London Freight Gets Smarter

Jul 11
19:36

2016

Lisa Jeeves

Lisa Jeeves

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Haulage companies know that in London, freight keeps everything moving. That’s why new improvements in deliveries are key in this big city.

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It takes a lot to keep a city like London running smoothly,London Freight Gets Smarter  Articles and no one is better acquainted with this than haulage companies and other big players in the logistics world. Every day, hundreds of thousands of deliveries are delivered to businesses and individuals, each one an important cog in the ceaselessly turning gears of the London economy.

As anyone who has navigated through London traffic can attest, it can be a pain just to get through the morning rush hour. But the congestion of the city’s streets quickly becomes more than just a nuisance when you make deliveries for a living – it becomes a real and immediate economic problem. All that time spent waiting in traffic translates to wasted driver hours and fuel, higher operating costs, and higher fuel emissions – not to mention slower customer service. Traffic, a simple fact of life for many, is an efficiency headache for haulage companies. But like every problem this too has a solution. As London continues to expand, evolve, and modernise, new strategies are coming into focus for streamlining the freight industry in the nation’s capital.

Transport for London and the Freight Industry

A key player in the initiative for more efficient delivery strategies is Transport for London, commonly known as TfL. The government body is working in partnership with the freight industry and with local authorities to rethink how deliveries are made. In particular, TfL and the industry are focusing on shifting delivery times out of the peak period between 07:00 and 13:00. By spreading out deliveries more equally throughout the day, haulage companies and independent delivery drivers can avoid wasting valuable resources sitting idle in gridlock. Not all businesses are able to re-time their deliveries, so TfL and the freight industry are looking at other solutions, too, such as rerouting and consolidating deliveries.

The Road Modernisation Plan

Also working in the freight industry’s favour is TfL’s Road Modernisation Plan. This far-reaching £4bn plan includes new cycle routes, safer junctions, upgraded traffic signals, crossings, highways, essential maintenance and modernisation efforts.
With London’s population projected to swell to 10 million in 2030, this investment in London’s infrastructure will be crucial in keeping this dynamic city moving. The new changes will make things easier and more efficient for millions of London travellers and commuters, but will also have a significant impact on the freight industry. Improved and safer roads mean improved and safer deliveries, especially when coupled with the other initiatives put in place by TfL.

What the Future Looks Like

In the future, haulage companies and other key players in the freight industry should expect a more modern and flexible approach to delivery work. With new measures such as night deliveries taking the pressure off of the more congested daylight hours, the industry should be prepared for similarly new and unconventional ways to tackle big-city logistics. Freight and logistics are the lifeblood of a rapidly changing and developing city like London, and everyone can benefit from making deliveries a little quicker, easier, and more efficient.