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Collaborative parcels logistics via the carrier’s carrier operating model

Collaborative parcels logistics via the carrier’s carrier operating model
Collaborative parcels logistics via the carrier’s carrier operating model

Parcel logistics in urban areas are characterized by many carriers undertaking similar activity patterns at the same times of day. Using substantial carrier manifest datasets, this paper demonstrates advantages from rival carriers collaborating using a “carrier’s carrier” operating model for their last-mile parcel logistics operations. Under these circumstances, a single carrier undertakes all the deliveries within a defined area on behalf of the carriers instead of them working independently. Modelling the daily delivery activity of five parcel carriers working over a 3.7 km 2 area of central London, comprising around 3000 items being delivered to around 900 delivery locations, and consolidating their activity through a single carrier suggested that time, distance and associated vehicle emissions savings of around 60% could be achieved over the current business-as-usual operation. This equated to a reduction in the number of delivery vans and drivers needed from 33 to 13, with annual savings of 39,425 h, 176,324 km driven, 52,721 kg CO 2 and 56.4 kg NOx. Reliance on vans and associated vehicle emissions could be reduced further by using cargo cycles alongside vans for the last-mile delivery, with estimated annual emissions savings increasing to 72,572 kg CO 2 and 77.7 kg NOx. The results indicated that consolidation of items for delivery in this way would be especially beneficial to business-to-consumer (B2C) carriers whose parcel profiles comprise relatively small and light items. One of the key barriers to the wider take up of such services by individual carriers is the loss of individual brand identity that can result from operating through a carrier’s carrier.

0361-1981
384-393
Mcleod, Fraser
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Cherrett, Thomas
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Bates, Oliver
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Bektas, Tolga
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Lamas Fernandez, Carlos
e96b5deb-74d5-4c9b-a0ce-448c99526b09
Allen, Julian
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Piotrowska, Marzena
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Piecyk, Maja
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Oakey, Andy
dfd6e317-1e6d-429c-a3e0-bc80e92787d1
Mcleod, Fraser
93da13ec-7f81-470f-8a01-9339e80abe98
Cherrett, Thomas
e5929951-e97c-4720-96a8-3e586f2d5f95
Bates, Oliver
ef8b73a4-6d8e-4a2b-8669-facda520627a
Bektas, Tolga
0db10084-e51c-41e5-a3c6-417e0d08dac9
Lamas Fernandez, Carlos
e96b5deb-74d5-4c9b-a0ce-448c99526b09
Allen, Julian
5a70d3a9-57ab-4f92-bd40-682e51aebfec
Piotrowska, Marzena
a8d8c328-1096-463c-ad98-f3262d5e5db9
Piecyk, Maja
51273248-be60-42e5-ada6-093cfa9aa234
Oakey, Andy
dfd6e317-1e6d-429c-a3e0-bc80e92787d1

Mcleod, Fraser, Cherrett, Thomas, Bates, Oliver, Bektas, Tolga, Lamas Fernandez, Carlos, Allen, Julian, Piotrowska, Marzena, Piecyk, Maja and Oakey, Andy (2020) Collaborative parcels logistics via the carrier’s carrier operating model. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2674 (8), 384-393. (doi:10.1177/0361198120920636).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Parcel logistics in urban areas are characterized by many carriers undertaking similar activity patterns at the same times of day. Using substantial carrier manifest datasets, this paper demonstrates advantages from rival carriers collaborating using a “carrier’s carrier” operating model for their last-mile parcel logistics operations. Under these circumstances, a single carrier undertakes all the deliveries within a defined area on behalf of the carriers instead of them working independently. Modelling the daily delivery activity of five parcel carriers working over a 3.7 km 2 area of central London, comprising around 3000 items being delivered to around 900 delivery locations, and consolidating their activity through a single carrier suggested that time, distance and associated vehicle emissions savings of around 60% could be achieved over the current business-as-usual operation. This equated to a reduction in the number of delivery vans and drivers needed from 33 to 13, with annual savings of 39,425 h, 176,324 km driven, 52,721 kg CO 2 and 56.4 kg NOx. Reliance on vans and associated vehicle emissions could be reduced further by using cargo cycles alongside vans for the last-mile delivery, with estimated annual emissions savings increasing to 72,572 kg CO 2 and 77.7 kg NOx. The results indicated that consolidation of items for delivery in this way would be especially beneficial to business-to-consumer (B2C) carriers whose parcel profiles comprise relatively small and light items. One of the key barriers to the wider take up of such services by individual carriers is the loss of individual brand identity that can result from operating through a carrier’s carrier.

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Accepted/In Press date: 31 March 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 June 2020
Published date: August 2020
Additional Information: Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The research reported in this paper was carried out as part of the Freight Traffic Control 2050 project (www.ftc2050.com) funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Publisher Copyright: © National Academy of Sciences: Transportation Research Board 2020.

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 439444
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/439444
ISSN: 0361-1981
PURE UUID: 37a2a818-853a-46c1-a29d-96f01dfe680a
ORCID for Fraser Mcleod: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5784-9342
ORCID for Thomas Cherrett: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0394-5459
ORCID for Tolga Bektas: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0634-144X
ORCID for Carlos Lamas Fernandez: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5329-7619
ORCID for Andy Oakey: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1796-5485

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 23 Apr 2020 16:33
Last modified: 23 Mar 2024 03:06

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Contributors

Author: Fraser Mcleod ORCID iD
Author: Thomas Cherrett ORCID iD
Author: Oliver Bates
Author: Tolga Bektas ORCID iD
Author: Carlos Lamas Fernandez ORCID iD
Author: Julian Allen
Author: Marzena Piotrowska
Author: Maja Piecyk
Author: Andy Oakey ORCID iD

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