Road Freight Industry Research Articles

Effect of internet of things on Oman road freight industry: the meditation of perceived utility

The expansion of the global supply chain has introduced a multitude of challenges, particularly in road freight transportation. These include extended lead times, high operational expenses, and limited end-to-end visibility. Modern technology must be included in the freight industry to streamline operations and maintain competitiveness. The freight transportation industry is poised for a shift driven by the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things delivers real-time tracking, predictive maintenance, and enhanced security which ushers in a new era for the road transportation industry. Adopting the internet of things will guarantee long-term competitive advantage and future success in a road freight sector. A skills gap remains an obstacle to the successful implementation of the Internet of Things. There has been limited research conducted on the effect of the Internet of Things in the Oman road freight industry. The goal of this study was to document the implementation of Internet of Things and its effect on operational effectiveness through perceived useful in Oman road freight industry. This study used a positivist research philosophy associated with quantitative research. Data was gathered from the five biggest companies in the road freight industry in Oman. A pilot test was conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument used. A convenience sampling technique was administered to collect data from respondents. A total of 203 structured questions were distributed on-line to workers in road freight sector in Oman. A structural equation modelling was used to analyze the quantitative data in the study. Results show that the adoption of IoT in the road freight sector is a continuous trend. Further findings show that the relationship between IoT and operational effectiveness is partially mediated by perceived usefulness. Improved operational effectiveness is the primary impact of IoT on the road freight sector. Managers are informed that smart sensor technologies can be used with the IoT to allow asset visibility and save operational costs. Future research may explore the financial gains attained through the utilization of IoT within Oman road freight industry.

ПРОБЛЕМЫ ОТРАСЛИ ГРУЗОВЫХ АВТОМОБИЛЬНЫХ ПЕРЕВОЗОК И ВАРИАНТЫ ИХ РЕШЕНИЯ

Road transport is the most important part of the transport infrastructure of the Rus- sian Federation. Road transport plays an important role in the socio-economic devel- opment of the country, ensuring the satisfaction of the transport needs of the popula- tion and the economy, creating the necessary communication conditions to ensure its territorial integrity and the unity of the economic space. Road transport is of great importance for ensuring the defense capability and national security of the country. It also creates the necessary communication conditions for the use of Russia's advanta- geous geographical position, providing foreign economic relations and the possibility of integrating the country into the world economic system. The process of cargo transportation is one of the most complex processes associated with transport activities, the organization of which takes significant financial re- sources of cargo carriers. As with any other process, there are significant challenges that every trucking company faces in the transportation of goods. The article deals with the problems of regulation of the road freight transport market, which ultimately have a negative impact on the state, as they lead to incomplete payment of taxes, non-compliance with legislation, and high accident rates. Short- comings are revealed and proposals for regulating the market for the transportation of bulky and heavy cargoes are substantiated. Based on the analysis, proposals for the development of the potential of the Russian road freight industry have been for- mulated.

Heavy Multi-Articulated Vehicles with Electric and Hybrid Power Trains for Road Freight Activity: An Australian Context

The electrification of vehicles from the automotive and public transport industries can reduce harmful emissions if implemented correctly, but there is little evidence of whether the electrification of heavy freight transportation vehicles (HFTVs), such as multi-articulated vehicles, used in the freight industry could see the same benefits. This work studied heavy multi-articulated freight vehicles and developed a comparative analysis between electric and conventional diesel power trains to reduce their total emissions. Real-world drive cycle data were obtained from a heavy multi-articulated freight vehicle operating around Melbourne, Australia, with a gross combination mass (GCM) of up to 66,000 kg. Numerical models of the case study freight vehicle were then simulated with diesel, through-the-road parallel (TTRP) hybrid and electric power trains over the five different drive cycles with fuel and energy consumption results quantified. Battery weights were added on top of the real-world operating GCMs to assure the operational payload did not have to be reduced to accommodate the addition of electric power trains. The fuel and energy consumptions were then used to estimate the real-world emissions and compared. The results showed a positive reduction in tailpipe emissions, but total greenhouse emission was worse for operation in Melbourne if batteries were charged off the grid. However, if Melbourne can move towards more renewable energy and change its emission factor for generating electricity down to 0.49 kg CO2-e/kWh, a strong decarbonization could be possible for the Australian road freight industry and could help meet emission reduction targets set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Effect of internet of things on road freight industry

