Freight transport as a loosely coupled system: identifying and exemplifying critical couplings that hinder the transition to fossil free transport

Research Project, 2027 – 2028

The problem adressed in this project is both multidisciplinary and challenging. The idea behind the current project is to identify and empirically exemplify the most critical loose and tight couplings in the transport system that hinder the development towards a fossil free freight transport system. The project will bring forward suggestions that address these ‘hindering’ couplings and that, in turn, have the potential to help the transition. The project takes a multi-layer perspective on the transport system which includes the supply chain layer where products are exchanged between sellers and buyers, the transport operations layer where goods are transported – ‘activated’ by the transport market which connects it to the supply chain layer – and the infrastructure layer – ‘activated’ by the traffic market where vehicles and vessels make use of the infrastructure.

The project provides important new perspectives on the transport system as an integrated system that stretches across areas relating to, for example, traffic modes, transport and traffic routing, supply chains and infrastructure. A key aim is to find empirical examples of change efforts that stretch beyond one of these layers/areas and with system wide effects. Many current change efforts are localised and aim to create effects in one (limited) layer or part of the system. By creating awareness of critical couplings and patterns of couplings that hinder ‘real’ system change, efforts might be redirected to other kinds of strategies that can accomplish the necessary change.