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A Time-Efficiency Study of Medium-Duty Trucks Delivering in Urban Environments

Author

Listed:
  • Ivan Sanchez-Diaz

    (Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden)

  • Laura Palacios-Argüello

    (LVMT Laboratoire Ville, Transport et Mobilité, 77455 Marne-la-Vallée CEDEX 2, France)

  • Anders Levandi

    (Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden)

  • Jimmy Mardberg

    (Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden)

  • Rafael Basso

    (Volvo Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden)

Abstract

This paper uses data from a major logistics service provider in Gothenburg (Sweden) to (i) identify the different activities in a typical urban distribution tour, (ii) quantify the time required by drivers to perform each of these activities, and (iii) identify potential initiatives to improve time efficiency. To do so, the authors collected GPS data, conducted a time-study of the activities performed by the drivers for a week, conducted a focus group with the drivers, and a set of interviews with managers. The results show that driving represents only 30% of the time, another 15% is spent on breaks, and the remaining 55% is used to perform activities related to customer service, freight handling, and planning. The latter are subdivided into multiple activities, each taking a small amount of time. A focus group with the drivers and some interviews revealed several initiatives to improve time efficiency. Most initiatives can bring small gains, but when aggregating all potential time savings there is a big potential to improve overall time efficiency. Initiatives with highest potential and low cost are: providing better pre-advice on upcoming customers, improving route planning, having hand-free cell phone use, and enhancing handling equipment.

Suggested Citation

  • Ivan Sanchez-Diaz & Laura Palacios-Argüello & Anders Levandi & Jimmy Mardberg & Rafael Basso, 2020. "A Time-Efficiency Study of Medium-Duty Trucks Delivering in Urban Environments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:1:p:425-:d:305610
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kalahasthi, Lokesh Kumar & Sánchez-Díaz, Iván & Pablo Castrellon, Juan & Gil, Jorge & Browne, Michael & Hayes, Simon & Sentís Ros, Carles, 2022. "Joint modeling of arrivals and parking durations for freight loading zones: Potential applications to improving urban logistics," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 307-329.
    2. Jesus M. Padilla-Atondo & Jorge Limon-Romero & Armando Perez-Sanchez & Diego Tlapa & Yolanda Baez-Lopez & Cesar Puente & Sinue Ontiveros, 2021. "The Impact of Hydrogen on a Stationary Gasoline-Based Engine through Multi-Response Optimization: A Desirability Function Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, January.
    3. Nguyen, Minh Anh & Dang, Giang Thi-Huong & Hà, Minh Hoàng & Pham, Minh-Trien, 2022. "The min-cost parallel drone scheduling vehicle routing problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 299(3), pages 910-930.
    4. Basso, Rafael & Kulcsár, Balázs & Sanchez-Diaz, Ivan & Qu, Xiaobo, 2022. "Dynamic stochastic electric vehicle routing with safe reinforcement learning," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).

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