Exploring Carriers Perceptions about City Logistics Initiatives

An attitudinal study conducted in Brasilia, the Federal District of Brazil, is presented. Carrier managers were asked about their operational characteristics, problems faced on urban freight distribution, and a set of city logistics initiatives (CLI). The respondents were also asked about external factors affecting the implementation of these initiatives. The methodology used a Likert-scale scheme to evaluate the responses and to implement nonparametric tests to explore relationships between opinions and carriers’ attributes. The results show that finding parking is considered the main obstacle for efficient urban distribution, followed by traffic congestion and long delivery times. In regard to the CLI, vehicle parking reservation systems and off-hour deliveries are supported by all the carriers interviewed. Local pickup points and unassisted deliveries produce the highest opposition, mainly because these CLI are suitable for specific types of customers and commodities. The results shed light on the factors influencing the implementation of CLI from the point of view of carriers and suggest segments with common operational attributes that could be targeted for each initiative