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Dr. Shailesh Chandra
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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Management, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
Interests: freight; connected vehicle technology; sustainability; logistics; trucking; last-mile delivery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Freight systems are indispensable to the economic vitality and growth of a region. Over the last few years, freight systems have evolved significantly—in terms of both quality and extent. A recent spur in technologies such as vehicle automation, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity has added to the new standards and high expectations of how freight systems function and operate. All modes that are part and parcel of a freight system, including intermodal transfer points, contribute to sustaining society’s needs in a multimodal setting.

This Special Issue solicits contributions on topics that aim to support and update our understanding of how various technologies, purposes, and entities in a freight system serve society’s sustainability efforts. Both theoretical and empirical studies underpinning the contributions of smart and connected freight—whether through railroad, highway, air, or sea—toward a sustainable society are also welcome. Scholarly reviews integrating topics on freight and sustainability could also fit into this Special Issue publication.

The following topics are some examples of interest for this Special Issue edition of this journal:

Theoretical and empirical studies on freight efficiency and operations;
Freight system modeling and simulation for sustainability;
Freight information and communications technologies;
Freight mobility;
“Uber Freight”;
Technologies, freight, and emissions;
Freight policies and market impacts;
Cyber-physical technologies and sustainability in the trucking industry;
Urban freight transport and sustainable city logistics;
Freight transportation performance measures for a sustainable society;
Electric freight transportation;
Freight mobility and connectivity to terminals;
Sustainable urban distribution and logistics;
Just-in-time and just-in-case deliveries;
Last-mile freight delivery.

Keywords

freight
technologies
sustainability
environment
performance measures
efficiency
logistics
distribution
delivery
communication
electric freight
urban
modeling
simulation
emissions

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

The Transport of Oversized Cargoes from the Perspective of Sustainable Transport Infrastructure in Cities

Jan Petru

and

Vladislav Krivda

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5524; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105524 - 15 May 2021

Viewed by 375

Abstract

The article deals with the transport of oversized cargoes from the perspective of parameters of road network in city environments. In recent years, there has been an increase in the transport of products with dimensions and weight considered above standard. It is very difficult to transport these products not only within Europe but also worldwide. This is also pointed out in the European directive, which recommends that all EU member states build a pan-European network of corridors for the transport of oversized cargoes. The article analyses the issue of transport within the transport infrastructure in cities from the perspective of sustainability of road networks for ensuring the passage of oversized cargoes. The article describes the results of research that was performed for the determination of parameters to ensure the passage of oversized cargoes on roads. The article also deals with the analysis of implemented transports, the results of video analysis of monitored transports, measurement of swept paths of vehicles using GPS apparatus and drones, modelling of oversized vehicles in programs for verification of the swept paths of vehicles, simulation of passage of oversized cargo, the determination of values of radii of corners, widths and heights for the transport of cargoes and the distance from solid obstacles. The precondition for the above-mentioned outputs is the practical use of results in planning the transport infrastructure on the entire communication network and the possibility of its application for designing activities associated with the construction or reconstruction of intersections on routes of frequent transport of excessive and oversized cargoes and verification of critical points on the route. The outputs of the work serve as a basis for the processing of technical conditions, which include procedures and technical recommendations within the design practice in the Czech Republic but also abroad. Emphasis is placed on sustainable, safe and economic transport infrastructure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart and Connected Freight for Sustainable Cities)

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Open AccessArticle

The Matrix vs. The Fifth Element—Assessing Future Scenarios of Urban Transport from a Sustainability Perspective

Oliver Kunze

and

Fabian Frommer

Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3531; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063531 - 22 Mar 2021

Viewed by 702

Abstract

The future of urban transport (including passenger transportation and goods logistics) may develop in significantly different directions. Depending on changes in urban behavior, and depending on decisions made by lawmakers and governmental bodies, as well as by commercial players, this future may show a significantly reduced mobility of people and goods (for example, as depicted in the motion picture The Matrix, where people live immobilized in cocoons) or a significantly increased mobility (for example, as depicted in the motion picture The Fifth Element, where multiple layers of air traffic are added to road and rail traffic). We applied a systems thinking method to create a model for political decision makers and researchers. This model can contribute to a better understanding of the interrelations of societal factors (e.g., behavioral changes in the current COVID-19 situation), technological factors (e.g., the role of data traffic or emerging urban air traffic) and environmental factors (e.g., noise or CO₂ emissions) in an urban mobility and logistics system. The research also shows that data traffic has the potential to partially substitute physical passenger and goods traffic under certain circumstances. Thus, data networks should conceptually be regarded as a new mode of transport that plays a role in the urban modal split. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart and Connected Freight for Sustainable Cities)

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