| 1. |
- Browne, Michael, et al.
(author)
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Transportation as a loosely coupled system: a fundamental challenge for sustainable freight transportation
- 2022
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In: International Journal of Sustainable Transportation. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1556-8318 .- 1556-8334. ; 17:7, s. 804-814
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In view of the pressing need to reduce the negative environmental impact of freight transportation we argue that it is essential to take account of the organization of the freight transportation system when considering how to address various individual activities and parts of the system. To support a transition to a more sustainable freight transportation system this paper examines the way in which different parts of the system interact and the way this can impact the scope for profound change. Taking loosely coupled systems (Weick, 1976) as a starting point, we scrutinize the couplings within and between three system layers of the freight transportation system: the supply chain layer, the transportation layer, and the infrastructure layer. In addition, we address two interfaces connecting these layers: the market for transportation services, and the traffic using the infrastructure. We find that tight couplings dominate in the supply chain and infrastructure layers and that these couplings depend on loose couplings in the transportation layer and the two interfaces. The pattern of couplings identified in the freight transportation system can explain several positive outcomes, such as flexibility and efficiency. But there are also major negative aspects of the loosely coupled nature of the system that create resistance to change and present a barrier in the drive for increased sustainability. The paper concludes that the identified couplings and system features have important implications for policies aiming to change the freight transportation system in ways that lead to significant reduction in the reliance on oil.
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| 2. |
- Hanson, Robin, 1981, et al.
(author)
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Challenges and requirements in the introduction of automated loading and unloading
- 2022
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Research question The use of autonomous vehicles for road transport holds a potential to improve transport performance within areas such as safety, sustainability, driver shortage, and cost efficiency, and there is an increasing interest in the area (Sindi and Woodman, 2021). However, to fully realise the potential of autonomous transport, it seems that the interfaces with shipping and receiving facilities, in terms of loading and unloading, should be automated too, as argued below.In traditional setups, the truck driver is often responsible for loading and unloading the truck, as well as for securing the load. Hence, if there is no truck driver, a different solution is required. A straightforward solution would be for the personnel in the facilities to perform the loading and unloading. Increasingly, however, automation is applied also in production (Bortolini et al. 2021) and warehousing (Custodio and Machado 2020), and it is therefore not obvious that there will be personnel available at the pickup or delivery locations either. Moreover, it is not uncommon that facilities are manned only during daytime. Automated loading and unloading operations could make it possible to decouple the truck transports from the operations in the facilities, thereby enabling round the clock deliveries, regardless of the manning of the facilities. This could reduce congestion on the road. The application of automation often holds a potential to reduce operational cost, as the cost of man-hours may be reduced, which has been indicated in research on internal transport (Bechtsis et al. 2017), as well as the broader area of materials handling. There are several potential challenges that need to be overcome, and several requirements that need to be fulfilled, to enable automated loading and unloading between the autonomous transport and the shipping and receiving facilities. The loading and unloading processes can be considered to take place in the interface between different systems, linking the shipping facilities with the external transport, and linking the external transport with the receiving facilities. In addition to moving the goods onto and off the truck, there are further activities that need to be undertaken, which are performed manually in most systems today. This includes for example opening and closing the hatch of the truck and, importantly, securing the load on the truck after loading it. Applying a systems approach, this paper addresses the question: which are the challenges and requirements of automated loading and unloading in a setting of autonomous freight road transport? Brief overview of the state of the art, including relevant references Significant research in past focused on simulating and automating loading and unloading operations on transportation system with truck driver (Shen et al. 2019; Cao and Dou 2021). They are primarily focused on planning of loading and unloading system and defining the working principles of systemsmodules compatible with multiple material, For instance, Xu et al. (2021). Stacking of standard pallets on truck with fully automated forklifts (Cao and Dou 2021), design and development of automatic cargo batch system for loading and unloading operations (Lee et al. 2014), design and development of automated guided vehicle for material handing in production (Thylén 2022) and application of digital twin technology in design and develop of an intelligent control system for automatic loading and unloading (Zhu, Xu, and Zhu 2021). Nevertheless, when it comes to unmanned fully autonomous transportation, studies on designing and realizing interfaces with shipping and receiving facilities, are limited and at nascent stage. Working towards addressing this research gap, this study identified challenges and requirements of automated loading and unloading in a setting of autonomous truck freight road transport. Method The paper is based on a case study at a production site where autonomous truck transport is currently applied in a pilot setup. In the pilot setup, goods are delivered by an autonomous truck from a production plant to a nearby warehouse, located a few hundred metres from the plant, although travelling partly on a public road. Connected to the pilot setup, preparations are also made for applying automated loading and unloading of the autonomous truck. The study is led by researchers from two universities and is conducted in cooperation with representatives from several companies. All the companies are participating in the preparations for automated loading and unloading at the production site: themanufacturing company operating the production plant and the warehouse, the company providing the autonomous truck, a company providing equipment for automated materials handling, and a company specializing in solutions for load securing. Data is collected through site visits and mapping of processes and material flows, as well as through interviews with the companies involved in the pilot setup and in the preparations for automated loading and unloading. Analysis and results The results from the first stage of the project have been used to prepare a base case with a conventional truck and driver used to move pallets between the production plant and the warehouse. A second case uses an autonomous truck to transport the pallets from the production plant to