Author archives
Technological trends in last-mile contexts: a European perspective
The distribution network of Amazon and the footprint of freight digitalization

The emergence of e-commerce is associated with a rapid shift in the commercial footprint towards distributional-based consumption. Through the analysis of the geographical expansion, market coverage, and functional specialization of Amazon’s distribution network, research by Jean-Paul Rodrigue underlines that digitalization has a pronounced impact on distribution networks.
FORS making city logistics safer

The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a voluntary accreditation scheme for fleet operators that aims to raise the level of quality within fleet operations and to demonstrate which operators are achieving exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency, and environmental protection.
European demonstration programme on hydrogen garbage trucks: LIFE ‘N GARB HY!

‘LIFE ‘N GARB HY!’ stands for ‘LIquidation of Full Emission and Noise by GARBage trucks with HYdrogen’. The aim of this project is to convert two garbage trucks to hydrogen and to operate these mainly in and around the city of Eindhoven. In later stages, these vehicles will be demonstrated in ten different locations in …
Zero emission vehicles: buyers are from Mars, sellers are from Venus

In zero-emission city logistics projects, conversations between buyers and suppliers of vehicles often get bogged down in Babylonian confusion. Vehicle procurement is no longer business-as-usual. But neither is the sales. There is a lack of knowledge on both sides of the table needed to make zero-emission city logistics affordable and reliably available.
Research: estimating environmental potential of urban consolidation

Urban consolidation centers (UCCs) should provide more efficient goods distribution in cities and lead to decreased environmental impact and energy usage. There is, however, limited knowledge as to the actual performance of UCCs, and what roles and perspectives the involved actors have in the performance measurement.
Research: a systematic literature review of urban freight network design

Urban reight network planning and the application of distribution innovations are popular fields of research on sustainable urban logistics. However, considerable research on freight network design lacks a comprehensive consideration of the application of distribution innovations. This observation implies that sustainable urban freight research appears highly fragmented in topics of network design and distribution innovations.
How did Amsterdam food entrepreneurs cope with the COVID-19 crisis

COVID-19 brought the hospitality industry to a standstill. As of early July, one in five Amsterdam (NL) restaurants, cafés, bars, and caterers could not afford to reopen and the industry’s yearly turnover is predicted to decline by over 30 percent. Dutch potato farmers found themselves with a surplus of one billion kilograms and meat producers with cold stores filled …
Electric light commercial vehicles: are they the sleeping giant of e-mobility?

Transport emissions need to be drastically decreased to put Europe on a path towards long-term climate neutrality. Commercial urban freight and last-mile delivery is expected to grow because of the rise of e-commerce. In this frame, electric light commercial vehicles (eLCVs) can be a promising low-emission solution. Literature holistically analyzing the potential of eLCVs as well as …