Archive
Reliability of Road Transport from the Perspective of Logistics Manager and Freight Operators
This project has examined
congestion impacts across nine sectors and enquired about company reactions to
the significant deterioration in road traffic conditions in the
In the course of the project a
total of 37 managers were interviewed in 28 companies or divisions of companies.
Additionally, five visits were made to DCs. Detailed enquiries were made about
the impact of congestion on the logistics operations, the relationship between
congestion and other sources of unreliability and any measures companies were
taking to mitigate the effects of congestion. Analysis of the data revealed
wide variations in the relative impact of congestion both within and between
sectors. There was little evidence of it causing companies to restructure their
logistics systems. Nor, in most cases, was it causing companies to run more
vehicles, increase tractor-trailer ratios, carry more inventory or modify
internal warehouse design and capacity. Some companies, however, have high
exposure to congestion as a consequence of their geography, product type,
scheduling constraints and customer requirements. Congestion is clearly
impacting more seriously on the cost and quality of their logistics operations.
The final report of this study has just been published at the ITF website and can be downloaded from:
We hope that you find the
report interesting and would welcome any feedback. Please contact us on greenlogistics@hw.ac.uk.