ICT Use in The Last Mile of Express Logistic Services - Evaluating The Effects on Urban Traffic

Abstract

The European Union as well as the USA are aware of the environmental impacts of traffic. The usage of ICT is promoted as the basic technological strategy to reduce negative effects by relieving the road network capacity. Though it is hard to identify and evaluate the direct impact of ICT. As a project partner the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) - Institute of Transport Research (IVF) accompanies an implementation project of the German DHL (“SMART TRUCK”). The project focus is on two ‘intelligent’ vehicles equipped with RFID technology embedded in a modern communication and disposition systems. The aspired goal is to optimize urban and rural delivery by avoiding congestion and construction sites as well as by increasing the vehicles capacity utilization by changing from static to dynamic (and thus more flexible) route planning. The authors are going to present how the DLR-IVF is analyzing and evaluating status-quo and field test results under an economical and transport perspective.