the warehouse. For the base case the truck is loaded by the driver using a forklift truck (FLT) and the driver secures the load. Unloading at the warehouse is done by FLT operated by someone working in receiving area. For the second case (autonomous truck) the vehicle is loaded by FLT operated by someone from the production plant. Unloading is the responsibility of the warehouse receiving the pallets and is therefore the same as the base case operation.Mapping the material flows and the steps involved has shown that the driver plays various roles beyond driving the truck between the plant and the warehouse. These roles include: opening the door/gate at the loading bay, loading the truck with pallets, securing the load, deciding when the truck is full and needs to leave the plant to go to the warehouse and informing the staff at the warehouse that the truck has arrived. After unloading the driver will determine whether the truck should go back to the production plant for another load or should be used for another activity at the production location. When the autonomous truck is used then the ancillary actions carried out by the driver (listed above) have to be done by someone else or a change has to be made to the processes – for example a sensor could indicate the arrival at the warehouse of the loaded truck. Mapping the processes has demonstrated the scale of the challenge in automating these activities and the requirements applying to an automated loading and unloading system. These include the dynamic environment of the loading/unloading area, non-uniformity of goods, scanning of goods (identification tag, ensuring even weight distribution and alignment of pallets, securing of the load). The accountability and responsibilities of different stakeholders in fully automated unmanned system and handling of claims must also be addressed in the change to more automated systems.
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| 3. |
- Kumar Kalahasthi, Lokesh, 1988, et al.
(author)
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Joint modeling of arrivals and parking durations for freight loading zones: Potential applications to improving urban logistics
- 2022
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In: Transportation Research Part a-Policy and Practice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0965-8564. ; 166, s. 307-329
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper analyzes truck parking patterns in urban freight loading zones by jointly modeling the vehicle arrival rates and the parking durations. Three models were explored: 1) Count data (Negative Binomial) for vehicle arrivals, 2) Survival (Weibull) model for parking duration and 3) A joint model for arrivals and duration. The count data model estimates the parking demand i.e., the rate of truck arrival, while the survival model estimates the probability that a truck is parked for one more minute. The joint model is compared with separate models for predictability and performance. The dataset used in this research is obtained using a mobile phone parking appli-cation, at eight loading zones in the city Vic, Spain over an 18-month period from July 2018 to December 2019, comprised of vehicle parking durations, date, time of arrival and departure, professional activity, and vehicle type (weight). The parking activity data are complemented with built in environment variables of the loading zones, such as the number of establishments in a certain radius, the average walking distance to establishments, the presence of pedestrian pavement, the number of traffic lanes, among others. The joint model outperforms the models estimating the arrival rates and durations separately in goodness of fit and predictability. The model results showed that truck arrival rates vary significantly across days of the week, months, and arrival times. The parking durations are highly dependent on professional activity, vehicle type, and size. Tuesdays and Wednesdays have higher arrival rates compared to other days of a week (except Sundays). Among activities, the transport and parcels require longer parking du-rations. Among the vehicle types, trucks with gross weight larger than 3.5 tons park longer. This paper concludes by explaining the potential of these modeling approaches in improving urban freight operations, evaluation of various policy implications, limitations, and future research.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Agrawal, Tarun, 1989, et al.
(author)
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Automating Loading and Unloading for Autonomous Transport: Identifying Challenges and Requirements with a Systems Approach
- 2023
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In: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. - 1868-4238 .- 1868-422X. ; Part III, s. 332-345
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The logistics industry has undergone significant changes due to high demand, competition, cost pressures, interruptions, and labor market limitations affecting supply chains. As a result, there has been a significant adoption of automation in internal logistics such as warehousing, stock control, and material handling, leading to increased organizational competitiveness by reducing manual labor costs and time spent on these operations. The use of autonomous road transport holds potential to improve transport performance within areas of safety, sustainability, and efficiency. However, for autonomous transport to be fully ealized, loading and unloading processes at shipping and receiving facilities must also be automated. This paper takes a systems approach to identify the challenges and requirements for automated loading and unloading in a setting of autonomous truck transport potentially within a production setting. By addressing these challenges and meeting the necessary requirements, it may be possible to fully realize the benefits of autonomous transport and improve overall transport performance.
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| 6. |
- Ringsberg, Henrik, 1974, et al.
(author)
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Exploring Swedish urban freight stakeholders’ interests in public spaces
- 2023
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In: Cities. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-2751. ; 133
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Urban stakeholders have divergent interests in the use of public space in cities and should be considered in city-planning of urban freight. This paper explores Swedish urban stakeholder’s interests in the use of public space. A literature review on Urban Freight Stakeholders (UFSs) with direct impact on city-planning, and their interest’ in the use of public space was conducted and used as a theoretical foundation in a cross-case analysis of two Swedish cities. Forty-five semi-structured interviews, and forty-one answers from a multiple-choice question were used as empirical data in the evaluation of UFSs’ interests. The paper shows that interests’ of UFSs which contribute to attractive urban environment should be considered in city-planning of urban freight. In addition, policies on road safety, decoration of the city environment and pricing the use of public space in cities need to be developed at local authorities. The paper confirms property owners as UFSs with similar accessibility and service interests as local authorities in the city-planning of urban freight. The literature review of published research and a cross-case analysis of Swedish UFSs’ interests in public space in two cities provides insights for further development of research to enrich theory and city-planning of urban freight.
