parameters of the transport network, used for traffic, the most effective schemes of delivery of goods in multimodal report, taking into account the specifics of the Nordic region, and funding. Results: Studies have applied and may be used by the fe-deral and regional authorities and management in the deve-lopment of integrated programs for energy-Northern regions. Proposed in the theoretical research and methodological approaches are one way to increase the efficiency of the delivery of goods in the event of a little predictable situations on the route, TLC and transhipment points. The developed techniques are used and can be used to improve the northern region of the process control of cargo delivery. Conclusion: Therefore, based on the analysis of the status of the issue, it is quite obvious that the very topical area of optimization of the transport needs of the region to ensure the development and implementation of methods to improve the efficiency and quality of freight traffic by improving organizational structures and technology traffic control all transport space in the region.

Enhancing Rail Competitiveness with Online Rail Freight Exchange

In many European countries, rail freight demand has increased considerably during the past 10 to 15 years though only a few countries have reached considerable levels such as those observed in the United States. A closer look at the German case reveals that, given a considerable amount of empty wagons and a nontransparent market, there is still some potential to increase efficiency and competitiveness of rail freight and to overcome knowledge and information barriers in the rail freight market. Embedded in the strategy of the transnational project titled “CODE 24” (Corridor 24 Development Rotterdam–Genoa), an online rail freight exchange appears to be the appropriate instrument to cope with these challenges. The exchange is a market platform through which rail freight services are offered and requested online. At the start of the project, except for some initial business and case studies, the market relevance of such a tool and the requirements of potential users (predominantly shipping companies, transport logistics providers, and rail operators) had yet to be explored. Therefore, a workshop was held with these groups and other experts in 2011. From the outcome, potential operators of the platform had to be identified. In September 2012, CODE 24 identified two companies that were interested in cooperating with the CODE 24 network and developing such an online rail market ready for commercialization. CODE 24 decided to support both companies and emphasize their neutrality. Both platforms have been available since October 2013 and were presented at a joint workshop with the European Union Interreg IVB Programme in November 2013. A preliminary appraisal by February 2015 showed that both platforms were working well and had up to 94 registered companies.

Data Mining in E-Governance Models and Applications

In today’s highly competitive environment, green logistics issues are gaining high attention. Since it is an important part of supply chain management and plays an important role in the improvement of transport system. Logistics facilitates in getting products and services as and when they are needed and desired to the customer. It serves as a major enabler of growth of trade and commerce in an economy because it is helpful in economic transactions. The American Council of Logistics Management defines logistics as “the process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost effective flow and storage of raw materials, in-process inventory, finished goods and related information from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of meeting the customers requirements. Contemporary technological developments have improved the cost, efficiency and reliability of freight and passenger transport systems. At the same time, the negative environmental impacts of transportation have gained wide recognition and are at the core of issues of sustainability, especially in urban areas. Since the applications of logistics are generally positive for the efficiency of transport systems, it has been suggested that logistics should be environmentally friendly, thus the concept of “green logistics”. This paper will investigate the issue of green logistics and the environmental impacts it creates. This paper analyses how logistics managers could lead the initiative in this area by incorporating environmental management principles in to their daily decision-making process so that sustainable development could be achieved.

Modal shift for greener logistics − exploring the role of the contract

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate contracts of the intermodal transport market and the incentives they create for a modal shift and thus the financial and environmental efficiency of freight transport.Design/methodology/approach– The research used a mixed-methods approach where qualitative case interviews and quantitative modeling was combined. Two cases of contractual relationships between a service provider and its intermodal train operator on a specific lane were investigated. The case findings were then consolidated and used as input for a model of the contractual relation. Findings were sought through an extensive numerical study.Findings– The cases reported that intermodal rail operators had a strong production focus, transferring the capacity risk (i.e. the risk of unused capacity) to the service provider, which the service providers argued limited the shift from truck to intermodal transportation. The paper shows that, due to the market structure, it is rational for the operator to transfer the capacity risk but not the profit. Consequently, a modal shift is only likely to occur when there is strong shipper pressure or low capacity risk. We present a risk-sharing contract that could release this dead lock.Research limitations/implications– The conclusions are modeling outcomes subject to assumptions based on the cases. For further validation, large-scale quantitative studies are necessary.Practical implications– The paper shows that a three-part tariff in which the capacity risk is shared may lead to increased modal shift and hence assumed improved environmental performance.Social implications– Instead of arguing for operators to be more customer-focussed, policy makers and other stakeholders may have more to gain by having both actors being more cooperation focussed.Originality/value– The paper is the first attempt to quantify how the contractual relations on the freight transport market affect the modal mix and thus the financial and environmental efficiency of freight transport.

Øresund and Fehmarnbelt high-capacity rail corridor standards updated

The Øresund and the planned Fehmarnbelt fixed links have recently adopted a set of standards that can significantly raise the operating efficiency and capacity of freight by rail. These standards are explained in the context of the German–Scandinavian railway corridor and in comparison to the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability. Using a quantitative model, the mass and volume load capacity per train are calculated. Compared to present constraining limitations in the German–Scandinavian corridor, the mass load capacity per train can be increased by 64%, and the volume load capacity by up to 220%.

Increase urban freight efficiency with delivery and servicing plan

Delivery and Servicing Plan (DSP) is an innovative logistics concept for more efficient organisation of deliveries from the point of view of the receiver of the goods. DSP actions tested in this study include reducing the number of suppliers, grouping deliveries, selecting less distant suppliers and others. It is shown that DSP can help reduce externalities and lead to a substantial reduction of costs. A new tool was developed to calculate the benefits of different DSP options for businesses and the public sector. Reductions in costs and externalities exceeding 50% have been demonstrated in a few cases. Remaining difficulties with the concept are organisational issues, lack of knowledge, need to give external advisory support for shop owners and the limited number of successful applications to date.

