Research project

STRAIGHTSOL

  • Research groups:
  • Lead researchers:
  • Research funder:
    European Union
  • Status:
    Not active

Project overview

The STRAIGHTSOL (Strategies and measures for smarter urban freight solutions) project brought together seven innovative field demonstrations of various freight initiatives from around Europe, using a common evaluation framework to provide transferable results and conclusions. 

In the UK, TRG worked with Oxfam, using remote monitoring sensors in textile donation banks to allow more dynamic scheduling of collections. Results suggested that the technology can be used to significantly reduce weekly collection mileage, particularly when servicing remote bank locations. The extent of the savings depends on whether a more flexible shop servicing strategy can also be adopted. Oxfam’s ultimate goal is to maximise profit from donated goods, which involves a trade-off between minimising collection costs and maximising quantity, and quality, of goods collected.

STRAIGHTSOL’s legacy website

Staff

Lead researchers

Professor Tom Cherrett

Prof of Logistics and Transport Mgnment

Research interests

  • Understanding and improving the distribution of goods and the management of freight vehicles in urban areas, including the supply of goods to hospitals and the use of consolidation centres; 
  • How optimisation techniques can be used to improve system efficiency and in what ways Intelligent Transport Systems (smart tagging of assets and the use of smartphones) can improve operating efficiency; 
  • Approaches to more effectively collect and manage the movement of waste in terms of both household domestic waste collection strategies, Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) management and joint domestic/commercial waste collection strategies. He has worked on a number of research projects in these specific areas: (Department for Transport grant PPAD 9/142/034, ‘Optimising vehicles undertaking waste collections' GR/S79626/01, SUE project 55 ‘Transport and Logistics'; EP/D043328/1, ‘Green Logistics'.
Connect with Tom

Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups

Research outputs