RTR Conference 2023

MDS Transmodal presented emerging results from the SENATOR project at the RTR Conference 2023 in Brussels (14 – 16 February, www.rtrconference.eu). The conference, held annually, showcases road transport research projects (and their key outputs) that have been funded through the EU’s Horizon 2020 scheme. Attendees were a mixture of academic researchers, consultants, policy makers and commercial partners from across Europe. MDS Transmodal (MDST) was invited to present the Horizon-funded SENATOR project (www.senatorproject.eu) at a dedicated freight and logistics session (Session 11, which can be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-yW-7mQjcI&list=PLk2F4MbGviSEkY3CQFpDRJUMH9eRnirnx).

MDST is one of 11 partners from 5 countries working on the SENATOR project which is seeking to develop a digital ‘tool’ that will facilitate greater collaboration between logistics operators and shippers in the urban environment, leading to better optimised load planning and the sharing of spare vehicle capacity when delivering/collecting cargo. A reduction in vehicle trips into and through European cities should result. The tool is adopting a multi-modal approach, including the use of non-road modes such as e-cargo bikes for final deliveries. MDST’s RTR Conference paper provided an overview of the SENATOR project, including describing the ‘Urban Living Labs’ that are currently taking place in Dublin and Zaragoza. It is a ‘proof of concept’ project, with the outputs intended to be commercially exploitable. The paper also outlined an e-cargo bike feasibility study being undertaken in Chester by MDST that is informing the SENATOR business plan.

The impacts from cargo deliveries in urban areas are well known and include large freight vehicles moving and parking in unsuitable streets and noise, visual and tailpipe pollution.

Linked to this is the need for many city and town centres to reinvent themselves, included providing a new retail offer (to challenge the growth of e-commerce), being increasingly a destination for leisure activities (e.g. arts events, hospitality etc..) and places to live car-free (including sustainable and social housing), all of which require servicing with cargo. The challenge for policy makers, therefore, is how do you create a sustainable supply chain and create vehicle-free areas, while at the same time maintain access for cargo deliveries in a cost efficient manner.

It is against this background that the SENATOR project is being undertaken.

The logistics sector will argue that it is already operating at good levels of efficiency. Vehicle fill is generally maximised, achieved in part through the existing use of digital technology that can load-plan and route vehicles efficiently, and can respond in real-time during periods of disruption. EU law has resulted in a competitive market where multiple operators compete for traffic on a combination of price and service quality. While the promotion of greater collaboration via digital technology should be welcomed, particularly where it leads to the sharing of spare vehicle capacity, it should not and cannot be at the expense of reduced market competition.

Many city authorities have also implemented physical solutions that have sought to balance the continual need to undertake cargo deliveries alongside their responsibilities to protect and enhance the urban environment. These include delivery time windows, vehicle weight limits, loading bays and pedestrianisation zones. Where these have been implemented, the market has often responded with its own innovative delivery solutions, including the use of cargo-bikes and battery-electric vans.

This suggests that a combination of market competition (supported by the use of operational level digital technology), aligned with sensible physical solutions at the individual city level is the way forward, rather than some form of ‘forced’ collaboration which reduces competition and innovation, and increases costs. Ultimately, logistics operators and shippers are likely to collaborate using digital technology (such as the SENATOR platform) where it can generate value to their businesses, which is likely to encompass a reduction in the costs of ‘last mile’ urban logistics and enhanced service quality.