Background: Evolution in global supply chain has created numerous complexities especially in the transportation of freight. Some of the complexities include ever increasing operational cost, long lead-times, limited end-to-end visibility and raw material supply disruptions because of adverse weather conditions. To improve processes and keep abreast of competition, it is vital for businesses to leverage their operations on current technologies. Internet of things (IoT) technology is one of the innovative technologies that can bring about radical transformations to freight transportation. Despite the promising capabilities of IoT, research on its application and effect on road freight sector in developing economies is scanty. Objectives: The purpose of this article is to establish the likely effect of IoT on the road freight sector. This article identifies IoT technologies used in road freight and establishes the relationship between the drivers and benefits of implementing IoT technologies. Method: Structured questionnaires were sent to employees working within the road freight industry within South Africa. The data were subjected to factor analysis for dimension reduction. Regression analysis helped to establish the relationship between drivers and benefits of IoT. Results: The benefits of IoT were operational effectiveness and improved decision making. The drivers of implementing IoT were identified as asset visibility and the need for real-time information sharing. The main effect of IoT on road freight sector is increased asset visibility. The challenges impeding implementation of IoT include high cost of installation, skills gap, fear of hacking and cyberattacks. Conclusion: Road freight transport managers are advised that IoT can be a strategic tool that uses smart sensor technologies that provide visibility of assets to reduce operational costs and improve decision making. The article contributes to logistics management literature by enumerating the IoT technologies used in the road freight sector in South Africa. It also highlights that IoT provides end-to-end visibility resulting in improved decision-making for optimal operations.

Where is our delivery? The political and socio-technical roadblocks to decarbonising United Kingdom road freight

Road freight represents approximately 8.5% of UK carbon emissions and therefore must be abated if the UK government’s objective to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is to be achieved. While several technology options exist, it is commonly viewed as a hard-to-abate sector and progress to decarbonisation remains slow.Whereas techno-economic aspects of the low carbon transition of road freight are well studied, socio-technical and political aspects are much less so. This is in contrast with substantial socio-technical literature focused on the transition of passenger vehicles. Symptomatic of this, there is little direct engagement in research with freight industry operators and participants. This study seeks to address these gaps by considering the views of these key actors through qualitative social science research.Fifteen semi-structured interviews were undertaken with key stakeholders within the road freight industry. These revealed a range of themes and relevant issues which underline the complexity of this transition. Further analysis of the data revealed six overarching viewpoints that reflect the primary concerns of the expert interviewees. These viewpoints suggest that the challenges for the road freight transition are principally political and socio-technical, and opportunities are identified to further explore these through future research.

How does China’s industrial structure change affect freight demand?

Freight demand (FD) is closely related to industrial structure (IS), and the determination of this relationship is conducive to the development of the transport industry. This research proposed an input–output structural decomposition analysis (IO-SDA) model to explain the growth of FD with the changes in economic aggregate, structural factor, transport demand intensity, and industry connection. This method enables us to quantify and compare the contribution of industrial development to FD growth of five freight modes and determine the role of the structural factor in the growth of FD. An empirical study was conducted based on China’s 2002 to 2017 input–output tables. The results showed that the construction industry was the most important sector leading to the growth of FD, and the role of the service industry in promoting the growth of FD became more evident. There was a clear trend of concentration to the road freight industry, which may undermine the coordination of the transport industry. The structural factor became an important factor in reducing FD in 2007 to 2017. Based on the findings, it is suggested that China should promote the upgrading of IS and emphasize the importance of green road transport and multimodal transport.

