Jerry OLSSON, Human geography unit, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Apoorva RATHOD, Human geography unit, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Persistently low average truck filling rates (TFRs) is a longstanding problem in the freight transport sector. A slight countertrend has been observed more recently, but overall TFRs is still far from satisfactory. Numerous measures to improve TFRs have been proposed and applied, but a recurring problem is that most often only one ‘segment’ of the freight sector is studied, such as certain truck or consignment sizes, specific delivery areas, routes, or points in time. To gain a more holistic understanding of TFRs, we claim the freight sector's fragmented characteristic must be acknowledged, not the least the distinction between freight terminal and warehouse facilities, but also the freight sector's multifunctional composition where logistics firms with various business models operate out of different terminals and warehouses and perform a multitude of transport activities.
Drawing on fragmentation theory – which acknowledge and reflect the difficulty of rationalizing and grouping geographically and fragmented flows into a number of categories – the aim of this project is twofold. Firstly to investigate the relationship between truck filling rates and different freight terminal and warehouse classifications used by logistics, wholesale, and retail companies in Sweden's 15 largest urban logistics municipalities. Secondly, to investigate measures to increase truck filling rates that are potentially viable in theory and/or in practice.
Mots clés : truck filling rates|terminals/warehouses|trucks|urban|fragmentation
A104409JO