04/13/2022
In a city context, Manali Sheth et al. [6] looked into the potential of transferring goods from delivery trucks to electric-assisted cargo bikes. The research examines a variety of elements to determine when a shift is appropriate. The proximity to the DC, the number of stops, and the number of parcels each stop are the most critical determining factors.
According to these papers, the future of transportation will undoubtedly be sustainable. The 4A's proposed by Macharis and Kin [7] can be used to classify achieving more sustainable logistics. Awareness, Avoidance, Act, and Shift were all important themes in this Topical Collection. Almost all of the authors considered the new notions' environmental implications. As academics, we play a vital role in establishing new approaches for analyzing, calculating, and benchmarking the societal impact of new concepts in order to raise awareness among businesses, governments, and citizens. There are numerous strategies to minimize unnecessary kilometers under the avoidance section. Product compaction, package compaction, and, of course, freight flow bundling are all key logistical difficulties in the future.
With the first two papers in this thematic collection, the prevention of missing deliveries received a lot of attention. The first one looked at how to provide additional information about delivery times. The relevance of delivery timing emerged as a key finding in the second paper as well. Act and Move, the third concept, is to shift freight to more environmentally friendly routes such as rail, inland waterways, and cargo bikes. As evidenced by the four papers in this book, a lot of research focus has to go there and is going there. The modal split has been constant for years, and a way to produce a modal shift must be developed. The potential for cargo bikes is enormous.
Anticipation of new technologies, the fourth A, will, of course, play an essential role in the future of freight transportation. What about self-driving cars, electric trucks, drones, and other futuristic technologies? Future research and next NECTAR Cluster meetings will focus on this topic.