Evolution of Energy and Exergy Efficiency in the European Road Freight Industry, 1978–2018

In the last four decades the European truck industry has made remarkable progress in energy efficiency, but this higher efficiency has failed to materialize in lower consumption per unit of load and distance (Tkm). One possible explanation is rebound effects due to average traveling speed and power enhancements. An original set of data covering forty years of truck tests of 526 commercial vehicles and 28 different European brands shows that energy efficiency (fuel economy) of heavy-duty trucks improved by 43% and (engine) power by 44%. We propose exergy as a metric to capture both dimensions and estimate that exergy efficiency increased by 73% over the same period, with an estimated speed rebound effect generally positive among the trucks tested on road conditions. Rebound effects caused by increased speed add to other sources of rebound like load, distance and frequency of journeys to potentially undermine gains delivered by higher energy efficiency. Our results provide evidence of the existence in the transport sector of a trade-off between power and efficiency as theoretically described by finite-time thermodynamics.

Outsourcing as a Challenge for Achieving Competitive Advantage in Road Freight Industry – The Case of Croatia

The purpose of this study was to explore outsourcing as a possible source of competitive advantage for road freight operators, with the empirical research directed towards the road freight transportation sector. Methodologically, this study drew on the data collected from a sample of Croatian road freight transporters. Because a certain number of transportation companies tend to outsource their resources, the insight into outsourcing activities was gained through analysing (1) the number of hired vehicles in the fleet (outsourced vehicles), and (2) the number of hired drivers (outsourced drivers). A variance inflation test, correlation and multiple regression analysis were conducted to test the model assumptions. The research results confirmed the connection between the externalised resources and the differentiation of services and staff. The main contribution and managerial implications included that the companies with a more significant number of hired vehicles in their fleet should differentiate their services. In contrast, the companies that own the majority of their vehicles should build their competitive advantage through staff differentiation.

Analyzing truck fleets’ acceptance of alternative fuel freight vehicles in China

This paper aimed at identifying the factors that influence truck fleets' willingness to purchase alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) in China. An investigation was conducted in Jiangsu province to evaluate the truck fleets' characteristics and preferences by structured questionnaire survey of 288 truck fleets. By establishing logistic regression models, this paper analyzed the factors that influence the willingness of truck fleets to purchase AFVs, their purchase time and their acceptable price. Policy recommendations on improving AFVs market based on survey results and current policies in China are proposed. These findings provide significant insights into truck fleets’ demand for AFVs and contribute to the promotion of AFVs implementation in Chinese road freight industry.

Drivers’ Usage Intention and Influencing Factors of Mobile Terminal Carload Application

Mobile Terminal Carload Application has opened a new chapter for the history of road freight industry with the help of the Internet and smart phones. Driver’s intention of using Mobile Terminal Carload Application is also becoming a new issue faced by the logistics service providers. This paper analyses the user intention, attitude towards use and the related perceived task technology fit, perceived ease of use, and perceived security risk towards the Mobile Terminal Carload Application and the interrelationships among these factors. On the basis of theory and literature research, a hypothesis model was established for the driver’s intention and related factors for using Mobile Terminal Carload Application. Through the investigation of truck drivers in logistics parks in Beijing and the analysis of the structural equation model (SEM), we prove some important hypotheses such as “the perceived task technology fit of Mobile Terminal Carload Application has a positive impact on drivers’ attitude towards use”, and “the perceived security risk of Mobile Terminal Carload Application has a negative impact on drivers’ attitude towards use”. According to this, this paper gives two suggestions to the company operating this Mobile APP to help them improve the drivers’ user intention: one is to provide the salesmen with the necessary training to install the APP guide, which can improve significantly service quality and promote the drivers to install the APP; the other is to strengthen the protection of driver’s privacy information and then enhance their sense of security, so that drivers may use the APP.

