Interface Analysis Between Long-Distance Road Freight Transport and the Modular U-Shift Vehicle System in Relation to the Handling of Goods in Automated Terminals

Kurzfassung

The increasing demand for goods in contrast to the growing shortage of drivers in road freight transport emphasizes the need for innovative logistics concepts. Central challenges besides the autonomous driving task are the efficient organization of the interface between largevolume road freight transport on the one hand and the fine distribution in urban and suburban areas on the other. The focus of this work is the analysis of automated cargo transfer of small transport units in a limited space between long-distance logistics with the autonomous long haul robot truck (LHRT) and subsequent last-mile distribution systems for urban areas, such as the modular, driverless U-Shift concept vehicle. Various technical concepts for the individual terminal areas are therefor analyzed and evaluated in terms of throughput, flexibility and complexity. The results show that automated goods handling systems offer a high potential for increasing efficiency and sustainability of the overall logistics system with different strengths, depending on the area of application. The paper examines the process of the capsule handling and presents a possible overall conceptual framework for an LHRT to U-Shift terminal.