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New technologies and automation for last mile deliveries: Advantages, disadvantages and policy implications

Paddeu, Daniela; Parkhurst, Graham

Authors

Daniela Paddeu Daniela.Paddeu@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor of Sustainable Freight Futures



Abstract

Urban freight transport is crucial to ensuring the economic vitality of a city. However, significant negative externalities arise from freight flows in an urban area (e.g. polluting emissions, contribution to congestion, noise, etc.). Alternatives to dispatcher-receiver delivery in large diesel vehicles, with lower external costs, have been proposed over the past decades. The most popular of these alternatives is the Urban Consolidation Centre (UCC), which replaces Heavy Good Vehicles with a smaller number of lighter vehicles, which may be electrically powered, by means of transhipment centre outside the urban area. However, there is a major concern about the financial sustainability of this type of scheme, which usually needs public funding support to cover operational costs. Hence, the paper explores to what extent other solutions for last-mile based on new technologies (i.e. autonomous vehicles, 3D printing and drones) to replace or integrate with current transport systems in urban areas might increase the viability of the UCC approach. A review of current and future developments in automated freight transport systems is undertaken. Due to the complexity of evaluating emerging technologies and forecasting trends, the report integrates academic papers, technical reports from international projects and trials, and findings from market research. It is found that, despite the importance of automation for improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the urban freight sector, research evidence gaps exist related to the identification of competitive advantages for these new technologies, micro and macro-economic benefits, and the costs of those developments. It is concluded that, whilst there may be potential for automation in the UK urban freight sector to enhance welfare, particularly in the form of urban quality of life, policymakers will have a crucial role in defining new policies and regulations to foster and accelerate the introduction of such systems, whilst at the same time ensuring equity and ethics.

Citation

Paddeu, D., & Parkhurst, G. (2018, July). New technologies and automation for last mile deliveries: Advantages, disadvantages and policy implications. Paper presented at 16th Annual Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM), Oxford

Presentation Conference Type Conference Paper (unpublished)
Conference Name 16th Annual Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM)
Conference Location Oxford
Start Date Jul 5, 2018
End Date Jul 6, 2018
Deposit Date Oct 14, 2019
Keywords Freight and Logistics; CAVs and freight; Autonomous Vehicles; Last Mile Deliveries.
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/3145628