Sustainable supply chain initiatives in reducing greenhouse gas emission within the road freight industry

Background: Global supply chains have evolved from a traditional simple supply chain to one that is filled with complexities and uncertainties. The increase in road freight transportation has resulted in an escalation in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere, impacting climate change.Objectives: The purpose of this article was to investigate the implementation of sustainable supply chain initiatives in reducing GHG emissions within the South African road freight transport industry.Method: This research utilised a case study approach and used primary data, obtained through self-administered questionnaires, to explore the adopting sustainable transport management practices.Results: The main drivers for implementing sustainable initiatives are pressure from consumer and brand protection, pressure from top management, and cost saving and revenue. Eco-driving, eco-routing and increasing vehicle carrying capacity are the most adopted sustainable supply chain initiatives implemented. The key benefits resulting from implementing sustainable initiatives were operational cost savings, improved competitive advantage and enhanced supplier relationships. Also, the lack of government support, lack of understanding of the cost and insufficient manpower were identified as the foremost challenges associated with the implementation of these sustainable initiatives.Conclusion: The results reveal that organisations are placed under enormous pressure to implement sustainable practices. This study identifies various sustainable initiatives to reduce GHG emissions and addresses the associated benefits and challenges when implementing these initiatives.

THE EVOLUTION OF HIGH PRODUCTIVITY VEHICLES IN AUSTRALIA AND THEIR BENEFITS

Although the Australian road freight transport industry has seen three mass limits reviews in the mid 1970s, the mid 1980s and in the late 1990s, (Hassall, 2005), there were two very significant truck configuration changes that happened in the mid 1980s and then again in the early 2000s. The first was the trials of a variant of the Canadian B-train (the B-Double) which was introduced into Australia in the mid 1980s. This ‘Australian’ B-Double could achieve payloads some 30% to 40% higher than the conventional ‘semi trailer’ articulated combination. By 2016 some 18,900 of these vehicles were operational in Australia. The second adoption of new vehicle configurations started in 1999 through the National Road Transport Commission (NRTC), who adopted, and further developed, another Canadian concept, that of “Performance Based Standards” (PBS). This effectively allowed for new, flexible truck designs, as long as the vehicles performed against a set of 17 specific technical engineering performance criteria. This Performance Based Standards approach, since 1998, also allowed even larger configurations to B-Doubles to be used by operators. The benefits already of these new configurations has delivered billions of dollars in kilometre savings to the road freight industry and to its customers, as well as very significant safety benefits to the community.

Organizational Mode Innovation and Credit Supervision in Road Freight Transportation under Smart Mobile Devices Applications Services

Abstract The rapid development of China's road freight transport has driven many issues over the last few decades, and trends are to apply new technology to improve the efficiency of cargo movement. In the view of current problems in the supervision and operational mode in China, this paper analysis the function and characteristics of road freight mobile apps that appeared in markets and describes how they may change the road freight industry in the future. Taking the Luge logistic, Cainiao logistic and Loji logistic as representative, a loose network organization is emerging and the intensive mode provides a direction for the transformation and innovation of China's freight transport industry by integrating small and medium-sized business operators to improve the social logistics. The research indicate flat structural design based on smart mobile terminals can balance the supply and demand, in particular to enhance return-picking rate to improve individual benefit, and reduce overall social resources and environmental cost. Record of footprint of goods based on apps and big data analysis provides good database and technical support for the third-party credit evaluation of freight transport operations, and the government may apply the credit evaluation platform composed of trade credit and social credit to regulate the road freight transport industry directly in the future. The survey indicates that most stakeholders support the promotion of freight mobile apps, and the traditional operation may be replaced by the application of freight mobile apps in the future.

