How is own account transport well adapted to urban environments?
CRUZ, Cecilia
hal-00615151, version 1 - 18 Aug 2011
Figure 6: Delivery run by a frozen foods distributor in Marseilles (6 AM to 1:15 PM). Source: LET
Figures 7 and 8 show parcel delivery runs. They are more spatially concentrated than the
own-account runs, in both the centre city and the industrial area. These runs begin later:
around 8:30 AM in both cases. This illustrates the differences in schedule and spatial
distribution of stops between own-account and third-party delivery.
Another point is that own-account transport is better adapted to certain business' schedules.
For example, because a grocery wholesaler's delivery runs are done early in the morning,20 it
was more appropriate to opt for wholesale-specific labour restrictions than those of the
transport industry. The 39-hour weekly limit fits the schedule, e.g. 5 AM to 12 noon with a
half-hour break. Delivery drivers also rarely accumulate 4.5 hours21 of driving in one day -
they drive a total of about 100 km around their origin.
20 Interview with the transport manager of a grocery wholesaler, 6 May 2009.
21 Beyond 4.5 hours of driving, drivers are legally required to take a break of 15 minutes minimum.
12th WCTR, July 11-15, 2010 - Lisbon, Portugal
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