Development of indicators of freight stations for digital convergence

This study aimed to develop indicators and to establish a procedure that could be used in adjusting functions of a freight station based on many different characteristics of railway logistics. Even though previous studies had drawn optimal models using mathematical algorithms, there was a difficulty in applying those models. Those studies were limited in that they did not consider many different characteristics of railway logistics but were based only on the volume of freight transportation. This study established indicators and procedures by considering characteristics of railway logistics to increase the effectiveness in adjusting functions of the freight station and then analyzed changes in the freight transportation volume and efficiency according to function adjustment of the freight station. As a result, it was shown that the operating cost had decreased more than two-fold compared to the transport income via function adjustment of the freight station.

Effects of rail network enhancement on port hinterland container activity: a United Kingdom case study

Transport infrastructure investment is an important element in the creation of an efficient and sustainable transport sector. Intermodal flows are seen as critical to rail freight’s future success and feature strongly in contemporary transport policy. This paper investigates a practical rail network enhancement scheme from the United Kingdom (UK) designed to achieve a shift of containers from road to rail. The paper’s aim is to determine the effects on rail freight efficiency of a loading gauge increase in April 2011 which allowed 9′ 6″ high containers to be transported on standard wagons on the corridor from the port of Southampton to the West Midlands. The study is based on a “before and after” survey of container train capacity provision and load factors, with the “before” survey taking place in 2007 and the “after” survey in 2012. A consistent approach to data collection in both surveys allows detailed analysis of original survey data to be carried out. It is clear that there have been considerable improvements in both on-train capacity and train loads between 2007 and 2012, and that these improvements have been greatest on routes that have benefited from the gauge enhancement. Rail’s mode share of container throughput at Southampton has increased. There have also been wider benefits to off-corridor locations served from Southampton and elsewhere across the network. Overall, the impacts on rail freight efficiency of the gauge enhancement have been substantial, with efficiency improvements evident even at a time of economic stagnation.

Concept for Better Freight Efficiency on 40-Tonners

Concept for Better Freight Efficiency on 40-Tonners

The impacts of congestion on time-definitive urban freight distribution networks CO2 emission levels: Results from a case study in Portland, Oregon

Increased congestion during peak morning and afternoon periods in urban areas is increasing logistics costs. In addition, environmental, social, and political pressures to limit the impacts associated with CO2 emissions are mounting rapidly. A key challenge for transportation agencies and businesses is to improve the efficiency of urban freight and commercial vehicle movements while ensuring environmental quality, livable communities, and economic growth. However, research and policy efforts to analyze and quantify the impacts of congestion and freight public policies on CO2 emissions are hindered by the complexities of vehicle routing problems with time-dependent travel times and the lack of network-wide congestion data. This research focuses on the analysis of CO2 emissions for different levels of congestion and time-definitive customer demands. Travel time data from an extensive archive of freeway sensors, time-dependent vehicle routing algorithms, and problems-instances with different types of binding constraints are used to analyze the impacts of congestion on commercial vehicle emissions. Results from the case study indicate that the impacts of congestion or speed limits on commercial vehicle emissions are significant but difficult to predict since it is shown that it is possible to construct instances where total route distance or duration increases but emissions decrease. Public agencies should carefully study the implications of policies that regulate depot locations and travel speeds as they may have unintended negative consequences in terms of CO2 emissions.

Evaluation of the Benefits of Road Construction Projects with a Computable General Equilibrium Model that Considers Location Change

Highway construction projects in practice are evaluated by measuring user benefits based on a cost benefit manual. Recently, the measurement of indirect effects that revitalize industry by freight efficiency or relocation effects of new industries is requested to add direct effects such as user benefits. However indirect effects may be canceled out through market mechanisms, so it is important to avoid double count and calculate the net benefits. We built a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model to considered long term interactions of transport and location changes to evaluate the relocation effects brought by transport projects. Application of the CGE model can strictly evaluate the cancelation of effects and exclude the double count of benefits. In addition, we can evaluate relocation effects of new industries because the model is able to consider relocation impacts by transport projects. In this paper, we apply the benefits evaluation model to the Radial and Ring Road Projects of Sapporo City and execute an actual analysis. The numerical results clarified that the Radial Road affects the central area, and the Ring Road affects not only the central area but also the suburban area. In detail, benefits, household and firm location distribution, commodity consumption and production, rate of price reduction and other factors were obtained. Based on the benefit evaluation, the Ring Road Project may bring more benefits than the Radial Road Project.JEL Classification: R13, R14, R42

Exclusive Truck Facilities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Segregation of truck traffic from passenger traffic through implementation of exclusive truck facilities in key economic corridors can lead to improvements in traffic flow characteristics, safety, and freight efficiency in congested corridors. A model of the 400 series highways around Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assesses alternative configurations of exclusive truck facilities. The demands are based on passenger travel data from a household travel survey, intercity truck travel information from a roadside survey, and urban truck travel information from a three-stage model based on shipper survey data. Origin–destination (O-D) flows are assigned to a regional road network by using a generalized cost multiclass user equilibrium model, and preliminary ramp-to-ramp matrices are extracted from the results of the traffic assignment model. Ramp-to-ramp matrices are improved by using O-D matrix updating. After the O-D matrix updating, observed freeway volumes by vehicle type are replicated very closely in the base case. Converting a lane of mixed traffic to an exclusive truck lane on Highway 401 results in an increase in truck demand and lower truck travel times. Construction of a new exclusive truck highway in an existing hydro corridor through Toronto improves travel times moderately for passenger cars and significantly for medium and heavy trucks.