Planning of LNG Filling Stations for Road Freight: A Case Study of Shenzhen

Abstract Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has the potential to save fuel cost and reduce air pollution compared to conventional diesel. In order to promote the development of LNG trucks in Shenzhen road freight industry, this paper aimed at forecasting the LNG filling demand and planning the stations construction. There are 6 sub-industries constituting Shenzhen road freight industry, which are port transportation, container transportation, dumper transportation, mixer truck transportation, dangerous cargo transportation and logistics transportation. Besides, three types of LNG filling stations with different applicability are discussed in this paper. Considering the variation of promotion targets during the next decade, the planning schedule was separated into 4 periods in which three types of stations have different priority of construction. Based on scenario analysis, we predicted the LNG trucks penetration and LNG filling demand of each sub-industry during each period. Then an optimization model was built to minimize the total costs and land areas of stations construction meeting the filling demand. As a result, the required number of LNG filling stations of each period can be calculated by solving the model. This paper contributed to the balance between demand and supply of LNG using in road freight of Shenzhen. In addition, the planning results can provide scientific evidences for government to make decisions.

Reducing the energy consumption of heavy goods vehicles through the application of lightweight trailers: Fleet case studies

Reducing the empty weight of articulated heavy goods vehicle trailers is one avenue that needs to be explored in reducing the carbon footprint of the road freight industry as a whole. A statistical analysis of two heavy goods vehicle fleets operating in the United Kingdom has helped to identify double-deck trailers used in grocery haulage and ‘walking-floor’ trailers used in bulk haulage as two examples of trailers that can benefit significantly from lightweighting. Energy consumption of numerous articulated heavy goods vehicles is quantified through an idealised drive cycle analysis reflecting a long haul journey over a highway. This energy analysis allows for a mass energy performance index to be established. The analysis has shown that reducing the empty weight of trailers by 30% can cause reductions of up to 18% and 11% in mass energy performance index for double-deck trailers and ‘walking-floor’ trailers respectively. Using this approach, trailers that will benefit the most from weight reduction can be identified systematically, allowing for lightweighting strategies to be implemented more effectively. Strategies to reduce empty trailer weight and improve vehicle utilisation are also discussed.

London 2012: changing delivery patterns in response to the impact of the Games on traffic flows

The paper addresses road freight transport operations during the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. It presents work carried out prior to the Games to understand pre-Games patterns of freight deliveries in London (for both light and heavy goods vehicles) and the results of modelling work carried out to assess the likely impacts of the Games road restrictions on freight operations. The modelling results indicated that increases in total hours travelled carrying out collection and delivery work would range from 1.4% to 11.4% in the six sectors considered. The results suggested increases in hours travelled in excess of 3.5% in four of the six sectors modelled. The possible actions that could be taken by organizations to reduce these negative impacts were also modelled and the results indicated that such actions would help to mitigate the impact of the road restrictions imposed on operators during the Games. The actual impacts of the 2012 Games on transport both in general terms and specifically in terms of freight transport are also discussed, together with the success of the actions taken by Transport for London (TfL) to help the road freight industry. The potential freight transport legacy of the London 2012 Games in terms of achieving more sustainable urban freight transport is considered and the steps being taken by TfL to help ensure that such a legacy can be realized are discussed. Such steps include policy-makers continuing to collaborate closely with the freight industry through the ‘London Freight Forum’, and TfL's efforts to encourage and support companies revising their delivery and collection times to the off-peak; improving freight planning in the design and management of TfL-funded road schemes; electronic provision of traffic information by TfL to the freight industry, and the further development of freight journey planning tools.

Analyzing the Promoting Factors for Adopting Green Logistics Practices: A Case Study of Road Freight Industry in Nanjing, China

Corporate Environment Management (CEM) is one of the most critical areas for encouraging truck fleets to adopt the green logistics activities under the serious situation of energy security and emission pressures. However, CEM has not been widely adopted in the road freight transportation industry in China yet. This paper describes green logistics practices in China and identifies factors which will have significant effect on the adoption of green logistics in truck fleets. A research framework was developed based on the theory of institutional economics, which was used to describe concept relationships between the driving factors and green logistics practices of truck fleets. A questionnaire survey was conducted in road freight transportation industry in Nanjing, China. A structural equation model was then developed to illustrate concept relationships using factor analysis. The main driving factors identified included an environmental management strategy, mandatory and normative and supply chain pressure. The current green logistics activities of truck fleets identified related to the logistics environment management, green storage and packaging, green transportation, fleet management, alternative fuel implementation and logistics innovation. These findings will aid the adoption of green logistics in the road freight transportation industry in China.