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| 7. |
- Behrends, Sönke, 1976, et al.
(author)
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Myndigheters roll för urban vattenburen logistik
- 2022
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Trots att det finns ett stort intresse för urban vattenburen logistik (UVL) hos nationella, regionala och kommunala myndigheter, används urbana vattenvägar i Sverige mycket sparsamt. I denna rapport analyserar vi vad myndigheter kan göra för att driva på utvecklingen för ökad användning av UVL. Vår analys visar att en större användning av UVL begränsas av hinder på flera nivåer som förstärker varandra och resulterar i inlåsningsmekanismer i dagens transportsystem. Förutom hinder som är kopplade till ekonomiska parametrar, regelverk, fysiska förutsättningar samt tekniska artefakter, spelar även hinder som är relaterade till beslutfattarnas beteende, kultur och värderingar en viktig roll i detta sammanhang. För att UVL ska kunna implementeras och komma till användning i större skala krävs det därför förändringar på samtliga nivåer. Det finns flera möjligheter för myndigheterna att utveckla marknaden för UVL och att stärka UVL:s konkurrenskraft. Dessa är dock svåra att genomföra på grund av beslutfattarnas rutiner, vanor och tillvägagångssätt som upprätthåller inlåsningsmekanismer. Den viktigaste åtgärden för att driva på utvecklingen av UVL är därför att skapa en stödjande kultur för UVL hos myndigheterna.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Brettmo, Alena, et al.
(author)
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An exploratory study of the scope for receivers to influence urban freight consolidation through changes in their procurement practices.
- 2016
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract Purpose: During the past 5-10 years there has been an increasing interest in urban freight activities due to desire to reduce the environmental impact of freight movements in cities while at the same time maintaining efficiency. One way that has been promoted to achieve this has been the urban consolidation centers. However, some of these initiatives have been argued to be costly and their take up has been limited. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the research on receivers by comparing two organisations that provide procurement services - one in the public sector and one in the private sector. Potential differences exist between public sector and private sector procurement behavior and the research will explore this and consider the possible importance of intermediary organisations that can provide a link between the receivers and the carriers.Research Approach: The paper adopts an exploratory research approach based on a review of relevant literature about transport purchasing and the purchasing behavior of managers in the public and private sectors. This review is then supported by several in-depth interviews. Following the interviews two case studies have been prepared one concerned with public sector procurement and the other with the private sector. These case studies are summarised in the paper and similarities and differences are considered.Findings and Originality: Most urban freight research has focused on carriers. However, receivers possess considerable supply chain power and their decisions can strongly influence urban goods deliveries. This research identifies some important features of the role played by organisations which are neither receivers nor carriers but instead play an intermediary role within the urban supply chain.Research Impact: In particular, the focus of this paper is on the procurement patterns of public and private organizations and potential difference between them. Potential impact of this work would be the contribution to the knowledge about the receivers’ side and their purchasing behavior in relation to the freight generation aspect of urban freight. This study can contribute to the knowledge about consolidation of the goods delivered to the receivers and how the receivers or those organisations working with receivers can trigger it by their procurement practices.Practical Impact: Practical impact can be the knowledge on the influence of goods consolidation activities via changes in organization procurement practices.
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| 10. |
- Brettmo, Alena, et al.
(author)
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Business Improvement Districts as important influencers for changing to sustainable urban freight
- 2020
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In: Cities. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-2751. ; 97
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract This paper explores the ways in which Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) can promote initiatives that lead to more sustainable urban goods movements in urban areas. The qualitative research was conducted by studying eight BIDs in three cities and in three countries - all the BIDs studied had considered or taken actions related to urban freight and sustainability. The results show that BIDs in different countries have similarities and differences in their organisational structure and functions, the main services provided and readiness to promote initiatives related to urban freight improvements. We identified that differences in their accomplishments relate to their motivation, awareness of the scope to influence urban freight and the extent of their collaboration with local and city authorities concerning urban freight initiatives. In general, we suggest that BIDs have the potential to act as important influencers in urban freight as they (i) unite the receivers and encourage them to address joint operations that bring economic and environmental benefits (ii) give the receivers the possibility to implement changes through the power of collective action (iii) facilitate the dialogue and collaboration with local and city authorities. As a result, we suggest that the measures directed to BIDs on improving urban freight can have much more significant return on time and funds invested than if invested in a single businesses and organisations. Our recommendation to BIDs that would like to reach higher level of accomplishments is to ensure stakeholder engagement including engaging and collaboration with local authorities and to demonstrate their willingness to take a lead.
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