by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Urban freight policy typically operates in silos. Vehicle access regulations — low-emission zones, weight restrictions, time windows, congestion charges — are designed and evaluated separately from loading zone management. A new study from Budapest University of Technology and Economics asks whether that separation reflects reality, or whether cities that invest in one tend to invest …
The Last Mile Innovation Report 2026 provides one of the most comprehensive overviews of innovations currently reshaping parcel delivery. Covering AI, transport management systems, electric vehicles, microhubs, cargo bikes, returns logistics, computer vision, and parcel lockers, the report argues that the last mile is evolving from a simple delivery function into a strategic operating system …
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), working with leading EV deployment practitioners, has published nine principles to close a structural gap: vehicle electrification is outpacing utilities’ ability to energize the charging infrastructure that supports it. Left unaddressed, this mismatch risks higher electricity prices, slower EV adoption, and the erosion of public support for electrification. …
Les Echos writes: “Amazon, Shein et les autres… Les livraisons de colis représentent déjà 20 % du trafic routier en Ile-de-France”. True or fake news? A new research note from L’Institut Paris Region puts a striking number on a trend most of us feel intuitively: 315 million parcels were delivered in Île-de-France in 2025, the result of …
A new McKinsey analysis describes the US distribution sector as entering a phase of “permanent volatility,” with AI acting as the defining force. While the findings focus on US distributors, the structural shifts—digital expectations, M&A dynamics, and the erosion of traditional advantages—carry clear implications for city logistics and supply chain players globally. Theme 1: AI …
The transition to electric urban freight vehicles is often presented as a straightforward vehicle-replacement exercise: replace diesel vans and trucks with electric ones, and emissions disappear. In reality, the challenge is much broader. Vehicle range, charging time, route planning, grid capacity, and charging infrastructure all become critical operational variables. A recent Italian study examines one …
What are strategic, tactical, operational, and hyperoperational decisions in a transport company? These four levels differ mainly in their time horizons, reversibility, and the granularity of the information they work with. Strategic decisions span years and shape the structure of the company: which markets and segments to serve (FTL, LTL, temperature-controlled, urban distribution), network design …
Cities across Europe are investing heavily in circular economy initiatives, yet one critical challenge remains unresolved: how to get products back. While enormous attention is devoted to recycling technologies, material recovery, and reverse supply chains, the weakest link is often the very first step of the process: collection. A recent guide from the INCREACE project …
Rabobank examines the state of online supermarket sales and its implications for logistics. Online grocery shopping has firmly established itself across Europe. That is the main conclusion of a recent RaboResearch report. After the turbulent growth years around the COVID pandemic and the sharp correction that followed, the market is now normalizing. Consumers treat online …
Lidl Netherlands is setting a world first: by 2027, the supermarket chain will replenish all its stores entirely by electric transport — the first retailer anywhere in the world to do so. The original 2030 target has been brought forward by three years, a milestone announced at the opening of a new fast-charging hub in …