Women in the Driver's Seat: An Exploratory Study of Perceptions and Experiences of Female Truck Drivers and Their Employers in South Africa

The road freight industry is essential to Southern African economies, and South Africa, the largest economy and port of entry and exit for the majority of goods coming and going to the region, has a shortage of trained, quality truck drivers. This study investigates the extent to which employers are hiring female drivers in response to this skilled-labour shortage and brings to light the experiences of both employers and female truck drivers in South Africa's road freight industry. Although there is a dearth of literature on the experiences of women in skilled blue-collar work in South Africa, previous studies from the developed world have established certain expectations for the integration of women into traditionally male-dominated fields; the results of this study are discussed in relation to these expectations. Findings suggest that women are increasingly targeted for employment, beyond the requirements of affirmative action legislation, due to the perception that female drivers are safer, more conscientious, less likely to endanger public safety and company property, and less likely to engage in risky forms of behaviour including those associated with exposure to HIV/AIDS. This has led some employers to conclude that the female drivers they employ are not only equal but superior to their male colleagues. While female drivers note challenges in gaining entry and acceptance in the industry, they also report a near-unanimously positive experience with colleagues and supervisors. This study furthers our understanding of changing gender dynamics in South Africa as well as the secondary impacts of HIV/AIDS on southern African countries. The future of female employment in South Africa's road freight industry holds both opportunities and challenges.

Relational factors that explain supply chain relationships

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the types of relationships that exist along the supply chain and the capabilities that are needed to manage them effectively.Design/methodology/approachThis is exploratory research as there has been little empirical research into this area. Quantitative data were gathered by using a self‐administered questionnaire, using the Australian road freight industry as the context. There were 132 usable responses. Inferential and descriptive analysis, including factor analysis, confirmatory factor and regression analysis was used to examine the predictive power of relational factors in inter‐firm relationships.FindingsThree factors were identified as having significant influence on relationships: sharing, power and interdependency. “Sharing” is the willingness of the organisation to share resources with other members of the supply chain. “Power” relates to exercising control based on experience, knowledge and position in the supply chain. “Interdependency” is the relative levels of dependency along the supply chain.Research limitations/implicationsThe research only looks at the Australian road freight industry; a wider sample including other industries would help to strengthen the generalisability of the findings.Practical implicationsWhen these factors are correlated to the types of relationship, arm's length, cooperation, collaboration and alliances, managerial implications can be identified. The more road freight businesses place importance on power, the less they will cooperate. The greater the importance of sharing and interdependency, the greater is the likelihood of arm's length relationships.Originality/valueThis paper makes a contribution by describing empirical work conducted in an under‐researched but important area – supply chain relationships in the Australian road freight industry.

Competition Issues in Road Transport

The road transport sector, an essential mode of transport in OECD economies, is conventionally divided into two, largely unrelated, parts – the road freight industry and the road passenger industry. The sectors under discussion – trucking, buses, and taxis – have quite different characteristics and scope for competition, which reflect inter alia differences in the timeliness and economies of scale and scope in operations. Trucking can sustain high level of competition and to some extent buses as well while there is some debate as to how and what form of competition can be introduced in taxis. As in the air transport industry, international trucking is governed by restrictive bilateral treaties. Most countries have liberalised their domestic trucking sector, removing controls on entry and prices. In the bus industry, long-distance bus services are liberalised in some countries while intra-city or local buses are very rarely liberalised. The taxi industry appears at first sight to be competitive with many buyers and many sellers.