Uncertainties affecting the economic and environmental performance of freight transport operations

Sanchez Rodrigues, Vasco Augusto ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3375-3079 2011. Uncertainties affecting the economic and environmental performance of freight transport operations. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.

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Abstract

The mitigation of supply chain uncertainty within transport operations can minimise the risk of disruptions in the delivery process, so transport resources can be utilised in the most efficient and least polluting manner. The overall aim of this thesis is to link the uncertainties originating within the supply chain and externally with the economic and environmental performance of road freight transport operations and also to identify potential mitigation tools and/or approaches to minimise their effects. In the deductive stage, a conceptual model was developed by adapting existing manufacturing-focused uncertainty frameworks. This model has been refined through the application of focus groups and confirmed in a structured questionnaire-based survey. The outcome was the four main uncertainty clusters that affect transport operations in the UK. These uncertainty clusters are: delays, variable demand and/or inaccurate forecast, delivery constraints and insufficient supply chain integration and coordination. Furthermore, the main uncertainty cause found in the focus groups was unplanned road congestion. In the inductive stage, uncertainty evaluation assessments in three FMCG distribution networks were undertaken to evaluate the effects that different uncertainty causes have on the economic and environmental performance of such operations. An "extra distance" measure was developed for these assessments, further complemented by including the time dimension of performance in two of them. As a result of this, a new and innovative transport uncertainty evaluation tool has been developed. The main uncertainty clusters found in the deductive stage of the research are the uncertainty clusters found in the deductive stage of the research are those that contribute more to the generation of unnecessary kilometres run within the distribution networks assessed

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	25 Oct 2022 08:50
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/55483

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